Intro:

Paula Creamer and Mariajo Uribe both shot five-under 67 on Thursday to share the first round lead in the Kia Classic at Aviara.

Script:

The LPGA opened the Kia Classic at the Aviara Golf Club on Thursday - one week ahead of the tour's first major of the year.

Paula Creamer was out on the course early in the day and set the bar for the field with a five-under 67.

Mariajo Uribe was the only member of the field to match the American over the course of the afternoon. Uribe, from Colombia, took 5 birdies in a bogey-free round.

Tournament defending champion, Beatriz Recari, put together an up-and-down opening round of 71 with four birdies and three bogeys. She sits four shots of the pace after round one.

Stacy Lewis, the third-ranked player in the world, opened the tournament with a 2-under 70. Lewis has played five tournaments so far this year and has two second place results; she has only finished outside the top six once.

16-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand found herself seven strokes behind Creamer and Uribe after an opening card of two-over 74. Ko collected just one birdie to offset three bogeys over her opening 18 holes.

Shot of the day went to Dewi Claire Schreefel who closed at three over par, thanks to an eagle on the par-5 17th. The Dutch golfer was at five over before she pitched her ball from the fairway down to the green, where it ran right straight into the cup.