Associated Press
Thursday, October 12

VALLEJO, Calif. -- Nobody was telling Annika Sorenstam to replay this chip shot.

The Swedish star, still smarting from a controversial decision in the Solheim Cup last weekend, holed a 35-foot birdie chip on the 15th hole en route to a 3-under 69 and a share of the first-round lead Thursday in the Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf.

	Meg Mallon birdied three of her first seven holes on the way to a 69 and a share of the lead.

Pat Hurst, Juli Inkster and Meg Mallon also opened with 69s in the invitation-only event featuring just 20 players.

Eleven of them played in the Solheim Cup in Scotland, where an American team's decision to make Sorenstam replay a similar shot sparked bad feelings among the players.

Most of those feelings were put aside as the World Championship got under way at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club, where wet fairways and clear skies made for a challenging day.

"I'm just glad to see the sun," Sorenstam said after a week in cloudy Scotland. "It's a little different than the kind of course we play throughout the year. It's a good test of golf."

The hilly, Arnold Palmer-designed course is unknown to most of the players, which partially accounts for only seven breaking par in the first round. Everything from windy conditions to jet lag for the Solheim Cup players took the rest of the blame.

"You guys don't understand what time zone I'm in right now," said Mallon, who like the others arrived from Scotland on Monday night after a 23-hour plane ride. "This is the middle of the night for me somewhere."

Sorenstam, who turned 30 on Monday, Hurst and Mallon all confessed to a bit of fatigue. Not so for Inkster, who got 10 solid hours of sleep the last two nights at her home in nearby Los Altos.

Inkster's round was highlighted by an 18-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole and a day of solid drives, which she attributed to experience. Two weeks ago, she and her father lost $5 in a friendly match on the course with her husband and her brother.

"I love whenever I'm able to win in front of friends and family," Inkster said. "This one's going to come down to a few holes on Sunday, though."

Lorie Kane was one shot back at 2-under, while Karrie Webb and Michele Redman were 1-under. Defending champion Se Ri Pak, Sophie Gustafson and Janice Moodie shot even-par 72s.

Hurst was in the American pairing that forced Sorenstam to replay her chip in the Solheim Cup because she had played out of turn. Hurst had six birdies Thursday to grab a share of the lead, but she made it clear the controversy was still on everyone's mind.

"I think the incident that happened made it a little colder on the plane ride over here, but I think both teams are trying to put it behind them," Hurst said.