Morgan takes narrow opening advantage

Wales' Becky Morgan, winless in two seasons on the LPGA Tour, shot a career-best 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the State Farm Classic.

Morgan, who started on the 10th hole, birdied seven of the final 10 holes, hit 17 greens in regulation and had only 26 putts in the bogey-free round on the Rail Golf Course.

"I just wanted to keep it going forward and not get defensive," Morgan said. "It really was like every putt I looked at on the last nine, seemed to go in. It was fun. My putting was great."

She was a stroke off the course record of 62 set by England's Laura Davies in 1991 and matched by Scotland's Kathryn Marshall in 1997.

France's Patricia Meunier-Lebouc opened with a 64, the best of her LPGA Tour career, and 47-year-old Betsy King was three strokes back at 66 along with U.S. Solheim Cup player Laura Diaz, Becky Iverson and Jen Hanna.

South Korea's Mi Hyun Kim, the 1999 winner who has two victories this season, was in a group at 67 that included Solheim Cup player Cristie Kerr, and Wendy Ward and Nancy Scranton, both fighting for spots on the U.S. team.

The tournament ends the points race for the 10 automatic U.S. spots for the September matches at Interlachen in Edina, Minn. With fifth-place Dottie Pepper sidelined by a shoulder injury, the top 11 will qualify, and captain Patty Sheehan will add two players.

Juli Inkster, Diaz, Rosie Jones, Michele Redman, Kerr, Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel have clinched spots. Ward (81.50) is ninth, followed by Kelli Kuehne (78.25), Kelly Robbins (72.92), Dorothy Delasin (72.45), Emilee Klein (69.28), Pat Hurst (63.00) and Scranton (58.47). Points are awarded for top-10 finishes, with a victory worth 30, second 15, third 13.5, fourth 12, fifth 10.5, sixth 9, seventh 7.5, eighth 6, ninth 4.5 and 10th 3.

Klein shot a 68, Delasin had a 69, Pat Hurst opened with a 71. Kuehne and Robbins are skipping the tournament.

Morgan hit an 11-wood to 20 feet to set up a birdie on the 18th hole, her ninth of the day, and followed with 6-foot birdie putts on Nos. 1 and 2 to reach 5 under. She hit a pitching wedge to 3 feet on the par-5 fourth for her sixth birdie, and added birdie putts of 4, 15 and 12 feet on Nos. 6-8.

"I just hit the ball really well. I hit a lot of greens," Morgan said. "I gave myself a lot of chances. ... I just kind of put it in the bank there and will start tomorrow fresh."

Meunier-Lebouc, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, hit 17 greens in regulation in her bogey-free round. She lipped out an 8-foot birdie try on No. 17.

"I thought that was in, really. I was going to pick it out of the hole," Meunier-Lebouc said.

King, the Hall of Famer who won the tournament in 1985, 1986 and 1988, had six birdies in another bogey-free round. She has played in the tournament all 27 years of its existence.

"I think it's gotten harder over the years, with the trees maturing and everything," King said of the 6,558-yard course. "It's definitely playing longer, but the greens are holding pretty well. Anytime that happens, the scores are going to be low. And the players are just better, that's all there is to it."

Defending champion Kate Golden shot a 73.

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