Ochoa leads in Singapore

Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa underlined her status as the world number one with a super 66 that earned the first round lead in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.

In her first tournament of the year, the 26-year-old Ricoh Women’s British Open Champion had a faultless round of six birdies and led by one from in-form American Paula Creamer and Japan’s Ai Miyazato.

Mhairi McKay was the best of the five British player in the elite 78-player field. She holed a 35-foot putt form off the green at the last for a 73 and was one better than fellow Scots Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew.

England’s Lisa Hall, who earned her place in the elite field with a win in this month’s ANZ Ladies’ Masters, double-bogeyed the last for a 75 and Wales’ Becky Morgan had a 76 on a day when 21 players broke par.

Ochoa had birdies at the first, third, seventh and ninth going out and more at the 10th and 16th coming home.

“This is a very special way to start the year,” she said. “I loved getting to number one in the world last year and now I want to stay there for as long as possible.”

Creamer is one of her likeliest challengers, and the 21-year-old is aiming for back-to-back wins following a triumph in the Fields Open in Hawaii last Sunday. She also had six birdies, but dropped a shot at the sixth.

Annika Sorenstam, who opened the year with a win in the SBS Open in Hawaii, hit a disappointing 71.

Alena Sharp, the lone Canadian in the field, managed just one birdie at the long 15th and was tied for 56th place on 75.