Tanah Merah Country Club, Singapore, Thursday, February 28, 2008 – 78 of the world's best players teed off on Thursday at Singapore's Tanah Merah Country Club in the inaugural HSBC Women's Champions. Rolex Rankings number one Lorena Ochoa picked up where she left off last season with a 6-under-par 66 to gain a one stroke advantage over Japan's Ai Miyazato (34-33=67) and Paula Creamer (33-34=67), who both fired 5-under-par 67's.
"It was a great day," said Ochoa, who took home the ADT Championship and a $1 million paycheck in her last event on Tour. "It was one of those days, I think, that I was getting the ball and making good contact especially. (I) had a lot of birdie chances. It was a great start."
Ochoa was bogey-free in her first competitive round of the 2008 LPGA season, notching birdies on holes one, three, seven, nine, 10 and 16. Along with eight wins, Ochoa, the reigning Rolex Player of the Year, broke an LPGA record in 2007 with over $4.3 million in earnings. She also led the Tour in 2007 with 44 rounds in the 60's.
Creamer carded six birdies and one bogey on the way to a first-round 66. The 21-year-old overcame a bout with flu-like symptoms to record her fifth career victory last week at the Fields Open in Hawaii. After making birdie on four of her last five holes in Hawaii, Creamer notched birdies on two of her first three holes - numbers one and three - to start her day on Tanah Merah's Garden Course. She also had birdies on holes seven, nine, 14 and 15 with a bogey on number six.
Like Creamer, Miyazato had a lone blemish on her card en route to a 5-under 66 in the first round. Miyazato carded birdies on holes three, seven, 11, 15 and 16 with bogey on 10 to enter into a tie for second. Although winless in her two years on the LPGA Tour, Miyazato is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard. She owns 14 career top-10 finishes including runner-up at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, where she lost to South Korean Seon Hwa Lee in the championship match.
South Korean's In-Kyung Kim (33-35) and Jee Young Lee (33-35) joined Linda Wessberg (34-34) at 4-under-par 68. Lee recorded the shot of the day on her ninth hole of the day, number 18, when she made eagle with a 5-iron from 185 yards.
Tee times for Friday's second round begin at 8:50am. Players will be repaired based on score.
Low rookie
South Africa's Ashleigh Simon carded a 3-under-par 69 to tie for seventh place with Australia's Karrie Webb after the first round of play at the HSBC Women's Champions. Simon, a non-exempt rookie on the LPGA Tour, used four birdies and one bogey to fire a 69 in her first official round as an LPGA member. She has previously competed at the HSBC Women's Match Play Championship, the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic and the Evian Masters in 2007.
32 players at par or better on Garden Course
LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers Karrie Webb (35-34=69) and Annika Sorenstam (36-35=71) headline a cast of 32 players in the HSBC Women's Champions at par or better on Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden Course.
On a humid but relatively windless day in Singapore, 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship winner Morgan Pressel fired a 2-under-par 70 (35-35) to join 2007 Rolex Rookie of the Year Angela Park (24-26=70) in a tie for ninth place.
78 players teed it up this week and will play 72-holes with no cut. A winner will be crowned on Sunday and will earn the first of 13 automatic spots in the 2008 ADT Championship, given to winners of tournaments with purses of $2 million or above.
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