Castrale seizes LPGA lead

American Nicole Castrale fired a seven-under par 65 here to grab a one-stroke lead over Swedish rookie Anna Nordqvist after the first round of the LPGA Championship.

American Nicole Castrale, seen here, fired a seven-under par 65 here to grab a one-stroke lead over Swedish rookie Anna Nordqvist after the first round of the LPGA Championship

Castrale fired six birdies on the front nine and birdied eight of the first 15 holes before a closing bogey trimmed her lead in the two million-dollar event, the second major championship of the women's golf season.

"It was good to start off well," Castrale said. "On the front nine all my iron shots were going right at the pin, and it was a great feeling."

Feng Shanshan, trying to become China's first major champion, was another stroke back on 67, one stroke ahead of seven others that included South African Ashleigh Simon and South Koreans Na Yeon Choi, Amy Yang and Aree Song.

"I played really well," Feng said. "I'm happy with how my game is right now and I just hope that I can play well all this week."

Castrale, whose one title in seven seasons came in the 2007 Ginn Tribute, opened with a 25-foot birdie at the par-4 first and followed with a six-foot birdie at the par-5 second, the first of four sets of back-to-back birdies.

Castrale sank birdie putts on 12 feet at the fifth, 20 feet at the sixth, three feet on the eighth and ninth, 18 feet at the 14th and another three footer at the par-5 15th before missing a 20-footer for par at 18.

"My goal is to hit the fairways and greens and to keep rolling the putter well," Castrale said. "I can't go out there and compare what I did today. I might shoot 30 on the back nine and even on the front nine."

Castrale led after the opening round of the 2006 LPGA Championship here with a career-low 64 but fired a second-round 75 and sprained her left ankle by stepping in a drain after the round. She wound up sharing 34th place.

"I've walked by that drain the past three years, and now you can't get to it because the tents are on it, so that's a good thing," Castrale said.

A damp Bulle Rock course helped Castrale and Nordqvist, who a day after her 22nd birthday put herself in title contention in her major debut despite a 7:15 morning tee time.

"You have to be patient. I don't think I can expect too much," she said. "The biggest goal for this year is to learn as much as I can. I don't have many expectations for this year - just go out there and have fun and see where you end up."

Nordqvist fired seven birdies, none of them coming on putts longer than six feet and three of them in a row to finish the front nine after her lone bogey of the day at the sixth, when she drove into a bunker.

"I played really solid, hit a lot of good shots and made a couple putts on thre front nine," Nordqvist said. "I lost some momentum at the turn but I was able to get back and finish strong."

Birdies on 14 and 17 launched her into second on the leaderboard.

"This is where you want to be," she said. "I'm a rookie and haven't played that much this year, but I'm here to learn and just have fun."

US rookie Michelle Wie, seeking her first LPGA victory after years of trying on sponsor exemptions, fired a 70 to stand five strokes back, lammenting a couple of early birdie misses.

"I missed a couple short ones early on, but it was good," Wie said of her day. "I?ve been working on my putting a lot, so hopefully it?s a lot better. The main goal for me is to have a lot fun, try my hardest and win."

World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico fired a par 72

"I played OK most of the day," Ochoa said. "I'm going to practice and hopefully have a better day tomorrow. I just need to go out and play my game.