RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - Annika Sorenstam stumbled at the start Thursday in her bid to win all four major LPGA Tour titles in a year, leaving her well behind a teenager who played in the Kraft Nabisco Championship when she was only 13.
No, it wasn't Michelle Wie, though Sorenstam trailed that young phenom, too. The leader was Bradenton's Aree Song, who knows a little about being a golf prodigy.
Song took advantage of ideal scoring conditions and an early tee time to shoot 6-under 66 in her first major championship since turning pro. She had a one-stroke lead over Lorena Ochoa, Rosie Jones and Catriona Matthew, and Karrie Webb and Dottie Pepper were another shot back.
The 17-year-old Song, in contention on the final day here four years ago, made six birdies. She played and talked with the confidence of a veteran instead of the rookie pro she is.
"You know, I like my chances here," Song said. "I feel I know the course pretty well."
Sorenstam was five back and heading for a corrective session on the driving range after salvaging 71 with birdie on the last hole.
"I didn't hurt myself too bad for the first day, but obviously it has to get better from here," she said.
Song, who tied for 10th in 2000 as a 13-year-old named Aree Wongluekiet, was in the fourth group off the tee, posted her score early, then went to eat as the rest of the field tried to catch her.
None could, including Wie, who made a short birdie on the final hole for 69 despite some wayward drives that left her battling out of the deep rough.
"The thing I'm proud of myself is even though I was in the rough I made a lot of pars out of the rough today," said Wie, who tied for ninth last year when she was 13. "I played pretty good. My driver could have been a little better."
As an amateur, Song finished fifth in last year's U.S. Open and made all four cuts at the Kraft Nabisco. She got special dispensation to turn pro before the age of 18 from LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw last year, then went out and won her tour card in the qualifying tournament.
If she wins, Song would be the youngest to win on tour.
"This has been my dream, to play out here on tour and hopefully one day be the best," said Song, a native of Thailand who came to the United States at age 11.
Sorenstam, who won two of the past three tournaments here and won her 49th LPGA tournament Sunday in Phoenix, entered with one big goal - begin her Grand Slam quest by winning the first of four majors. But she admitted to being a bit nervous on the first tee while pondering her goal.
"It's a long way to go, 16 rounds if you think about it," she said. "If I'm nervous on the first tee it's going to be a long year."
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Guy Boros shot 7-under 65 for the first-round lead at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in Broussard, the fourth of 31 events on tour and first in the United States. Boros led Rafael Gomez and Robert Garrigus by one. Boros, who has missed the cut in three of four PGA Tour starts this year, won twice on the Nationwide Tour last season.
EUROPEAN TOURS: Sweden's Magnus Persson Atlevi shot 5-under 67 in the first round of the Madeira Island Open, which was delayed by rain and fog. Almost half the field failed to complete the round in Santo da Serra. English rookie Jamie Elson had a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th.
