Catriona Matthew in touch with Choi and Pettersen

SCOTLAND’S Catriona Matthew made a solid start to the first women’s major of the season – the Kraft Nabisco Championship – carding a level-par round of 72 to sit four off the lead. Former major winners Choi Na-yeon and Suzann Pettersen spurred each other on to a share of the lead with unheralded Briton Jodi Ewart Shadof.

South Korean Choi and Norwegian Pettersen, playing together, fired unblemished rounds of four-under-par 68 to top a crowded leaderboard at the opening women’s major of the year at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.

Pettersen described her round as “everything I could ask for.”

World No 110 Ewart Shadoff needed six birdies to offset her two bogeys and stay with her more decorated rivals, a stroke clear of South Korean Amy Yang and Swede Anna Nordqvist at three-under.

Americans Jane Park, Jacqui Concolino, Jessica Korda, Lizette Salas and Angela Stanford joined Koreans Shin Ji-yai, Park Hee-young and Inbee Park plus German Caroline Masson, Italian Giulia Sergas and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn in an 11-way tie for sixth just two off the lead.

World No 1 American Stacy Lewis toiled to a one-over 73 to be tied for 44th and defending champion Yoo Sun-young of Korea also struggled to a five-over 77.