SYLVANIA, Ohio - Karen Stupples is playing with the confidence of a champion.
Teeing off just hours after a 13-hour flight from London, and without seeing the course, Stupples had seven birdies in a 6-under-par 65 Thursday for a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Still caught up in the excitement of winning the Women's British Open on Sunday, Stupples said she "floated around the course" after arriving in the Toledo area Wednesday evening and spending the night with friends. She caught some sleep on the flight and got a good night's rest and then picked up where she left off on the Old Course at Sunningdale after a five-stroke victory.
"The way I played last week gave me a lot of confidence in how I managed myself around the golf course," said Stupples, an Orlando resident who played for FSU from 1992 to 1995.
One day into the 72-hole tournament, however, Stupples was well aware of her closest pursuers.
U.S. Open winner Meg Mallon, an Ohio State alum and a gallery favorite, had a run of three straight birdies and then birdied three of four in another stretch in a round of 66 that left her tied with defending champion Se Ri Pak.
Brandie Burton, Yu-Ping Lin, Catriona Matthew, Angela Jerman and Marisa Baena shared fourth at 67. Rachel Teske, the 2002 Farr winner, opened with 72.
Pak is trying for a record-tying fifth victory in the tournament. Only Mickey Wright has won an event five times. She claimed the Sea Island Open in 1957-58, 1960-61 and 1963.
PGA: Rain and lightning swept through Castle Pines Golf Club in Catles Pines, Colo., halting the first round with half the field still on the course.
Rod Pampling led the 72 players who completed their round, hitting every fairway and scoring 15 points in the tournament's modified Stableford system with five birdies and an eagle.
Goeff Ogilvy and Jose Coceres were a point behind in the format that awards 8 for a double eagle, 5 for an eagle, 2 for birdie, zero for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double bogey or worse.
The rest of the field will return this morning to finish the first round. The second round is scheduled to follow.
With more storms forecast for this afternoon, it could be a scramble to finish by Sunday. Spilling over into Monday for the first time in tournament history could present a problem because many players might want to hustle to Wisconsin to prepare for next weekend's PGA at Whistling Straits.
PGA CHAMPIONS: Ben Crenshaw is still seeking his first win on the tour, and hoping a trip to Blaine, Minn., will provide his game with a spark. Crenshaw returns this weekend to the scene of his best finish as a senior when the tour stops for the 3M Championship at the Tournament Players Club of the Twin Cities.
