Sorenstam regains form, ties for lead at U.S. Women's Open

With puddles in the fairway and swamps in the rough, the trick was to find high ground at Newport Country Club. Annika Sorenstam set her sights even higher Friday in the U.S. Women's Open, and wound up in surprisingly strange territory.

With her trademark consistency that had been missing the last four months, and the lone birdie of the first round on the ninth hole, Sorenstam shot a 2-under 69 to join a four-way tie for the lead with Se Ri Pak, Pat Hurst and 19-year-old amateur Jane Park.

It was the first time Sorenstam broke 70 in the first round of the Women's Open since she won it for the first time in 1995.

Better evidence that she might be shaking out of her doldrums was playing such solid golf in the blustery conditions of a warm, sunny afternoon along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Newport, R.I. Sorenstam was the only player among late starters to break par, and she will play Friday morning with a chance to take control.

"I hit a lot of fairways today for a chance. I'm really happy with it," Sorenstam said. "There's a long way to go."

Michelle Wie had few complaints with her round that was a good fit for the toughest test in women's golf. The 16-year-old from Hawaii made 15 pars, only one mistake and closed out her round with a 15-foot birdie putt to lead the group at 1-under 70.

"I had a very solid round today, lot of pars," Wie said. "That's what the U.S. Open is. You have to have pars when you're in trouble, get away with a bogey or a par. And I felt like I did that today."

The first round was delayed by one day because of a soupy fog. Unfortunately, it was chased away by more than a half-inch of rain that saturated the links-styled course and led to dozens of rulings from casual water, with one bunker on the sixth hole marked as "ground under repair" because it became a small pond.

It didn't look like a U.S. Women's Open, except for the lack of low scores. The average score was 75.95, and 21 players failed to break 80.

Dalhousie Golf Club touring professional Karen Stupples was nine shots off the lead after an opening 78.

PGA Tour

Darron Stiles made a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole to top a crowded leaderboard in the Buick Championship in Cromwell, Conn.

Stiles shot his second straight 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Australia's Peter Lonard, with 25 players within four strokes of the lead -- including three who have won on the TPC at River Highlands.

Lonard followed his opening 65 with a 68, while former Hartford champions Stewart Cink (65) and Notah Begay III (66) were 6 under along with Scott Verplank (69) and Todd Fischer (68). Another former champ, Brent Geiberger (68), was in a group at 5 under.

Champions Tour

David Edwards shot a 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the Greater Kansas City Golf Classic in Overland Park, Kan.

The 50-year-old Edwards did not have a bogey in his morning round on the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate course. On the 442-yard par-4 18th, he rolled in a 60-footer for his ninth birdie and a two-stroke lead over Bob Gilder, Tom Jenkins, Des Smyth and Brad Bryant, the third-leading money winner on the Champions Tour.

Jay Haas, the leading money winner and a three-time Champions Tour winner this year, struggled to a 71. Loren Roberts, a three-time winner this year, shot a 73.

European PGA Tour

England's John Bickerton shot a 1-under 70 to retain a one-shot lead after the second round of the French Open in Versailles, France.

Bickerton had a 9-under 133 total. Scotland's Gary Orr (65) was a stroke back, followed by New Zealand's Michael Campbell (70), Spain's Jose Manuel Lara (68), Wales' Bradley Dredge (66) and Sweden's Joakim Backstrom (69) at 7 under.

-- The Associated Press