Jackson leads on short first day

Brandi Jackson's early morning tee time worked out well at the Safeway Classic.

Although the course was damp from recent rain, the LPGA Tour rookie was able to post a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke lead in the weather-delayed first round at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

She got her round in before play was delayed for 1 hour, 28 minutes in the late afternoon because of severe weather. It was suspended again as darkness fell.

Thirty-one players still left on the course Friday night will complete their rounds Saturday morning as the players who have already finished start the second round.

Jenna Daniels, Jennifer Rosales and Janice Moodie were a stroke behind Jackson. Nine players had 68s on the 6,327-yard course near Portland International Airport.

Annika Sorenstam, who has won the Safeway Classic the past two years, shot a 2-under 70. Five of those who had not finished their rounds were at 2-under.

In the morning at least, conditions were fine for her, Jackson said. She was in the first group to tee off, at 7:15 a.m.

"It's probably not as wet as I thought it would be," she said. "There hasn't been a ton of sunlight, it's been kind of cloudy the last few days. I thought it would be a little wet, but I still got a little bit of roll on the fairways."

It was just the third time in 41 rounds this season she posted a score under par. She has missed the cut 14 times in 18 tournaments.

Jackson, whose best finish was a tie for 46th, said she doesn't have any special plan for the second round of the 54-hole event.

"It's been a while since I played well, so it's kind of hard," she said. "(I'll) just kind of go out with the same game plan. I've got some confidence in my putter right now."

The second half of Jackson's round included two bogeys after an eagle on No. 1, a par 4. She birdied the final hole of the day by holing a shot from the bunker that had her raising her arms in both celebration and amazement.

Rosales was 5 under through 16 holes when the sirens on the course sounded. After the break, she parred the final two holes.

"My feel was gone," she said.

Moodie watched some early morning Ryder Cup coverage on television before her round. She was specifically interested in the play of fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie.

Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, cousin of Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington, defeated Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, 2 and 1 in the opening session.

"I was getting a little bit inspired when I saw Monty up there leading the pack against Tiger and Mickelson," Moodie said. "That was fun to watch then go out there and play yourself."

The crowd favorite was easily Sorenstam, who is vying for her third consecutive title in the Safeway Classic.

The same tournament has been won three years in a row only nine times in LPGA history. Sorenstam -- the only golfer to do it twice - won the Michelob Light Classic from 1997-99 and the Mizuno Classic from 2001-03.

Sorenstam won the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic last week after taking a month off.

"It was a decent first round," Sorenstam said Friday.

Sorenstam's birdie last year on the 17th hole put her a stroke ahead of Beth Daniel, and the Swede finished with a 15-under 201 for 54 holes. Two years ago, Sorenstam shot a 199 for a one-stroke victory over Kate Golden.

Other past winners of the event, canceled in 2001 because of the terrorist attacks, include Mi Hyun Kim (2000), Juli Inkster (1999) and Danielle Ammaccapane (1998).

Se Ri Pak was scheduled to play this weekend but withdrew, citing fatigue.

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