LPGA

• Two unlikely LPGA Championship leaders; Ochoa three back

  
  

  Havre de Grace, MD (Sports Network) - Emily Bastel and Lorie Kane both posted rounds of six-under 66 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the McDonald's LPGA Championship, the second major of the season for the LPGA Tour.

  Lindsey Wright is alone in third place at minus-five.

  Lorena Ochoa, a six-time titlist this year and the winner of the last two major championships, overcame an early double-bogey to shoot a three-under 69.

  "I think I did okay," said Ochoa, who took a penalty stroke at 13 that led to the double-bogey.

  "I didn't get too stressed. I just thought, you know, it would be fine, make a couple of birdies on front and finish even, and then three-under on the back, so I did that." The No.

  1 player in the world, who withdrew last week to be with an ailing uncle, is tied for ninth place at Bulle Rock.

  Annika Sorenstam, a three-time LPGA Champion, posted a two-under 70 on Thursday in her final first round at this major. The star Swede announced her retirement effective at the end of the season earlier this year, but won't let sentiment get in the way of her quest for another major title.

  "I'm trying to focus on my game and win the golf tournament," acknowledged Sorenstam. "That's where my focus is. Try not to think about it." Heavy rain on Wednesday left the course wet, but scoreable. The lift, clean and place rule was in effect for the first round and led to last year's best Futures Tour player and a Canadian veteran who is winless since 2001 finding their way to the top of the leaderboard.

  "I knew it was in me and I know I have a lot more of those and I know it's a long way to Sunday, but I am encouraged by what's been happening the last few weeks," said Kane, who has only made four cuts in 11 starts this year. "I missed several cuts in a row by a shot, and that's just not the way I've been known to play out here." Kane began on the back nine and broke into red figures with a birdie at the par-five 11th. She missed the green with her second at the par-four 13th, but chipped in from 50 yards out for another birdie.

  At the par-five 15th, Kane could not get on in two, but hit a gap-wedge to 10 feet. She drained the birdie effort to move to three-under par.

  Kane parred her next three holes to close her opening nine. At the par-four fifth, Kane hit a nine-iron from 125 yards to five feet and holed the birdie putt.

  Three holes later, Kane knocked a seven-iron to 15 feet. She made the birdie putt at four, but waited until her last hole to record one final birdie.

  At the ninth, Kane hit a spectacular five-iron to 10 feet. The Canadian converted the birdie putt to grab her share of the lead.

  "It was a good ball-striking day for me," acknowledged Kane. "I saw a lot of good shapes and was very confident with what I saw on the greens. I knew they would be a little slower because they are so wet and I think you can be a little more aggressive when that's the case." Bastel started in style with a tap-in birdie at the first. She hit a six-iron to a foot at one, then parred her next four before an 18-foot birdie putt at No. 6.

  Bastel recorded her final birdie of the front nine at eight. She played a gap- wedge from 92 yards to eight feet to register a birdie at the par-five hole.

  The Michigan State product parred her first three holes on the back nine, then hit a seven-wood to 12 feet to set up birdie at the 13th. Bastel grabbed a share of first with a six-foot birdie putt at 16 and a 12-footer for birdie at the last.

  "It's always good to get off to a good start, if for no other reason than just to have a little confidence for the rest of the week," said Bastel, who finished first on last year's Duramed Futures Tour.

  Marisa Baena, Jin Joo Hong, Maria Hjorth, Nicole Castrale and Rachel Hetherington share fourth place at four-under 68.

  Ochoa was joined in ninth by Kelli Kuehne, Soo-Yun Kang, H.J. Choi, Young Kim, Hee-Won Han, Inbee Park, Ji Young Oh and Wendy Doolan.

  Defending champion Suzann Pettersen carded a one-under 71 and is part of a large group tied for 37th.

  06/05 19:52:59 ET