Editors' Blog Blogger Bio
Ochoa shares early lead
RANCHO MIRAGE, CA--Reigning Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa reeled off four consecutive birdies to pull into a tie with Karen Stupples atop the leaderboard during first-round action at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season.
Ochoa, teeing off on Hole No. 10 with defending champion Morgan Pressel, stuck her approach on No. 18 to four feet and sunk the birdie putt to move to 2-under par. She then birdied holes 1, 2 and 3 to join Stupples, the clubhouse leader, at 5 under. Stupples, the 2004 Weetabix Women's British Open champion, went out in the first group of the day with Heather Young and proceeded to birdie three of her first five holes en route to a front-nine 33. Stupples, who played in only eight events last season due to the birth of her son, Logan James, had five birdies and no bogeys. Young was at 3 under par while Japan's Momoko Ueda and Annika Sorenstam were at 2-under par.
Ueda, a rookie playing in her first Kraft Nabisco, followed her lone bogey on the par-4 6th hole with four consecutive birdies and is currently through 17 holes. Sorenstam is through 16.
Other notable scores include Pressel (Even thru 15), Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen (Even thru 5) and 2006 champion Karrie Webb (+2 thru 5).
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