Ochoa starts slowly in LPGA return

BROKEN ARROW, Okla., May 1 (UPI) -- Rookie Hee Young Park grabbed the lead Thursday at the SemGroup Championship and Lorena Ochoa started slowly in a bid to win her fifth straight tournament.

Park shot a 2-under 69 on a windy day at the Cedar Ridge Country Club course. Paula Creamer, Ji Young Oh and defending champion Mi Hyun Kim shared second place at 71.

Ochoa took last week off while Annika Sorenstam was picking up a victory, and the dominant player in women's golf settled for a 2-over 73 Thursday in her return to the circuit. She made five bogeys and posted her second-highest score of the season.

"Now it's time to catch up," said Ochoa, who has won five times in six starts this season. "I'm going to get a little bit aggressive tomorrow and get closer to the lead."

Ochoa bogeyed three of her first five holes and salvaged a decent score by making an eagle at the par-5 first hole, her 10th hole of the day. Her five-wood second shot stopped just two feet from the hole.

"It was good timing," she said. "It gave me some good momentum to play a little more comfortable after that."

Sorenstam, a three-time winner of this tournament, is not competing this week.