Ochoa, three others lead at Singapore LPGA

SINGAPORE, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, despite a pair of bogeys Thursday, is tied for the lead after one round of the HSBC Women's Champions LPGA tournament in Singapore.

Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, Park Hee-young and Angela Stanford each shot 4-under-par 68 on the Garden Course at Singapore's Merah Country Club.

They have a 1-shot lead over Sophie Gustafson, Christina Kim, Kim Song-hee and Ai Miyazato, who won the tour's season-opening event last week. Another six golfers shot 2-under 70 in the first round.

Ochoa had an early birdie at the second hole and three birdies over the four-hole span of Nos. 8-11 before she dropped strokes at Nos. 12 and 14. Birdies at 16 and 17 got her back to 4-under.

Park's round was even more up-and-down. She played Nos. 8-13 at even but that was because she countered three bogeys with three birdies.

Kerr was 2-over after three holes and was still 1-over after 12 holes before consecutive birdies on 13-16 and a closing-hole birdie got her a share of the lead.

Stanford shot a relatively tame bogey-free round. Her birdies came at 7, 9, 12 and 16.