Lincicome leads, Ochoa limps, Jennifer 44th

RANCHO MIRAGE, California – Brittany Lincicome shot a 6-under 66 to lead Thursday’s opening round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first women’s golf major of the season.

Jennifer Rosales blew a three-under card and needed to birdie the par-5 No. 9 to card a one-over par 73 for a share of 44th place.

Rosales, still trying to regain her form after a long slump, went two-under after nine holes at the back where she teed off with back-to-back birdies from No. 17.

Another birdie on the par-5 No. 2 actually gave her a three-under card but she fumbled with a bogey on the next, dropped two strokes on No. 4 before bogeying the next two for a 39-34 round.

Pushed along by playing partner Ji Young Oh in a round she likened to match play, Lincicome hit 16 greens in regulation. Oh hit 14 greens and was tied for second at 67 with Angela Stanford and Brittany Lang.

Lincicome, whose best finish in a major was a tie for second here two years ago, was thinking that something around par would have made for a good day.

“If you would have told me that this morning I would have taken it and ran,” she said about her 66. “It was surreal, really.

“Obviously it’s a major, so it’s going to be playing long. The rough is going to be thick. Even par or 1 or 2 under I would have been completely satisfied.”

While Lincicome and Oh fought it out, defending champion Lorena Ochoa got off to an uncharacteristically poor start with a 1-over 73. Three years ago, Ochoa opened with a 62 at Mission Hills to tie a major championship record.

The top-ranked Mexican star started on the 10th tee and was 2 under at the turn before carding three bogeys and no birdies on the front nine.

“I got in trouble from the tee,” said Ochoa, who had to save par after pushing her first drive of the morning to the left. “When you’re playing in a major championship, I’m not so good in the morning. I think it was a good way to start a couple under. And then I’m pretty upset that I didn’t take advantage of that.”

Ochoa hit only four fairways.

She was impressed with the low scores.

“I think it’s really good golf with the pin placement we had today, and I am surprised,” she said.         (AP)