Kim leads after opening round of 65

Annika Sorenstam decided it was time to get mad.

She found herself in a very unfamiliar position after two straight bogeys pushed her score above par -- gasp! -- late in the opening round of the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship.

"I got a little fired up at myself," said Sörenstam, who came into the tournament having broken par in 10 of 11 rounds this year.

Make it 11 of 12.

Sörenstam rallied with birdies on her last two holes Thursday, finishing with a 1-under 71 that put her in contention for her third LPGA win of the young season.

Christina Kim, a winless, second-year tour pro, was the surprise leader after shooting a 65 at Eagles Landing Country Club south of Atlanta.

Grace Park, who won the first major of the year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, was one stroke back. Cristie Kerr, Lorie Kane and Becky Morgan were grouped together at 67, while defending Chick-fil-A champion Se Ri Pak lurked at 68.

But, as usual, all eyes were on Sörenstam, coming back from a three-week break after winning two of her first three LPGA events in 2004.

She got off to a strong start at the tournament she won in 2001, making birdies at Nos. 6 and 7 despite swirling winds that created plenty of indecision when reaching into the bag.

Sörenstam's momentum slowed with a bogey at 9, and her score crept above par when she bogeyed 14 and 15 in similar fashion. Both times she knocked her second shot into a bunker -- the only greens she missed all day -- and couldn't get up-and-down.

"It seems like I've got to work on my bunker shots," Sörenstam said, managing a weak smile.

She didn't need to on the last two holes. A 7-iron at 17 snuggled within 4 feet of the hole, setting up an easy birdie. At the par-5 18th, Sörenstam knocked her second shot through the green, then played an imaginative chip across the fringe that curled toward the flag for another short birdie putt.

"That was probably as good as I've hit it all year," she said. "But I couldn't put it all together. Maybe I'm rusty because I haven't played the last three weeks."

Sörenstam is the favorite any time she tees it up -- a role she doesn't shy away from.

"I have high expectations," she said. "I don't necessarily think I'm going to win every week, but I do expect to play well every week."

Kim is not used to being in this position. The 20-year-old Californian has never finished higher than fourth and missed the cut two weeks ago in Las Vegas. But some exquisite iron play -- only one of her nine birdie putts was longer than 15 feet -- left the brightly attired Kim at the top of the leaderboard.

"I finally figured out that when you hit the irons close, it's actually easier to make the putts," said Kim, who wore a pink beret and a shirt with pink and green stripes.

Now, she's got everyone chasing her, a position she described as "cool."

"I had a really good round," Kim said. "I'm trying not to worry what other people are doing."

Pak closed with an eagle at 18, following a booming drive with a 7-iron over the water to 7 feet. The first 17 holes were a bit of a scramble, though.

"I finished in the red numbers, but I really didn't have a solid round," Pak said. "I really didn't hit a great driver all day. I missed left, missed right. I really missed a lot of fairways today."

Sörenstam has won three of four tournaments worldwide in 2004, but her goal of capturing the Grand Slam was denied at the first major.

Park won the Nabisco for her first major title and looks strong again after a seven-birdie round. Her only bobble came at the par-3 11th, where her tee shot plugged in the bunker and left her with an unplayable lie. She bounced back to make a 40-footer for birdie at 15.

"It was one of my best ball-striking days yet this year," Park said. "Most of the time, I hit it perfectly where I wanted to."

Divots: Sörenstam didn't play in this event last year because she was preparing for her historic appearance in the Bank of America Colonial, where she became the first woman since 1945 to compete on the PGA Tour. ... The Chick-fil-A was expanded from three to four rounds this year. ... Kerr launched a new Web site Thursday, www.birdiesforbreastcancer.com, to help raise money for breast cancer research. Her mother and aunt have been stricken with the disease, and the golfer knows she is at high risk as well. "It scares the hell out of you," Kerr said. ... Suzann Pettersen made her 2004 debut after having surgery on her right elbow in January. Pettersen opened with a 72. ... Sixty-five-year-old JoAnne Carner also shot a 72 and was in position to break her own record as the oldest player to make an LPGA cut. She made it to the weekend at the Nabisco, her only other event this year.

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