Ochoa fires 8-under for early lead over Wie

MORELIA, Mexico — Defending champion Lorena Ochoa shot a bogey-free 8-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie and Na Yeon Choi after the first round of the LPGA Tour's Corona Championship.

Ochoa, the top-ranked Mexican star, also won the 2006 tournament at Tres Marias.

Wie, who started on No. 10, eagled the par-5 fifth and birdied three of her final four holes. After opening the season with a second-place finish at Turtle Bay, she tied for 57th in Phoenix and tied for 67th in the Kraft Nabisco — shooting 71-81-81-71.

Eunjung Yi, Anna Nordqvist, Sandra Gal and Sarah Lee shot 67s, and Silvia Cavalleri, Kristy McPherson, Katherine Hull, Jill McGill and Mollie Fankhauser had 68s. Brittany Lincicome, coming off a major victory in the Kraft Nabisco on April 5, was 10 strokes behind Ochoa after a 75.

ZURICH CLASSIC: At Avondale, La., South Korea's Charlie Wi took advantage of soft early morning conditions to shoot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Zurich Classic.

Jay Williamson, Nathan Green, Parker McLachlin, Charles Warren, John Merrick and Eric Axley opened with 67s. Former tournament winner David Toms topped a group at 68, and Masters runner-up Kenny Perry had a 69

BALLANTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIP: At Jeju Island, South Korea, Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, coming off consecutive second-place finishes, and New Zealand's Mark Brown shot 7-under 65s to share the first-round lead in the Ballantine's Championship. Lanny Wadkins was never one to waste any time on the golf course. He committed to a club, picked his target and fired at the flag, a routine that carried him to 21 victories, a major at Pebble Beach and a record-tying eight U.S. Ryder Cup teams.

Wadkins will be inducted Nov. 2 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.