PALM DESERT, Calif. — Annika Sorenstam pulled away early and had to catch up late yesterday on what turned out to be a tumultuous second round for just about everyone in the Samsung World Championship.

When it ended as clouds began to hover over Bighorn, Sorenstam nearly holed a sand wedge on the 18th hole for a tap-in birdie that salvaged a 1-under 71 and left her atop the leaderboard with Sophie Gustafson (70) and Paula Creamer (68).

They were at 6-under 138, one shot ahead of Women's British Open champion Sherri Steinhauer, who shot a bogey-free 67.

Lorena Ochoa (73) and Karrie Webb (69) were at 4-under 140 and faced a big weekend as Nos. 1-2 on the LPGA Tour money list and in the Player-of-the-Year race.

Hawai'i's Michelle Wie had more adventures in the desert, joining caddie Fanny Sunesson in a rock removal project on the par-5 third hole to find a place in the sand to drop her ball, then taking double bogey when a pitch shot slammed into the bottom of the pin and caromed back some 10 feet. She took one other drop in desert fauna — that makes six rulings in two days — and shot 72 to finish eight shots behind.

"Is today Friday the 13th?" Wie said after her round. "Scary."

Expectations remain high for Wie, the 17-year-old Punahou School senior who started her limited LPGA Tour season strong by nearly winning the first three majors. But coming off consecutive last-place finishes against the men, she is in a rare spot on the women's leaderboard, which would be near the bottom.

But she is leading the field in rulings.

"I think the rules officials are getting sick of me," Wie said.

Any hopes of a normal round at Bighorn ended on the par-5 third hole when Wie hit her drive so far to the right that she hit a provision in case it was lost. They found it, which was no bargain. It was buried in a desert bush, and the only place to drop was in a sandy area loaded with rocks.

As rules official Janet Lindsay looked on, Sunesson began picking up rocks, some weighing close to 10 pounds, and heaving them out of the way to make room for a drop. Before long, Wie bent over and started grabbing baseball-sized rocks and tossing them aside.

That was the easy part. If her drop didn't roll all the way down the slope, it would have landed in another bush. It was close, but Sunesson wisely chose a sand wedge to measure the two club lengths — the ball was outside that — and Wie was able to place the ball in the sand. It was a good break, but it didn't last long when the ball banged off the pin.

"A very interesting hole," Wie said.

She had to take another penalty shot on the par-5 15th, leading to bogey.

Sorenstam threatened to run away from the rest of the 20-player field early in the round when she hit 9-iron to 11 feet for birdie on the second hole, then got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 third for another birdie that gave her a quick lead at a tournament she is trying to win for a record sixth time.

Another tap-in birdie at No. 5 put her at 8 under, but she three-putt for bogey on the par-3 eighth, and made double bogey at the par-4 ninth.