EWART, HULL IN PICTURE AS YANG (66) LEADS KRAFT NABISCO

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
RANCHO MIRAGE, California – Amy Yang shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Lindsey Wright in the opening round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
England's Jodi Ewart shot a 69 and 16-year-old amateur compatriot Charley Hull had a one-under-par 71.
Yani Tseng was third at 68, ending the top-ranked player's streak of eight consecutive rounds with the lead. The five-time major champion has won two straight tournaments and three of five this season, while Yang and Wright have never won on the LPGA Tour.
The 22-year-old Yang made five birdies in seven holes around the turn at Mission Hills, using a steady putting stroke to take the early lead in the first major of the year.
Wearing oversized sunglasses even while putting, Michelle Wie opened with a 73. Defending champion Stacy Lewis had four consecutive bogeys in a 74. Wright's 67 with five birdies on the back nine of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course is another positive step in the 32-year-old Australian's comeback from depression and anxiety.
After quitting golf for the final four months of last year, Wright returned with a victory in the New Zealand Women's Open last month, followed by this strong start at Mission Hills.
"It wasn't a great time, and I just couldn't really get through it," Wright said. "It's hard to explain other than from a physical standpoint. People think, 'Depression, oh, just get over it.' It really impacts you physically, and playing on this tour, grinding it out each week when you're not sleeping and you can't concentrate or focus, it just gets you down, and it's a bit of a nightmare." Yang chipped in from the fringe for birdie on the 13th, highlighting a strong start at Mission Hills for the former teen sensation. Yang has five top-10 finishes in majors over the previous three years after winning on the European tour, but the table tennis enthusiast who idolizes fellow Korean pro Se Ri Pak hasn't broken through to hold an LPGA Tour trophy.
"Everything was working well," Yang said. "I think especially my putting was better than other tournaments. I had a couple of shots that went into the trees, and it was hard to play, but I had some good par saves and good birdie putts."
Lewis has spent the week fulfilling innumerable public-relations duties as the returning Kraft Nabisco champ, and those long days might have affected her game. She reached the turn with four consecutive bogeys, slapping the head of her putter in anger after missing a putt on the eighth hole.
"People were cheering me around the whole day," Lewis said. "I just couldn't quite get things going."
Tseng knows plenty about distractions and exhaustion after dominating the tour over the past year or so: She felt tired during practice rounds this week after driving from San Diego to Palm Springs following her victory in the Kia Classic in Carlsbad last Sunday.
Tseng also bogeyed the eighth with a feeble chip out of the greenside rough, but the Taiwanese star gathered herself for four birdies in the next six holes. "I was really disappointed today," Tseng said. "I don't hit many good shots, and I don't leave myself lots of birdie chances out there."

CHARLEY HULL JT 18TH ON 71 AFTER BIRDIE START

Curtis Cup selection Charley Hull has made a great start to the Kraft Nabisco Championship - the first major of the LPGA Tour 2012 season.

Charley, 16 on March 20, from Kettering and a Woburn Golf Club member, shot a one-under-par 71 after starting with a birdie.
Hull dropped her only stroke to par at the fourth but moved one under par again with a birdie at the sixth. Then Charley reeled off 12 successive pars - not bad going for a youngster playing in her first LPGA Tour event - and a major at that!
Charlie had 33 putts ... she hit 10 out of 14 fairways ... she averaged 248.50yd  with her drives ... and she hit 15 out of 18 greens in regulation.
Interesting contrast that Jodi Ewart from Yorkshire, in compiling her 69, birdied the long ninth, the long 11th and the 16th - no bogeys. Jodi had 32 putts, hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and 10 out of 14 fairways from the tee, driving the ball an average of 274yd, ie. approximately 26yd farther than young Charley.
Janice Moodie had a 73 (T49) and Catriona Matthew a 74 (T60).
Janice birdied the third but bogey two short holes, the fifth and the 14th. She had an average drive of 257.50yd, 34 putts, hit only eight of 14 fairways but 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
Catriona's only birdie came at the long second. She bogeyed the third, sixth and 15th. The North Berwick player averaged 273yd off the tee and but hit only seven of 14 fairways. She hit 13 of the 18 greens in regulation and had 33 putts.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
66 Amy Yang (S Korea)
67 Lindsey Wright (Australia)
68 Yani Tseng (Taiwan)
69 Haeji Kang (S Korea), Haeji Kang (S Korea), Katherine Hull (Australia), Hee Kyung Seo (S Koea), Sun Young Soo (S Korea), Paula Creamer (U), Nicole Castrale (US), Jodi Ewart (England).
70 Cydney Clanton (US), Candie Kung (Taiwan), Vicky Hurst (US), Julieta Granada, Hee Won Han.
71 Charley Hull (England), Jaye Marie Green(US), Sarah Kemp (Australia), Ha-Neul Kim (S Korea), Wendy Ward (US), Momoko Ueda (Japan), Cristie Kerr (UW), Karrie Webb (Australia), Ai Miyazato (Japan), Inbee Park (S Korea), Se Ri Pak (S Korea) (T18).

SELECTED SCORES
73 Janice Moodie (Scotland), Karen Stupples (England) (T47)
74 Catriona Matthew (Scotland), Stacy Lewis (US), Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) (T60)
76 Becky Morgan (Wales), Laura Davies (England) (T89)
77 Melissa Reid (England) (T103).

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Charley Hull thanks the Curtis Cup selectors

Charley Hull spoke with Christina Lance of the USGA and had this to say about being selected to play for GB and I in the June 8-10 Curtis Cup match at The Nairn GC:

I'm overwhelmed. I'm so happy, and I'd like to thank all the selectors. It should be great. We've got a great captain, Teg, so I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm back on the team now. I was upset, obviously, but now I'm really happy that I'm back in it. Now it's history. I didn't think they were going to change it for me, but I'm glad they did. I can't wait for Nairn.
My father and three friends are here (at the Kraft Nabsico Championship) with me. My mother couldn't come, but she will be at the Curtis Cup.
She's happy that I'm back on the Curtis Cup so she can watch me up there.