With water just about everywhere and greens guarded by deep bunkers and mounds, the slightest mistake took par out of the picture. Defending champion Michelle McGann , Nancy Lopez , Laura Davies , and Kelly Robbins were at 76. Liselotte Neumann , who won by 11 strokes when the Tournament of Champions was played at Grand Cypress two years ago , shot 75. She had only two regulation pars on the back nine, taking 12 putts and closing with two birdies. It flared up Saturday while she was working out and still hasn't improved.
Thin shots work good on a windy day.
A great short game helps, too. In a stretch of six holes on the back, Mallon saved par three times from the sand and twice from off the green to make the turn at 2 over. Then, she hit every green on the front nine and picked up four birdies to offset a three-putt bogey. Bob Hinton is the caddie this week for Kuehne. Pak, who had been using a Callaway driver, switched to Taylor Made's Ti Bubble for the first round.