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Hurst and Oh lead U.S. Women's Open

Thu 26th, June 2008

Edina, MN (Sports Network) - Pat Hurst and Ji-Young Oh both fired rounds of six-under-par 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead of the U.S. Women's Open.

Six-under par is not traditionally a score that leads after the first round of the U.S. Open. In total, 32 players broke par on Thursday, but Interlachen was not without teeth.

Michelle Wie posted a nine at the par-four ninth en route to an eight-over 81.

"Nine was a blur. Nine just happened," said Wie. "I had trouble counting how many strokes I had, that's how many I had on that hole."

But for Hurst and Oh, it was a perfect start.

"In any tournament if you get off to a good start it's always good, build some confidence and like I said 72 holes is a long time, but if you can get off to a good start it's always a bonus," said Hurst.

Song-Hee Kim bogeyed her 17th hole and it cost her a piece of the lead. She shot a five-under 68 and is alone in third place.

World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa birdied three of her last five holes on Thursday to finish off an even-par 73. The Mexican star is in a large group tied for 33rd place.

She stood at three-over par after a bogey at the par-three 12th, but clawed back into the tournament with a pair of six-foot birdie putts at 14 and 16. Ochoa finished off her round with a two-putt birdie at the par-five closing hole.

"I'm really happy with my even-par. I think that we all know that anything around par for the U.S. Open is always good," said Ochoa, who has won two of the last three majors on the LPGA Tour. "I'm a little bit disappointed I didn't take advantage of the great conditions, but at the same time I feel that it was three birdies and I think I'm still in it and that's what's important."

Annika Sorenstam, a three-time winner playing in her final U.S. Open, got off to a good start with two early birdies, but four bogeys the rest of the way led her to a two-over 75.

"I got off to a great start and made a few mistakes in the middle of the round, but I played some good golf today," said Sorenstam. "I played very smart, I thought. Just a few putts go in it would have been a different story."

The story was the low scores of Hurst and Oh.

Hurst started on the 10th tee on Thursday and birdied that hole. She dropped shots at 13, thanks to a poor chip, and 14 when she could not get up and down from a bunker.

Hurst sank a 35-footer at the 15th to quickly change the momentum.

"It just turned my whole round around," Hurst said.

She birdied the next hole and reached the par-five 18th in two en route to a birdie.

On the second nine, Hurst flew up the leaderboard with a 15-foot eagle putt at the second. She followed with a 10-footer for birdie at three, then parred her next five holes.

Hurst joined Oh in first when she hit an eight-iron to five feet at the ninth. She converted the birdie putt to match Oh atop the leaderboard.

"It makes me real excited. I haven't been making any putts lately," said Hurst, who missed the cut last week in Rochester. "I got frustrated a little bit in the beginning and I was one-over after I think four and started complaining and arguing -- not arguing but I guess whining to my caddie and then next thing you know I knock in a birdie putt and it just turned it all around right there."

Oh was spectacular with her irons on Thursday. She began on the 10th tee and promptly hit a five-iron to a foot to set up birdie. Oh made it two in a row from tap-in range when she hit an eight-iron inside two feet at the 11th.

Oh, who turns 20 next week, closed her opening nine with a two-footer for birdie at 16 and a nine-footer at the 17th.

After the turn, Oh continued her fine form. She knocked a nine-iron to six feet to set up birdie at the first, then kicked in another short birdie putt at the par-five third.

The only trouble in Oh's round came at the par-three fourth. She hit a seven- iron into a right greenside bunker and failed to save par, dropping to five- under par for the championship.

Oh parred her next four and polished off her great round with a six-foot birdie putt at the last.

"After turning professional I've always dreamed to win and be the leader at the U.S. Open," said Oh, who turned professional after a shared ninth at the 2006 LPGA Tour Q School. "I love hitting my drivers and short irons. And for that I think this golf course suits my game pretty well. So I'm pretty confident this week."

Reigning U.S. Women's Amateur Champion Maria Jose Uribe, Louise Friberg and Ji-Yai Shin are knotted in fourth place at minus-four.

Laura Davies, Paula Creamer, Catriona Matthew, Helen Alfredsson and Linda Wessberg share seventh at three-under 70.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr shot a one-under 72 on Thursday and is part of a group tied for 21st place.

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