RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Lorena Ochoa set a new course record on Thursday with her 10-under-par 62 on the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club.
The 62 was good enough to give Ochoa a four-stroke lead after the opening round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. The 62 also ties the lowest score in a major championship. Minea Bloomqvist posted a 62 during the third round of the Women’s British Open in 2004 at Sunningdale Golf Club.
Michelle Wie had six birdies and no bogeys in the first round.
‘It was a very special time, but I have three days to go,’ noted Ochoa. ‘I’m just going to enjoy today and then tomorrow, try to play one day at a time.’
Sixteen-year-old Michelle Wie, who finished second to Annika Sorenstam at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship last year, stands alone in second place at 6- under-par 66.
Stacy Prammanasudh bogeyed the 18th hole Thursday to take third at minus-5. Amateur Angela Park is one stroke further back at minus-4.
Sorenstam, the defending champion and a three-time winner here, opened with a 1-under-par 71. She had a birdie and a bogey on the front nine and a bogey and two birdies on the back to share 17th place.
‘It was just one of those days,’ Sorenstam said. ‘I am happy with the way I am playing, I just couldn’t get it together today. I’m just glad I made birdie on the last hole. Hopefully I can turn it around.’
Ochoa opened on the back nine Thursday and got off to a fast start. She made a 2-foot birdie putt on 10 and a 4-footer for birdie on 11. After three straight pars, Ochoa nearly holed her 9-iron approach at the 15th, but settled for a kick-in birdie from within a foot.
The Mexican dropped her 7-iron seven feet from the cup on 16 and rolled in that birdie putt to move to minus-4. Ochoa sank a 10-footer for birdie on 18 to turn in 5 under.
Ochoa, who finished third here in 2003, kept rolling on the front nine. She ran in a birdie putt from about 20 feet on the first, and came back with a 10-footer for birdie at the third.
The three-time winner on the LPGA Tour made it two in a row with a chip-in birdie at the fourth. Ochoa knocked her 7-iron within 2 feet for birdie on the seventh. She closed with a birdie putt from just under 15 feet at the ninth to shoot 62.
‘I thought to myself, this is a good start to the tournament,’ Ochoa said. ‘I didn’t think it was going to be this good. I just tried to really focus and concentrate. I made birdie on the first hole and a birdie on the second hole. I was very happy about that. Then everything was easy and everything was so clear. It was a really good round.’
Wie dropped in back-to-back birdies from the second. She came back with a birdie at the par-4 seventh. The young Hawaiian moved to 4 under as she birdied No. 10.
She parred her next four holes. Wie birdied 15 and 17 down the stretch to close a bogey-free round at minus-6.
‘I’m really glad I played well in the first round. Usually, I have a little bit of trouble starting off real well,’ Wie admitted. ‘My game was really solid today. There are a couple of things I want to work on later today. So hopefully I will just get better and better every day.’
Juli Inkster, a two-time champion here, opened with a 3-under-par 69. She was joined in fifth place by Seon-Hwa Lee, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and 2004 Women’s British Open champ Karen Stupples.
A pair of former champions -- 1993 winner Helen Alfredsson and 2000 titlist Karrie Webb -- are in 10th place at minus-2. They stand alongside Brittany Lang, Shi Hyun Ahn, Johanna Head, Ai Miyazato and Carin Koch.
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