TEST Blog

Amateur shines

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.--Perhaps Dad should have chosen another bag.

Amateur Mallory Blackwelder, a junior at the University of Kentucky whose father, Worth, caddies for Juli Inkster, fired a 1-under-par 71 on Thursday and is only four shots back of clubhouse leader Karen Stupples during first-round play at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Blackwelder, who's Mom Myra is the coach at Kentucky and is also a former LPGA Tour player (her career-best finish was a tie for second at the 1980 Corning Classic), is currently second among amateurs. The top spot belongs to Columbia's Maria Jose Uribe, who shot a 2-under-par 70.

But Mallory was faring better than Dad, who helped carry Inkster to a 2-over-par total through 16 holes.

Ochoa in hunt

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA--Reigning Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa reeled off three consecutive birdies to pull within one shot of leader Karen Stupples during first-round action at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season.

Ochoa, teeing off on Hole No. 10 with defending champion Morgan Pressel, stuck her approach on No. 18 to four feet and sunk the birdie putt to move to 2-under par. She then birdied holes 1 and 2 to pull closer to Stupples, the clubhouse leader after shooting a 5-under par 67. Stupples, the 2004 Weetabix Women's British Open champion, went out in the first group of the day with Heather Young and proceeded to birdie three of her first five holes en route to a front-nine 33. Stupples, who played in only eight events last season due to the birth of her son, Logan James, had five birdies and no bogeys. Young was at 3 under par while Ochoa and Japan's Momoko Ueda were at 4-under.

Ueda, a rookie playing in her first Kraft Nabisco, followed her lone bogey on the par-4 6th hole with four consecutive birdies and is currently through 14 holes.

Other notable scores include Annika Sorenstam (-1 thru 12 holes), Pressel (Even thru 11) and 2006 champion Karrie Webb (+2 thru 2).