Honda LPGA Thailand Thursday: Anna Nordqvist Leads Michelle Wie by 1, as Big 3 Lurk

It seems that Anna Nordqvist has remembered how to go low in 2014; after firing a 64 last Friday in Melbourne, she opened the Honda LPGA Thailand with 3 straight birdies, added more on 2 of the next 3 par 3s, then bounced back from back-to-back bogeys with an eagle on the par-4 15th and a birdie on the 17th to post a 66.  That put her 1 shot ahead of Michelle Wie, who sprinkled 6 birdies around Siam Country Club's Pattaya Old Course, which left her 1 shot ahead of playing partner Jennifer Johnson, a teenager you may have heard of by the name of Lexi Thompson (who eagled the 1st hole today, a par 5), and Angela Stanford (who got a hole in 1 on the 8th).

It's a good thing for these golfers they went as low as they did, because hot on their heels are some of the top-ranked players in the world:

• -3 Suzann Pettersen, So Yeon Ryu, Caroline Hedwall, Sandra Gal
• -2 Morgan Pressel, Eun-Hee Ji, Gerina Piller, Mina Harigae
• -1 Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Karrie Webb, Cristie Kerr, Shanshan Feng, Hee Young Park, Azahara Munoz, Pornanong Phatlum, and more
• E Se Ri Pak, Ya Ni Tseng, Paula Creamer, Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, Caroline Masson, Carlota Ciganda, Jenny Shin, and Carly Booth

It was an awful day, though, for the Japanese golfers in the field, as Ai Miyazato was low among them with a 74 (thanks to 2 double bogeys on the back 9) and Ayako Uehara (thanks to no birdies and 2 doubles in her last 3 holes) was high with an 80.  But they weren't alone in struggling, as Hee Kyung Seo and Catriona Matthew had to settle for 76s, Na Yeon Choi and Beatriz Recari for 75s, Brittany Lincicome, Jessica Korda, and Amy Yang for 74s, and Brittany Lang, Chella Choi, and Lizette Salas for 73s.

So clearly some players are getting out of the gates fast this year while others are furiously scraping the rust off their games (and brains).  Let's see who puts it together over the next 54 holes!