U.S. LPGA stars Annika Sorenstam of Sweden and Pak Se Ri of South Korea posted comfortable victories in first-round action at the $960,000 Cisco World Ladies Match Play event Thursday.
The tournament, which features 16 of the top players from tours on both sides of the Pacific, lost Japan's leading Japanese player Yuri Fudo, who fell to America's Jill McGill 1-up in 19 holes at Sosei Country Club.
One of the world's top female golfers, Sorenstam began with 14 pars against Japanese veteran Mineko Nasu but was only two shots up on bogeys from her opponent.
Sorenstam's first birdie of the day at the 15th put her three up and she sealed the 3 and 2 victory the next hole.
Michiko Hattori won three straight holes to square her match against Pak at the 11th before the Korean calmly birdied the 12th and the 15th holes for a 2 and 1 win.
Fudo has recorded four victories on the Japan circuit and is at the top of the money rankings. But she blew a three-hole lead and a bogey on the par-3 10th handed the victory to McGill.
Sato's smoking start
TOJO, Hyogo Pref. (Kyodo) Ninth-year pro Nobuhito Sato fired a blistering 7-under-par 65 to take sole possession of the lead after the first round of the Philip Morris Championship on Thursday.