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Inkster, 48, leads Women's British Open

Thu 31st, July 2008

Berkshire, England (Sports Network) - Juli Inkster fired a seven-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Women's British Open.

Asian stars Yuri Fudoh, Momoko Ueda, Ji Yai Shin and Ji Young Oh joined Johanna Head, Laura Diaz and Stacy Prammanasudh in a share of second place at six-under 66 following a day of good scoring at rainy Sunningdale Golf Club.

World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, the defending champion, was four shots off the lead at three-under 69, while Annika Sorenstam struggled to an even-par 72 in the first round of what could be her last major.

Inkster, at the age of 48, is not only trying to become the oldest major champion ever, she is seeking a rare career Grand Slam.

She owns seven career major championships, including two wins each at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open. Inkster also won the 1984 du Maurier Classic, which was replaced as a major by the Women's British Open in 2001.

A win this week -- she's never finished better than fourth at the Women's British -- would give Inkster a claim to five different major championships.

The Hall of Famer shook off the notion that winning a major is any different than winning a regular tournament

"I just like to win," said Inkster. "I feel better now than when I was in my 30s. You get a little softer in the brain, you don't have that killer instinct you have when you're young. But I just want to be around on Sunday."

Inkster finished one shot off the tournament scoring record that Minea Blomqvist set in 2004, the last time the event was held at Sunningdale.

After teeing off at 6:52 a.m. local time, Inkster made progress immediately with a birdie at the first hole. She went on to collect another birdie at the fifth hole, then an eagle at the ninth to make the turn at four-under 32.

"It was nice to get out there early," said Inkster. "It was pretty docile out there."

She moved further into red numbers with a birdie at the 10th hole, then made two more birdies at the 12th and 14th before finishing her bogey-free round with four consecutive pars.

Though she is a 31-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Inkster's hot start came as somewhat of a surprise. She missed the cut in two of her previous three starts and hasn't challenged for a win since losing to Paula Creamer in a playoff at the SemGroup Championship in May.

"I hit the ball very well today," said Inkster, who believed her game was close to being in top shape. "I just didn't realize I was going to play this well today."

Among the seven players tied for second place behind Inkster, only Diaz and Prammanasudh have multiple LPGA Tour wins. None of them has ever won a major championship.

Prammanasudh twice tied Inkster for the lead late in her round, but both times she followed a short birdie putt with a bogey on the next hole. Her bogeys at Nos. 15 and 17 marked her only dropped shots of the round.

Sorenstam, who won her only Women's British Open title in 2003, led a large group at even-par 72 that also included fellow Hall of Famer Karrie Webb.

Set to retire at the end of the season, Sorenstam said she was trying not to think about this being her last major. She has avoided using the word "retirement" since announcing she would step away from the game at the end of the year.

"I just want to do well," she said.

Sorenstam bogeyed three of her first six holes, but recovered with birdies at the ninth, 14th and 15th holes. She was disappointed with her slow start, especially in conditions that were so good for scoring.

"Luckily I fought back," said Sorenstam.

Ochoa, who finally broke through for her first major at St. Andrews last year and then won her second at this season's Kraft Nabisco, was done in Thursday by back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and 17th holes.

The Mexican star had opened with consecutive birdies at her first two holes, then made three birdies in a six-hole stretch from the ninth.

Three-time Women's British Open champion Sherri Steinhauer, who only won the event once (2006) as a major, led was among a group of four players who were two shots off the lead at five-under 67.

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