Ochoa earns share of lead as Matthew trails by five

Published on Thursday 25 February 2010 22:23

WORLD No 1 Lorena Ochoa shot a four-under 68 for a share of the lead after the first round of the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore yesterday.

Americans Angela Stanford and Cristie Kerr plus Hee Young Park signed for the same opening score in the $1.3 million event at the Tanah Merah Country Club.

Ochoa got off to a fast start, grabbing three birdies for a 33 on the front nine. The Mexican cooled off as the wind picked up, leading to two bogeys before birdies on two of the last three holes. "I'm really happy with four under," said Ochoa. "I left some out there, but hopefully I'll get them tomorrow."

Four players were one shot off the lead, including world No 4 Ai Miyazato of Japan, who won last week's season-opening LPGA Thailand.

Several players said the swirling wind made play more difficult in the afternoon. "When we started it was blowing one direction and as it picked up it started to change direction," said Stanford. "It was a little tricky coming down the stretch today."

Kerr got off to a rough start, with bogeys on two of the first three holes, but she finished with a flourish, birdieing five of the last six holes to finish with a 31 on the back nine.

Last year's winner, Jiyai Shin of South Korea, shot a 71 while American Michelle Wie was four stokes from the leaders after a 72.

Wie was playing with Scotland's Catriona Matthew, who opened with a 73 on a day she struggled on the greens. "I actually played not too badly but just didn't putt very well," said the Ricoh Women's British Open champion. "I find these greens quite tricky. They are very grainy, so I hope to master them tomorrow."

Matthew, who was pregnant when she played in the same event last year, added: "I gave myself some chances, but had one silly hole, the tenth, for a double. I pulled my second shot into the bunker, and then kind of made a mess of it from there. But, apart from that, I played well."

Meanwhile, Justin Rose put himself in the mix at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Arizona with a six-under-par opening round, despite bogeying the par-four first.

Still looking for his first PGA Tour title, his 65 at the TPC Scottsdale course was good enough for a share of third midway through the opening day.

Camilo Villegas, fresh from his third-place finish at the Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday, claimed the clubhouse lead, a nine-under-par 62 putting him one stroke ahead of Matt Every of the United States, who still had five holes to play on the back of six consecutive birdies.