NEW ROCHELLE, New York (Ticker) - Kelli Kuehne may be in unfamiliar territory, but that did not stop her from thinking ahead.

Kuehne fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 on Friday and holds a two-shot lead after the second round of the LPGA Sybase Big Apple Classic.

Winless since her only career title at the 1999 Corning Classic, Kuehne had a round at the Wykagyl Country Club that included six birdies and moved her to 8-under 134 for the tournment.

Kuehne is two strokes in front of Chris Johnson, who also shot a 65 on Friday. It is the first time she is leading an event since the third round of the 2000 Corning Classic.

Afterward, Kuehne said she is happy with her position, but she has a bigger overall picture of what she would like to accomplish this weekend.

"I love it. It's position I love to be in," Kuehne said. "I haven't been there in a while. I feel like I've put myself in really good position, and I love where I am.

"But my goal, I want to make the Solheim Cup. That's where my head is. I want to win, don't get me wrong, but the Solheim Cup is the overall picture of what I want to do."

Kuehne has some work to do if she wants to qualify for the United States' Solheim Cup team, which is chosen following the State Farm Classic on September 1.

For the 12-player squad, 10 players qualify for the team by earning points for wins and top-10 finishes over a two-year period, with two players selected by the captain. Kuehne, who has four top-10 finishes this season, is 12th in the standings.

Four-time Player of the Year Annika Sorenstam, who already has won six times in 13 starts this season, is lurking and is three shots back. Korean Hee-Won Han also is three shots back.

Kuehne, who shot a 69 in the first round, was on fire early on Friday as she birdied her first three holes. Each birdie came with a putt from within 15 feet.

Kuehne said she was unaccustomed to good starts.

"That was awesome," she said. "I haven't started out like that in a really long time. I usually start with a par. I usually start with par. I even play my best golf when I start with a bogey, that kind of gets me settled in. I'm kind of like, `OK, let's get started and keep going.' But to start birdie-birdie-birdie, those were three solid birdies. That got me confident into the day."

Kuehne built on the strong start, sprinkling in birdies on Nos. 8, 10 and 15 en route to her low round of the year.

Johnson, who has nine career titles but none since 1997, had seven birdies and a bogey on Friday. But her finish is what moved her into contention.

Whereas Kuehne started with three straight birdies, Johnson concluded her round with a trio of birdies. On the par-5 18th, she two-putted from 40 feet.

Johnson credited her success to a new driver.

"I've been hitting the ball well and got a new driver last week," Johnson said. "So, it's a lot easier to hit the fairways. I hit some really long drives and have had shorter clubs into the holes than some of the other players."

While Kuehne and Johnson have had droughts winning on the tour, Sorenstam hoists trophies on almost a weekly basis and clearly is the game's dominant player.

Sorenstam rebounded from a sub-par opening round, and shot a bogey-free 66 on Friday.

Sorenstam, who has not played since the U.S Open three weeks ago, sounded like a player that is gearing up for another title.

"Well, it's only Friday. It's a four-day tournament," she said. "The weekend is when it really starts. I'm right there, and that's perfectly fine for me. I'm looking forward to a good weekend with some low scores. I'm not chasing anyone, I just want to focus on my own game. We'll see what happens on Sunday."

Han, the 2001 LPGA Rookie of the Year, also had a bogey-free round, shooting a 67.

It was a rough day for first-round co-leaders Kathryn Marshall and Minny Yeo, who opened with 68s. On Friday, Marshall had a 76 and was at 2-over 144, one shot better than the cut. Yeo carded an 80 and missed the cut.

Juli Inskter, who won the U.S. Open, carded a 72 and missed the cut at 5-over 147 overall.

Defending champion Rosie Jones shot a 67 on Friday, and is even-par for the tournament.

The par-71 Wykagyl Country Club is a 6,161-yard layout.

First prize is $142,500.