Ochoa leads LPGA Tour Championship

Lorena Ochoa leads the LPGA Tour Championship with a first round 66, six-under par, to lead Reilley Rankin by one shot at The Houstonian Golf & Country Club in Houston, Texas.

Ochoa started her round on the 10th hole with a birdie and added another on the 12th hole before finishing the side bogey-birdie.  After a par on the first hole, Ochoa made birdies on the second and third holes to get to four-under par.  She made birdie on the sixth hole followed by a bogey on the seventh before finishing with consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes.

Ochoa is looking to also take home the Rolex Player of the Year trophy and the Vare Trophy, for lowest scoring average.  For Player of the Year, Ochoa trails rookie Jiyai Shin, who is trying to become the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both player and rookie of the year honors.  Looking to capture her fourth straight Vare Trophy, Ochoa came into this week with a .o5 stroke lead over Shin and Cristie Kerr.

Rankin shot 67 in the first round and is one shot better than Taylor Leon, who is in third place at four-under par.  Yani Tseng, Kristy McPherson, Pat Hurst, Haeji Kang and Heather Bowie Young are tied for fourth place with opening rounds of 69.  Fifteen players are tied for ninth place at two-under par, including Shin, rookie Stacy Lewis and 2009 major champion winners Anna Nordqvist and Brittany Lincicome.  Also in that group are Juli Inkster, Allison Fouch, Na Yeon Choi, Sophie Gustafson, Meg Mallon, Ji Young Oh, Leta Lindley, Karin Sjodin, Irene Cho, Jimin Kang and Hee Young Park.