Inbee Park leads Yani Tseng by 2 in Taiwan

• Inbee Park of South Korea fired a 7-under 65 to grab the first-round lead
• Defending champ and local favorite Yani Tseng was two shots back
• A group of four is three back at 68

YANG MEI, Taiwan (AP) — South Korean golfer Inbee Park took a two-stroke lead in the Taiwan Championship over local favorite and Yani Tseng on Thursday.

Park, leading the race for U.S. LPGA Tour player of the year, birdied seven times in the first round at Sunrise Golf and Country Club for a 7-under 65 to leave Tseng (67) in second place.

Defending champion Tseng finished the day with six birdies offset by a bogey on the 10th hole.

The group of four tied for third on 68 included Nicole Castrale and Danielle Kang of the United States, Hee-young Park of South Korea and Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand.

Park finished in the top three for six straight tour events, including two wins, until her streak was broken in South Korea last week with a tie for 15th. She leads the tour money list.

She credited improved hitting skills and calm on the normally windy Sunrise course for her performance.

"We were expecting a lot of wind and I was prepared for it. But today it was really calm and a very nice day," Park said.

"Last year I wasn't hitting the ball as solid as this year, and my ball-striking skills have improved."

While Park was the most in-form player on the tour for now, her's and everyone else's support was shaded by that for Tseng, one of the island's few sports superstars.

"I know everyone is talking about the pressure this week," she said. But, she added, "when I see all the fans, I think that pressure is gone because I know it doesn't matter how I play they're still going to be there to give me 100 percent support."

The only blemish on her round, the bogey on No. 10, "made me a little mad out there," she said.

Pornanong led the field of 78 early with birdies on her first four holes from the 10th.

Hee-young Park eagled the sixth hole but bogeyed twice. Castrale, who hasn't enjoyed a top-10 finish since the U.S. Women's Open in July, birdied the 18th, as did Kang, who made up for two bogeys with six birdies.