Golf: Matthew is left California screaming after round of 79

The 2009 British Women's Open champion had headed into the first major of the season on the back of three solid performances but is down near the bottom of the leaderboard after a seven-over-par 79.

Matthew, third in the event in the past and looking to give another good account of herself in the season's opening major at Rancho Mirage, signed for a card that contained a damaging double bogey and six bogeys.

She is 13 shots off the lead, held by American duo Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis as England's Melissa Reid was left to consider what might have been.

Lincicome and Lewis, 18th and 28th in the world rankings respectively, signed for six-under rounds of 66, which put them one clear of Japan's Mika Miyazato and Germany's Sandra Gal, the winner of last week's Kia Classic.

Twenty-five-year-old Lincicome did not drop a shot all round at Mission Hills Country Club, while 26-year-old Lewis let just one slip away. Starting at the tenth, Reid was out in front on her own at one point after getting to six-under but then came a collapse.

The 23-year-old from Derbyshire bogeyed the third and fifth, double-bogeyed the par-3 eighth and dropped another shot at the ninth to go back to one under.

Closer to home, Musselburgh's Vikki Laing was lying in a tie for 18th heading into the second round of the Lalla Meryem Cup an event on the Ladies' European Tour, in Morocco.

Laing, the top Scot on last year's circuit, opened her title bid with a one-over-par 73 to sit six shots behind the leader, Australian Kristie Smith.

In the men's game, Lloyd Saltman and Andrew Coltart both made promising starts in their respective events on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour.

Archerfield ace Saltman shot a four-under-par 67 to be lying fifth behind Irishman Peter Lawrie in the Hassan Trophy, also being played in Morocco.

And, in Africa, Coltart's 66, five-under, earned the Edinburgh-based player a share of second, a shot off the lead, in the Barclays Kenya Open.