(1 April 2011 – Rancho Mirage, California)
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The nerves were there on the first tee as usual for a major but Australia&aposs Karrie Webb said they were good nerves and was able to keep them in check. After a nervous start she posted an opening round that has her right in the mix at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
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rnThe Queenslander has an impeccable record at this event, two wins and another eight top 10 finishes in 15 starts posted an opening round of 3-under par 69 at the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage to be just three off the lead.
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rnWebb trails co-leaders; American’s Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome (pictured below left). Lincicome fired a flawless round of six birdies, while Lewis posted seven birdies and a bogey.
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Germany’s last-start winner Sandra Gal and Japan’s Mika Miyazato share third place just one shot behind at 5-under par, while American Jane Park and another Japanese player Chie Arimura both posted 4-under par rounds of 68 to be tied for fifth. Webb, Swede Anna Nordqvist and American Reilley Rankin are tied for seventh.
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rnWebb got off to a shaky start with a three-putt bogey but settled the nerves quickly when she birdied the par-5 second. She went out in 1-under par 35 and added another two birdies on the back nine, on the par-5’s the 11th and one of favourite holes the 18th.
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rn“I played pretty solid. I was a little tight to start with, I feel good about how I got through that, but I three-putted the first for bogey and birdied the second, so it settled me down a little bit. But I probably played the first six or seven holes a little bit tight and then I settled down after that,” Webb commented.
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rnWebb was out early and said the conditions were, “pretty mild until we got to play 11th, 12th the wind started picking up. Then we were just trying to work out what directions as it sort of switched around, cornered back and forth. But I was actually surprised at how firm the greens were today. I even think from when I finished by Pro-am (on Wednesday afternoon) to teeing off at 8.00am this morning they were really, really firm and probably picked up at least six inches of speed overnight.”
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rnFellow Australian Sarah-Jane Smith was pleased with her maiden round in this championship, an even par 72 to be tied 27th. Australia’s other hopes were Queensland’s Katherine Hull and Victorian Lindsey Wright, unfortunately both getting off to good starts but fading on the way in to both post four-over par 76 to be tied for 81st.
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rnDefending champion and Rolex ranked World No. 1 Yani Tseng carded a respectable 2-under par 70 to be well position in a tie for 10th position.
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