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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

Another strong round of golf has USF sitting in the driver's seat for the home stretch of the Big East Championship.

The Bulls turned a two-shot deficit in the first round into a five-shot lead by the end of Monday's second round with Amy West in a tie for the individual lead 6 over. Christina Miller's 73 was the lowest round of the day among all players and USF's star sophomore is only one stroke behind West in a tie for third place.

Kelli Pry, who tied for the first-round lead, and teammate Shena Yang are three shots off the lead in a tie for fifth.  Anna Hancock is seven strokes away from West in a tie for 15^th at the Reunion Resort and Club in Orlando.

"It's going to be one of those things where talent can't take over at this point. It's going to be about who wants it the most and who is going to be supportive of each other," USF head coach Marci Kornegay said. "Those are the things we talked about as soon as we got off the golf course."

West was feeling pretty good about her day after shooting 4 over in a second round that included two pars on the back nine. The junior from Valrico, Fla, starts Tuesday's final round at the top of the leader board with Notre Dame's Ashley Armstrong and is seeking her second finish in the top 10 this season.

"She hasn't really played a great spring and for her to be peaking right now is giving her a lot of confidence," Kornegay said. "She feels a lot more at ease like she doesn't have to prove herself anymore."

Conditions at the Watson Course were far from ideal with winds occasionally gusting at speeds of 30-40 mph, but the elements played in Miller's favor. The sophomore posted three birdies and tied for the best round yet in the tournament after starting the day in 18^th place at 6 over.

"Her game sets up for playing in the wind," Kornegay said. "She is able to control the ball better than anybody I've ever seen. She was using a different shot selection and some pretty unique shots in the wind."

While a player like Miller thrives in the wind, a player like Pry really has to grind in the conditions because the senior's swing features a high flight pattern that makes shots hard to control. Despite the adversity, Pry stayed a couple of strokes off the lead by making par nine times and adding a birdie.

"She was fighting it the whole day today," Kornegay said. "A 79 is actually a really good score for her in these conditions."

Yang has dealt with an obstacle of her own for the entire tournament thanks to a club issue. The junior has played with a different driver after the face broke on her usual club two days before competition began, but she's handling it well while tied with Pry. Yang's 2-over 74 had her in fifth place on Sunday and she stayed consistent on Monday by making par 11 times with a birdie on the third hole.

"She'll be fine," Kornegay said.

Now USF must complete the task of finishing what could be the program's first Big East title win since it started competing in the conference in 2006. Kornegay knows a five-shot lead isn't a large margin and reiterated that mental toughness will be a key factor in the determining a champion.

"It's going to be the team that really digs deep," she said.

Live scoring of Tuesday's final round can be accessed online at Golfstat.com and you can get Twitter updates during the action @tomzeboldusf.

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