Meg Mallon continues run of good form

Meg Mallon is keeping it going north of the border.

Less than a week after winning the U.S. Women's Open, Mallon had a 7-under 65 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the Canadian Women's Open.

It was a seven-birdie, bogey-free round and seemed an extension of her final-round 6-under 65 last Sunday when she won her second U.S. Open.

Gloria Park, Johanna Head and Kris Tschetter were at 5 under, while Jennifer Rosales, Dawn Coe-Jones and Angela Stanford were another stroke back in the $1.3 million event at Legends on the Niagara.

Mallon rallied from a three-stroke deficit to win last weekend. She has extended her streak to 43 straight holes without a bogey -- the third-longest stretch on the LPGA Tour the season. And she is 17 under for her last three rounds of competition.

"You have to carry your momentum and know how to handle that," Mallon said. "And when you're playing well you have to go with it and don't fight it. And certainly that's what I'd like to do this week."

Mallon, who only played in Wednesday's Pro-Am, credited the time she took to rest this week.

"I felt like my legs were back with me again," she said.

Besides Mallon, who's second on the money list, it's a wide-open field reflective of an event that's missing Annika Sorenstam and Grace Park, who have combined to win five of this year's 15 tournaments.

Mallon was strong in taking on the 3-year-old course, which features large, undulating greens that place an emphasis on accurate approach shots and putting. And she was unfazed by the changing weather. Playing through rain, sun and a persistent breeze, she required only 25 putts and hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.

Mallon opened with a 9-foot birdie and was 5 under through eight holes. Mallon's best was on 14, where she made a 30-footer for birdie.

She was relaxed and displayed poise, particularly during a 5-minute delay in which she helped a course official with a ruling after Soo Young Kim went into the water on No. 16.

Rosales had the most frustrating day among the leaders, seeming to relive in one round her up-then-down performance at the U.S. Open, where she led after 54 holes only to finish fourth.

After going to 6 under through 17 on Thursday, Rosales double-bogeyed the par-4 9th, her final hole, requiring two shots to get out of a fairway bunker.

"I was greedy. I got too aggressive and paid for it," she said. "It's tough to take, but you have to move on."

So much for erasing the lingering U.S. Open memories.

"It's still in the back of my head," Rosales said. "It will take time for me to forget about it."

Gloria Park currently ranks 25th on the money list and has two top-10 finishes this season, including a third at the LPGA Takefuji Classic. Tschetter has missed eight of 13 cuts this year, and hasn't recorded a top-10 finish since placing eighth in 2002. Head has never finished better than 10th in three full years on tour, and has struggled this season, missing eight of 11 cuts.

Coe-Jones leads a 19-member Canadian contingent, attempting to become only the second Canadian to win this event since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973, the tournament's first year.

Being in contention is familiar territory for Coe-Jones, a 21-year veteran, who has had six top-10 finishes at the Canadian Open, including a third in 1993.

"It would mean everything, you know," Coe-Jones said of winning in her home country. "We still have 54 holes of golf, there's tons of golf to go."

Defending champion Beth Daniel is among a group of 10 players at 3-under. That's an encouraging start for the 47-year-old Hall of Famer and 33-time winner. Daniel suggested a day earlier that she would contemplate retiring if her season-long struggles continued, having finished no better than a tie for 22nd in the 10 tournaments she's entered.

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