First Round Leader McKay Ties MUO Record;
Sorenstam, Ochoa Lurk Near Top of Leaderboard
Mhairi McKay arrived at the 6th annual Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill 109th on the LPGA money list. After matching the tournament record with a round of 8-under par 63 Thursday morning, McKay sits alone atop the leaderboard and seems poised to grab more than her share of one of the richest purses on the LPGA Tour.
McKay's bogey-free round at Kingsmill's River Course tied a career best; she shot a 9-under par 63 during the second round of the 2001 Wendy's Championship for Children. Her 8-under par 63 matched Michelob ULTRA Open performances of Kim Williams (2004), Sarah Lee (2007) and Jee Young Lee (2007).
"My round felt great today,"; said McKay, a 33-year-old native of Scotland. "I shot below my age on both 9's today. That's my goal all season."
Annika Sorenstam, the world's No. 2 ranked player, finished the day with a season-best round of 64 (-7) and finds herself tied for second place with South Korea's Sun Young Yoo after Round 1. Playing with No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and defending Michelob ULTRA Open champion Suzann Pettersen, Sorenstam stressed how important it was to make saves and stay in the mix.
Ochoa, who shot a 6-under par 65 and finished the day tied for third, echoed Sorenstam's sentiments.
"It's true that you can't win on the first day," Ochoa said. "But you can certainly lose or get too far behind. I'm just glad I'm in a good position and hope to give myself a chance on Sunday to win the tournament."
Diana D'Alessio equaled Ochoa, posting a career best round of 65 (-6). Her round consisted of five birdies and an eagle at the par-4 16th.
"The key is to keep it in the fairway," D'Alessio said of attacking the 6,315-yard River Course at Kingsmill. "I missed one fairway. Hit it solid, made some good putts. I had a good time and enjoyed my day."
Leader McKay will play in the final group of the day on Friday, off the 10th tee at 2:11 p.m. The group of Ochoa, Sorenstam, and Pettersen also begin second round play on the back nine Friday, teeing off at 12:43 p.m. D'Alessio -- paired with Becky Lucidi and Michelle Wie -- is two groups behind at 1:05 p.m. South Korea's Sun Young Yoo, who currently shares second place with Annika Sorenstam at -7, goes out on the front nine at 8:10 a.m.
Other Notes:
Paula Creamer and world No. 3 Suzann Pettersen both shot an even par 71. Wie finished the day with a 4-over par 75. Courtney Ellenbogen, a 17-year-old Virginian and one of the nation's top junior players, posted a 1-under par 70.
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