Lee leads Aus Masters by one shot
Bo-Mee Lee of South Korea made seven birdies for a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after Thursday's first round of the Australian Ladies Masters.
US Open champion So Yeon Ryu led early but finished a stroke back at Royal Pines, tied with fellow-South Korean Hee Kyung Seo and Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands.
American teenager Lexi Thompson shot five birdies in an error-free round to sit two strokes off the pace with England's Felicity Johnson and Australian duo Nikki Campbell and Stephanie Na.
The 16-year-old Thompson became the youngest US LPGA Tour winner last year, taking the Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama in September. She also won the Ladies European Tour's Dubai Ladies Masters in December.
Lee was a six-shot runner-up to Karrie Webb in the 2010 Masters.
"Driving good, irons good, putting good. Easy, easy day," she said through an interpreter.
Ryu, who teed off from No 10, said she felt the weight of expectation after her major win.
"The first few holes I was very nervous as it is my first tournament of the year," she said. "But on the 12th hole I made a nice birdie putt so I could finally relax."
Thompson played with 14-year-old New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko, who become the youngest winner of a professional golf tour event Sunday when she won the women's New South Wales Open by four strokes.
Ko bogeyed two of her last four holes to finish on 2-under 70.
"She's an amazing player. She's so consistent, she barely misses shots," Thompson said of Ko. "She's not scared of anything, you can tell."
LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
65 – Bo-Mee Lee
66 – So Yeon Ryu, Hee Kyung Seo, Christel Boeljon
67 – Nikki Campbell, Felicity Johnson, Lexi Thompson, Stephanie Na
68 – Frances Bondad, Courtney Massey, Sarah Kemp
69 – Gwladys Nocera, Ju Young Park, Line Vedel, Sophie Gustafson, Christina Kim, Pernilla Lindberg, Wendy Doolan, Lee-Anne Pace, Karen Lunn, Joanna Klatten
70 – Linda Wessberg, Bree Arthur, Katherine Hull, Stacy Lewis, Danielle Kang, Lynnette Brooky, Lorie Kane, Jennifer Song, Jaclyn Sweeney, Heather Bowie Young, Lydia Ko (am), Stacey Keating, Sarah-Jane Smith, Lindsey Wright, Giulia Sergas, Dewi Claire Schreefel, Sophie Giquel-Bettan, Annie Choi (am)
Selected:
72 – Laurette Maritz , Ashleigh Simon
73 – Connie Chen