Kaneko leads Hawaii trio

CARLSBAD, Calif. » After a first round full of frustration, Ayaka Kaneko, Stephanie Kono and Michelle Wie begin today’s second round of the Kia Classic on the bubble.

Kaneko bogeyed two of her last three holes Wednesday for a 3-over-par 75 at La Costa Resort and Spa.

The Sacred Hearts graduate is tied for 75th. Wie and Kono, both out of Punahou, are not in double digits.

They are two shots and 30 places behind Kaneko. The top 70 and ties after today’s second round make the cut.

Only 25 players broke par on the renovated Legends (formerly South) Course on Wednesday, and 11 did not break 80. The field of 144 includes 49 of last year’s top 50 money winners.

The international trio of Yani Tseng (Taiwan), Ji Young Oh (South Korea) and Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) share the lead after shooting 67.

That would be 5 under. The three Hawaii golfers had four birdies among them.

Kaneko snagged two, the first coming after she opened on the back nine with five pars. There would be bogeys on three of her next four holes.

“Today I had some good momentum going,” Kaneko said, “but I ruined it at No. 16 and I just kept going in the wrong direction and I could never recover from that.

“Hopefully tomorrow, if something happens, I just have to be really positive and learn from it all.”

There was lots to learn for 22-year-olds willing to take it all in.

Kono drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole, then fought her driver the next 5 hours. She and Wie both hit only six fairways, creating chaos on a narrow course with what Kaneko called “really sticky” rough.

Kono says her learning curve now includes overcoming tendencies.

“When I don’t feel comfortable over a shot it’s hard for me to really commit to it,” said Kono, a rookie still looking to make her first cut. “I have to try to be more committed to every shot.”

Wie’s mantra for her first round since finishing her final class at Stanford on Friday was “work in progress.” The world’s 20th-ranked golfer hit just 10 greens in regulation — more than Kono and Kaneko — and needed 33 putts.

More than one miss came from within 3 feet, and a few of those did not touch the hole. Wie never looked like she thought anything that came off her belly putter was going in.

She spoke later of a “possible equipment change,” but she knows better than anyone that the problem starts between her ears and works its way through her 6-foot frame and whatever putter is in her hands.

“Most of all it’s just being comfortable out there and getting used to making putts,” she said. “It’s a work in progress, something I’ve worked on for quite a while and something I’m going to keep working on. I definitely need to improve and I know that if I improve that it’s going to be a lot better just because everything else is pretty good. I’ve just got to be confident.”

That is a trait Wie has rarely lacked. Kaneko and Kono — with 12 LPGA starts between them — are still searching for it, against the best players in the world.

“I had a really hard time in Australia and I think I was a little discouraged from that,” Kono said. “But I was more confident after Arizona even though I didn’t score as well as I wanted to. I still did a lot of good things out there. Even today I hit a few loose shots, but I don’t feel uncomfortable out here. I feel pretty comfortable.”

Kono goes out at 5:05 a.m. Hawaii time today, with Kaneko at 5:15 and Wie at 6:05.