Wie happy as Kim leads

Teenager Michelle Wie produced her season’s best score of 67 as fellow American Christina Kim grabbed the lead with a nine-under-par 63 in the first round of the LPGA State Farm Classic in Illinois.

Kim, the 2005 Solheim Cup player, had seven birdies and an eagle at the long 16th in her bid for a third LPGA Tour title and she led by one from South Korea’s Sun Young-Yoo.

Starting from the 10th, Sun looked set to threaten the sub-60 barrier when she equalled the LPGA record by covering her first nine holes in eight-under-par 28 and then picked up another shot at the first (her tenth).

She bogeyed the fourth and eighth before finishing with a birdie at the ninth.

Wie, the 18-year-old who has suffered a torrid 18 months since breaking her wrist, twice holed from off the green for the five-under-par round that put her in a tie for ninth place and in an upbeat mood.

Wales’ Becky Morgan, helped by three birdies in four holes from the 13th, was the best of the British players on 70, one ahead of Scot Mhairi McKay with England’s Johanna Head on 73.

Wie was happy with her score, but felt it could have even been better.

“I missed birdie chances at the last three holes,” said the Hawaiian star. “It’s great to shoot a low score, but today’s over and done with and now I want to focus on tomorrow.

“There are a lot of birdie holes that I missed out on today and, hopefully, I can get them tomorrow.”

Wie made the perfect start, chipping in from behind the green for a birdie at the first hole, but the shot of the day came at the par four 15th where she holed a 100-yard wedge shot for an eagle two.

“It was a cool shot,” she said. “It landed just where I wanted two yards short of the hole and then it popped forward and spun back into the hole.”

Wie, who had seven top tens in majors in the 2003 to 2006 seasons, has had to cope with a real crisis in confidence since the wrist injury, and she admitted: “Nowadays, I don’t have any pain, but I still can’t overdo it (practice) because it might come back to haunt me.”

Kim also had a dip in form after winning her second Tour title in the Tournament of Champions at the end of the 2005, but she has posted six top-10 finishes this year.

Today was a flawless round for the 24-year-old Californian.

Out in 33, she made four birdies in a row from the 11th and holed from 15-feet for eagle at the par five 15th in a back nine of 30.

“It’s really exciting to be at the top of a leaderboard again,” said Kim. “I’ve been playing well again this year and am really happy to be nine under.”

Alena Sharp had a flawless four under par 68 with birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh and 13th, while fellow Canadians Lorie Kane and Anna-Jane Eathorne both shot 72.