WAL-MART LPGA NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

Uehara’s past struggles in rear-view

ROGERS -- Ayako Uehara's best finish in three previous Wal-Mart LPGA NW Arkansas Championship was a tie for 25th in 2013. That includes missed cuts the past two years.

But Uehara found Pinnacle Country Club to her liking in Friday's opening round. The 33-year-old from Japan blistered the par-71 layout for a tournament-record-tying 9-under 62 to jump in front by two strokes over Candie Kung.

Uehara said she had no idea about the record previously shared by Angela Park and Jane Park, both set in 2oo8. She said her confidence is high working with swing coach Ian Triggs and coming off last week's top-40 performance at the Meijer Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich..

"I didn't know about it, so I was very, very pleased," said Uehara, who teed off at 8:03 a.m. and beat the heat during a mostly sunny day at Pinnacle. "With [my] caddie and the trainer, everybody is like [a team] and that's my motivation now. So everything is coming together."

Uehara started on No. 10 and was 2 under through her first four holes before making four consecutive pars. A birdie on the par-5 18th took her to 3 under and got her started on a run of birdies on five of the next six holes. She then finished off birdies on the eighth and ninth to cap a 6-under 30 on the front side.

"I got a chip-in birdie today, and then, the swing and putting, everything, I have the confidence now," Uehara said. "I'm going to keep it [going] for the next two days."

Kung, who also started on the back nine, was 8 under for her first 14 holes but bogeyed the par-3 sixth to fall back to 7 under. She said because of health issues, she almost didn't travel to Rogers after sitting out last week in Michigan.

"I kind of waited until Tuesday to see how I felt, to be able to come up here," said Kung, 34, of Taiwan. "So it's a last-minute thing, and the fact that I finished yesterday and today, 18 holes, I'm pretty proud of myself."

A total of 13 players were at 6 under, with 10 of those teeing off in the morning. Sandra Gal, Vicky Hurst and two-time runner-up Angela Stanford were the lone players from the afternoon pairings to shoot 65. The group at 65 includes Morgan Pressel, who started on No. 10 and had matching 3 unders on both sides for her bogey-free round. The 28-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., said she was fortunate to make several clutch par putts.

"I would say I parred 12 and 13 after putting myself in some pretty poor positions and then parred 8, so instead of kind of letting it get away from me -- especially the first two early -- after birdieing 10 and 11, to then save par on 12 and 13 and not get it back to even par, that was probably what kept me going."

World No. 1 Lydia Ko, 19, got her tournament off to a strong start with a 5-under 66 that put her in a tie for 16th, four strokes behind Uehara. Ko, who shot a 63 in last year's final round to finish sixth, made eagle at the par-5 seventh, ran a chip too far on the par-4 eighth that led to bogey, but concluded her round with a birdie at the par-4 ninth.

"I thought it would be a pretty easy chip on eight, but it ended up [being] a little downhill. [I] landed it like a foot or two too far by, and I ended up going like 7 yards by ... but I made a good birdie to finish. I'm happy with the way I played."

Former World No. 1 Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), who was paired with Ko and Minjee Lee, shot 4-under 67. Now 10th in the Rolex World Rankings, Lewis had five birdies and a lone bogey at the par-3 11th.

Another former Arkansas player, Gaby Lopez, 22, shot a 68 on Friday. Lopez, who played as an amateur in the NW Arkansas Championship the past three years, finished tied for 29th in 2015.

"The greens are rolling perfect, and we didn't get any rain this round, so it was nice to play at home as a professional for sure," Lopez said. "I feel a little more comfortable than last year."

Three current Razorbacks got their first taste of the tournament. Alana Uriell (70) and Regina Plasencia (72) got in through Monday's qualifier, while Maria Fassi (73) received an exemption.

Defending champion Na Yeon Choi suffered through a 4-over 75 and sits tied for 135th in the 144-player field. A total of 103 players shot par or better with a cut scheduled after today's second round.

Sports on 06/25/2016

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