Catriona Matthew on course for title defence

Defending champion Catriona Matthew was one of five players tied for the lead Thursday -- in the biggest first-round logjam this year on the LPGA Tour -- at the Wendy's Championship for Children.

Matthew shot a shot 6-under-par 66, a score matched by Paula Marti, Soo-Yun Kang, Heather Daly-Donofrio and Marisa Baena. Another nine players were a shot back as the 144-player field took advantage of soft greens and a short course to post 69 subpar scores.

The five leaders make up an international team all by themselves, representing Scotland (Matthew), Spain (Marti), South Korea (Kang), the United States (Daly-Donofrio) and Colombia (Baena).

Matthew, who came out of the pack to win late in the final round a year ago, didn't wait this time. She birdied her first three holes.

"I got off to the perfect start," she said. "It's great when you're defending to get off to a great start."

The fairways were dry enough to permit lengthy rolls. The receptive greens then made it easy for pinpoint approach shots. Matthew said she never hit anything more than an 8-iron into the par-4 holes.

"If you drive it well, you can set yourself up for short irons into the greens," she said.

This is the final weekend for pros on both sides of the Atlantic to qualify for the European and U.S. Solheim Cup teams. Marti, a member of the defeated Europeans quad in 2002, said she wasn't worried about making the team this year.

"If I play good then I might get a pick, and if not it's not the end of the world," said Marti, who didn't have a bogey after starting early in the morning. "It's a great feeling to be on the team, but if I'm not I'm not going to die."

Kang, who won for the first time last week at the Safeway tournament, continued on a roll. Her 66 featured an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole.

"Today I had great conditions, same as last week," she said through an interpreter. "My putting was great, same as last week. I think I'm going to have a good score this week, same as last week."

Daly-Donofrio's round included eight birdies -- and two costly bogeys on par-5 holes, ones on which the other leaders were able to advantage.

"The course is running a little bit shorter," she said. "The fairways are quite generous, but if you miss a fairway you're in trouble. I missed two fairways today and I had horrible lies out of the rough."

Baena, winner of the Tour match-play tournament earlier this year, made the most of her round.

"My misses were excellent today," she said. "That's what it was about. When I hit it close I made birdie and when I didn't hit it close I was able to make two-putt and make par."

Lara Tadiotto of Belgium had to shoot a 69 in a qualifier Monday to get into the field, then shot a 67 in the opening round. She has yet to cash a check in six career LPGA starts after spending the last decade on the European tour.

"I started (playing golf) when I was 19 years old, and my dream was to play here one day," she said.

She was joined at 67 by Nadina Taylor, Meena Lee, Rachel Hetherington, Michele Redman, Pat Hurst, Karrie Webb, Helen Alfredsson and Brandie Burton.

Top-ranked Annika Sorenstam, seeking her seventh win of the year, came off a two-week vacation in which she barely picked up a club and shot a 69.

"Three-under after two weeks of really no golf, I can't complain," said Sorenstam, making her first appearance at the Wendy's Championship since 2001.

Playing in the same group, rookie-of-the-year front-runner Paula Creamer had a 68.

Creamer can win a spot on the U.S. Solheim team with a good showing. She comes into the week eighth in the U.S. point standings, with the top 10 earning automatic spots and captain Nancy Lopez adding two picks of her own.

Laura Diaz (72), Redman, Dorothy Delasin (70), Heather Bowie (69) and Wendy Ward (69) fill the ninth through 13th spots on the U.S. points list.

U.S. Women's Amateur champion Morgan Pressel, playing on a sponsor's exemption, opened with a 70.

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