Pettersen leads first women's major

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD:
-5 S Pettersen (Nor) -4 L Ochoa (Mex)
-3 B Brewerton (Wal), Na On Min (Kor), K Webb (Aus), Song-Hee Kim (Kor),
V Hurst (USA), Y Tseng (Tai), K Stupples (Eng)
Selected others: +1 C Matthew (Sco), M Reid (Eng) +2 L Davies (Eng)
+3 B Morgan (Wal) +6 J Moodie (Sco)

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Brewerton has three tournaments in Australia and New Zealand behind her

Wales star Becky Brewerton credited an early-season campaign Down Under for her strong start at the first women's major of the year in California.

Brewerton returned an opening-round 69 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage to leave her in a tie for third at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

She was two shots behind Norway's Suzann Pettersen and one back of world number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico.

Six others are tied with Brewerton, including England's Karen Stupples.

Brewerton, 27, has enjoyed a globe-trotting beginning to her 2010 season and the long hitter said she had benefited from her time south of the Equator.

"I started off the year in Australia, which is a nice trip," said Brewerton. "I had one tournament in New Zealand, two in Australia, home for a week and then out here, so I've literally been around the world so far.

"It's been good. It's a great way to start the year. Those tournaments in Australia are great, and knowing I was going to be coming here, those tournaments were actually ideal preparation for this one."

Brewerton said the par-72, 6,702-yard Dinah Shore Championship Course was ideally suited to big hitters off the tee.

606: DEBATE Can Brewerton maintain her challenge in California?

"All the parts of your game get really tested here," she added. "I don't remember playing any other course where you hit so many five irons, six irons, four irons into greens.

"It's a little bit of a shock you have to warm up quite a lot before the start of the tournament. The front nine was playing a little bit longer because it was still quite cold.

"It was almost like someone just switched the oven on when we got to the 10th and all of a sudden the ball was going a bit further and running a little bit further, so it was nice to play the back nine a little bit shorter."

Pettersen was bogey free for her opening 67 and commented: "I could not ask for a better start.

"I had a few good bounces out there but I'm feeling very good with my driver, which helps around this place, and am making a few putts. It was very stress-free golf today."

Defending champion Brittany Lincicome of the USA is in a group a further shot off the pace on two under par, keeping company with Sweden's Sophie Gustafson and Karine Icher of France.

LPGA stars Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie each opened with one-under 71s while Scotland's Catriona Matthew and Melissa Reid of England disappointed with one-over-par 73s, and Laura Davies struggled with a 74.

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