Kim matches record with opening 62

Christina Kim made 11 birdies and tied the tournament record of 10-under-par 62 Thursday for a two-shot lead after the opening round of the LPGA State Farm Classic.

Kim, a 20-year-old Californian in her second pro season, birdied four of her first six holes and finished with four straight birdies at the Rail Golf Course, matching the record shared by Laura Davies (1991) and Kathryn Marshall (1997).

Rookie Mikaela Parmlid of Sweden shot a career-best 8-under 64 and was alone in second. Laura Diaz, who was paired with Kim, opened with a 7-under 65.

Jennifer Rosales made her first hole-in-one as a pro, using a 7-iron on the par-3, 152-yard 16th. She was one of 14 players at 4-under 68. Also in that group was Lorena Ochoa, who is coming off a victory at last week's Wachovia LPGA Classic.

Defending champion Candie Kung finished an inconsistent round with three birdies over the final six holes for a 5-under 67. Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Maria Hjorth of Sweden also opened with 67s.

Kim's scored was three strokes better than her previous low this season.

The round turned out to be quite a 25th wedding anniversary present for her parents. Her father, Man, was her caddie and her mother, Deok, was in the gallery.

But Christina Kim wasn't getting too excited. She's learning that youthful exuberance doesn't win tournaments.

"I was rather calm today, which is very different for me," Kim said. "It was neat, and I was just going with the flow."

The strong finish was a surprise to Kim, who has missed the cut in five tournaments this year. She finished sixth at the McDonald's LPGA Championship in June and at the Wachovia Classic last weekend.

Diaz, who made eight birdies and, like Kim, had her only bogey on the par-3 fifth, said playing in the same group as Kim was motivating and frustrating.

"I felt like every time I was putting, I was putting for par," Diaz said.

Kim credited the low score to strong putting - she made birdie putts of 12 feet or longer on four holes. She also said keeping her focus on the next shot helped.

"I don't want to put myself up too high," Kim said. "I still have the chance to get lapped by the 72nd hole and nobody will know what I did."

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