Ai Miyazato
© AFP/Getty Images Scott Halleran

WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) - Miyazato usually plays in the shadow of money-list leaders Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam but for one round she seized the limelight.

Webb is in contention and Mexico's Ochoa and Sorenstam, of Sweden, are likely to bounce back from rough opening rounds.

Miyazato could have improved on her one-shot lead over South Korea's Il Mi Chung and Aussie Webb if it hadn't been for a double-bogey at the par-four 10th.

Julieta Granada, Natalie Gulbis and Mi Hyun Kim are each two shots off the pace after rounds of two-under 70.

A bogey-free front nine with three birdies had Miyazato out in front but she started her final nine with a double-bogey to drop to one-under.

She didn't let it affect her game as she rebounded with birdies at the next two holes and added another at 15.

Chung and Webb, second to Ochoa on the money list, each carded four birdies and a bogey to shoot 69.

Ochoa and Sorenstam are tied for 18th at two-over 74.

The world's top-ranked female player, Sorenstam is third on the money list but still can vault past Webb and Ochoa if she wins the record one million dollar first prize.

This year, the tournament has a new playoff format, which was implemented to add interest to the season finale.

The field of 32 players will be cut to 16 on Friday, with only the top eight Saturday advancing to an 18-hole shootout on Sunday.

The 54-hole scores will be wiped out and the jackpot will go to the player shooting the lowest score in the final round.

Ochoa, a six-time winner who has already clinched the Player of the Year award, leads the money list with nearly 2.5 million dollars in earnings.

Webb is in second place with 2.07 million dollars and Sorenstam has 1.96 million dollars.

©AFP