Thu Apr 17 19:45:01 2008

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Koch and Lu lead; Ochoa one back at Ginn Open

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Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Carin Koch and Teresa Lu both posted rounds of five-under 67 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the Ginn Open at Reunion Resort & Club.

Golf's newest Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa, who qualified based on her win last week in Mexico, carded a four-under 68 and is part of a group tied for third place.

Ochoa is in the middle of one those stretches again. She has won the last three LPGA Tour events, including the Nabisco Championship, and titled earlier this year also.

"Of course I like my position right now," acknowledged Ochoa, who mixed five birdies and a bogey on Thursday. "I'm still a little bit tired. I'm in position and I'm going to make sure I give myself a good chance to win the tournament on Sunday."

Ochoa was joined in third place by Allison Fouch, Mhairi McKay, Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng, Karrie Webb and Charlotte Mayorkas.

Annika Sorenstam only managed a two-under 70 on Thursday and is tied for 22nd place.

Koch broke into red figures at the par-five third. She hit her second into a bunker, but blasted out to 15 feet and sank the birdie try. Two holes later, Koch hit a rescue club to 12 feet at the par-three fifth. Koch made that birdie putt to go two-under for the championship.

Koch's final birdie on the front side came at the par-four seventh. She knocked a sand-wedge to 15 feet and holed the putt to make the turn in three- under 33.

The Swede started the second nine on fire. She converted a 10-footer for birdie at the 10th, then made it two in a row thanks to a 12-footer at the 11th.

Koch parred her next three, but found serious trouble at the par-four 15th. She pulled an eight-iron long of the putting surface and had to take a penalty drop. Koch could not get up and down for bogey, so she left the 15th with a double-bogey, dropping her to three-under for the tournament.

Koch parred the 16th, but closed in style. At the par-five 17th, Koch hit a bad drive and was forced to lay up, but laid up in a bunker. She hit a wedge to 20 feet and ran home the birdie putt to get to minus-four.

At the closing hole, Koch drove into a bunker and hit an average five-iron that left her with close to 40 feet for birdie. She made the unlikely birdie putt to grab her share of first.

"I'm definitely rolling it good," said Koch. "Usually that's my area where I don't think I make enough putts. I usually make the shorter ones. Today I made a couple longer ones, too."

Lu began on the back nine Thursday and drained a 15-foot birdie putt at the 10th. She tapped in a short birdie putt at 12, but dropped a stroke at the 15th.

She closed her first nine with a pair of short birdie putts to make the turn in 33.

At the second, Lu made bogey, but more than atoned for the error. She rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at three, then kicked in a three-footer for birdie at the third.

Lu hit a pitching-wedge to three feet to set up birdie at the fourth. She joined Koch in the lead with a five-foot birdie putt at the eighth.

"I feel pretty good the way I played today and everything just went really smooth," said Lu, who has one top 10 so far in 2007. "I'm really happy about it."

Juli Inkster highlights a large group tied for 10th at minus-three.

Defending champion Brittany Lincicome struggled to a two-over 74 and is tied for 91st.