Stanford & Bader lead with 66s - Franklin American Mortgage Championship 2006

The South Korean spent 2005 playing through a back injury that kept her winless, her best finish a tie for fifth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. That isn't up to the standards of someone with six career victories and one major.

"I really just decided to throw last year out," Park said Thursday after shooting a 6-under 66 that put her a stroke behind Angela Stanford and Beth Bader in the opening round of the Franklin American Mortgage Championship.

"I just want to blame everything on my back injury. Everything started because of the injury. This year, it's been frustrating. But then I feel like it's still early in the season. I can turn it around, and I just need to get some confidence back."

Karrie Webb and Lorena Ochoa were among seven tied at 67, and Sherri Turner led five at 68.

Park didn't have surgery to repair her back, choosing instead to commit to exercises and stretching before and after each round. She also does speed work to strengthen her hip flexors.

"It's something that I don't know when it's going to come back. It could come back tonight or tomorrow. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed, doing all I can," she said of her back problem.

Park took a big step Thursday with a round that tied her low score of the year, which came in her first 18 holes of her first tournament, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in February. She had missed four cuts this year, but tied for 27th last week. She hasn't won since 2004.

"It's nice to finally put a good round together. ... So I'm very happy and looking forward to the weekend," Park said.

Park, who hits a high shot that can stick on soft greens, planned to return to her old Nike driver Friday to take better advantage of the wide fairways after testing a variety of drivers.

She struck her irons and wedges well on the Vanderbilt Legends Club course where she finished 10th last year. Park had a bogey with seven birdies, including three straight on Nos. 7, 8 and 9.

She gave back a stroke on the par-4 No. 11 despite a nice shot out of a bunker with a sand wedge to 3 foot by missing the putt for par. She rebounded by hitting a gap wedge from 100 yards to 3 feet and sank the birdie putt. Then Park parred out.

Still, her first round was good enough that she played without the usual pain from stress in her shoulders.

Park said she was glad for a good draw with an early tee time that helped her take advantage of near perfect scoring conditions.

"It seemed for the last year and a half I always got stuck in the bad draw where I always played in the rain or in the wind, delays," Park said. "Maybe it's a good sign everything's coming together. I'm getting lucky tee times. I got some lucky rolls, bounces. I'm taking it all positive."