ORLANDO, Fla. Nancy Lopez was in tears when she left home for the start of her 22nd season on the LPGA Tour, asking herself why she continues to play with 48 victories, a spot in the Hall of Fame and four kids at home in Georgia.

She got a reminder today with the kind of golf people would expect more from Annika Sorenstam or Se Ri Pak than a 42-year-old mother.

Finally confident with her putter, Lopez made five birdies in a six-hole stretch and tied the course record with a 6-under 66 today to share the first-round lead with Catriona Matthew in The Inaugural.

"I still want to beat the young girls,'' Lopez said. "It's fun to play with the best players because you realise how well you have to play to win. That's more satisfying to me to do that.''

Matthew, a 29-year-old from Scotland who has never won in four years on the LPGA Tour, played without a bogey in her round of 66. Colleen Walker and Japanese rookie Akiko Fukushima were among those at 67, while Karrie Webb shot a 68.

Sorenstam, coming off another great season in which she was player of the year and became the first woman to break 70 for a season scoring average, birdied the last two holes for a 69. Defending champion Kelly Robbins was at 70, while Pak struggled off the tee and had a 74.

The 66s by Lopez and Matthew tied the course record last equalled by Robbins in the final round last year. For Lopez, it was her best round since a 66 in the first round of the Sara Lee Classic last May. She tied for second that week, and is trying to win for the first time since 1997.

"I don't want to be out here just to finish. I want to feel like I can still win,'' said Lopez, just as competitive as she was 21 years ago when she won five straight tournaments and nine times overall in her rookie year.

With her new Nancy Lopez Golf clubs in the bag and a putting tip earlier this week, Lopez made all seven of her birdies from inside 12 feet, and she saved par with a 5-footer on No. 7. Her only bogey came on the par-3 eighth, her 17th hole of the day, when she blew a chip about 15 feet by the hole and lipped out the par-saving putt.

Lopez says she should have won at least once last year, except for her putting. She thought about calling sports psychologist Bob Rotella, if nothing else to hear him say that everything would be fine and that "I should believe I could still putt.''

On Monday, she got together with Jane Frost, a teaching pro from Boston. They looked at videotape of Lopez in the late 1970s -- nearly every tournament was a Lopez highlight film -- and noticed that her routine was not the same.

What she saw was a young Lopez giving her putting line a long, hard look before stroking the ball. She restored that today, and says it made a world of difference.

"There was something to that,'' she said. "I have it written down so I can go to it if I get away from the routine again.''

DIVOTS: SnackWells has signed on as a national marketing partner of the LPGA Tour and is now the "official snack of the LPGA.'' As part of the deal, the company will sample products at tournaments throughout the year. ... Fukushima, one of the most popular female players in Japan, said she got her mental strength from her father. Hi Saaki Fukushima was a catcher for the Tayo Whales and works with the Texas Rangers as a coach during spring training. ... Lopez says she may only play about 15 tournaments this year because she enjoys her time at home.