Although Mardi Lunn is atop the leaderboard, it was the wind that held the upper hand in today's opening round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic.

"Every second the wind was different," defending champion Se Ri Pak said after a 3-under-par 68 that left her three shots back of Lunn. "I was everywhere today: left, right, short, long. The wind is very hard and very strong. You hit a pretty good putt and still the wind is bothering the ball."

Those teeing off early in the day had the benefit of a light rain that softened the greens. Then, just as the morning groups were completing play, the winds picked up to 30 mph and gusted to much more than that.

As Laura Baugh was putting for birdie on the 18th green, a powerful wind knocked her shot out of the hole and ripped a skybox tent behind the green from its support posts. It took 14 volunteers to hold onto the posts and tethers while the tent was secured.

"It was very gusty and it changed a lot," said Laurie Rinker-Graham, who managed a 68. "Those were very difficult conditions this afternoon."

Pak set LPGA records with a second-round 61 and a 72-hole total of 261 a year ago. Even though her 68 was three strokes better than her first-round score a year ago, she had to chip to save par five times because her approach shots were blown off line.

"This is a lot better than last year's first round," she said. With a smile, she added, "Now in the second round I can shoot 10-under again.''

Only one of the seven lowest scores -- and five of the 17 at 3-under or better -- came from afternoon groupings.

Lunn, never better than third in 129 LPGA starts, played in the eighth threesome of the day and encountered few difficulties. Her bogey-free round included four birdie putts inside 6 feet. She turned the front side in 4-under 30.

"We definitely had a big advantage if it blows like this all afternoon," she said of the swirling gusts.

The 31-year-old Australian is coming off a tie for third in last week's LPGA Championship, the third of the grand slam events for women. Her $84,538 paycheck more than doubled her earnings for the year and exceeded her totals from each of her first five years on tour.

She switched to a mallet putter just prior to the tournament and it paid dividends.

At a tournament in Texas earlier in the year, she said she was second in greens in regulation and last in putting.

"It couldn't get any worse, so I had nothing to lose,'' she said.

A shot back was Cathy Johnston-Forbes, a non-winner since her only victory nine years ago in the du Maurier Classic. Johnston-Forbes, who has missed the cut in five of her last eight starts, relied on some good fortune for her 66.

She opened with two birdies, chipping in from just off the back fringe on the second. On her next-to-last hole, her shot to the 132-yard, par-3 hole blew over the green and landed inside a plastic bag. After getting a ruling, Johnston-Forbes saved par.

"The way I hit it yesterday, my pro-am partners probably thought I'd shoot 80,'' said Johnston-Forbes, who switched to a larger head on her mallet putter before the tournament. "I really didn't hit it well today, but I couldn't have putted any better.''

Two shots off the lead were Dottie Pepper, Marisa Baena, Jenny Lidback, Eva Dahlloff and Dana Dormann. All but Dormann had early tee times.

Pack led a pack of nine players at 68.

Leading money-winner Karrie Webb, seeking her sixth tour victory this year, played in the morning and mustered a 70.

Jenny Chuasiriporn, who lost as an amateur to Pak in a 20-hole playoff at last year's U.S. Women's Open, birdied the final three holes to shoot a 71 in her first LPGA start as a pro.

AP