Rosales takes opening day honours with 66

Jennifer Rosales looked right at home in Michelle Wie's backyard.

Rosales shot a 6-under-par 66 Thursday for a two-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour's season-opening SBS Open, and the 15-year-old Wie is four shots back after a 70.

Angela Stanford, Lorena Ochoa, Heather Bowie and Sung Ah Yim opened with 68s.

Wie lives a bit more than an hour drive away from the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay on Oahu's North Shore, but Rosales seemed to have the home-course advantage. The playing conditions reminded her of the course she grew up playing in her native Philippines.

``I grew up on Bermudas, so I know kind of know the feeling of the greens,'' Rosales said. ``The course I play back home has the same winds. It's not by the beach, but it's the same.''

The 26-year-old Rosales, whose first tour win came at last year's Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, started on the 10th hole and opened with two pars before making birdie on four of the next five holes and making the turn at 32.

``I felt good when I woke up this morning,'' she said. ``I felt I was going to shoot low, but I didn't know it was going to be this low.''

On the par-3 15th, Rosales split the ironwood trees with a 5-iron and then holed a 20-foot birdie putt. She looked comfortable the rest of the way, finishing with birdies on the par-5 third and ninth. She chipped to 8 feet at No. 3 and hit a wedge to 10 feet on the 511-yard No. 9.

Rosales, the 1998 NCAA champion, hit all 18 greens in regulation and had just 29 putts.

``The course is awesome,'' she said. ``It kind of fits my game because I play the ball left to right and some of the holes you have to play it that way.''

Juli Inkster opened with a 69 that included a bogey at the ninth.

Wie was in a group at 70 with Grace Park, who was second on the money list last year with 12 top-10 finishes.

``I think I left a lot behind,'' Wie said. ``It was one of those rounds where I could have shot real low. I just think I could've made a lot more birdies. But I think did good for a first round.''

Also at 70 were Joellyn Crooks, Hee-Won Han, Carin Koch, Pat Hurst, Rosie Jones, Beth Bader, Becky Morgan, Christina Kim, Eva Dahlloff, Jimin Kang, Cristie Kerr and 19-year-old rookie Brittany Lincicome.

Wie also had her father back on the bag.

``He actually kept up with me today,'' Wie said. ``I think he did a really good job. I think we worked really well together reading the greens and stuff. I think we're getting better, both of us.''

With a bit of an unsatisfied feeling from her round, Wie practiced 20 minutes after her round in the dark.

In addition to Wie, the tournament featured seven other teens, including 18-year-old Paula Creamer, making her debut as an LPGA Tour member.

Creamer, the youngest golfer to win the LPGA qualifying tournament, opened with a 1-over 73.

But all eyes were on Wie, who was playing on a sponsor's exemption and missed the cut in the PGA Tour's Sony Open last month.

She had a rocky start, with two birdies negated by two bogeys over the first seven holes. She calmed down and was bogey-free the rest of the way.

``I have to say I was a little nervous coming in because I haven't played in a long time,'' said Wie, who hasn't played a competitive round since the Sony.

Stanford had a shaky start, but quickly gained her composure. She three-putted from 50 feet for a bogey at No. 11 before making four birdies for a 33 at the turn.

Ochoa posted four birdies in her bogey-free round.

Bowie had three birdies and a bogey on each side. She reached 5 under through 13 holes, but lost a stroke when she bogeyed the fifth.

The damp and breezy conditions kept the scoring in check for most of the day. It cleared up late in the afternoon, drying out the course framed by the raging Pacific Ocean on one side and the green Koolau mountains on the other.

The inaugural SBS Open marks the return of the LPGA Tour to Wie's home state. The last LPGA event in Hawaii was the 2002 Takefuji Classic, where Wie became the youngest to qualify for an LPGA Tour event at age 12.

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