The Associated Press

SYLVANIA, Ohio - Laura Diaz birdied three consecutive holes on the front nine and continued her hot shooting on the back nine to take the lead Thursday in the first round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic.

Diaz finished with a 6-under-par 65 after managing to birdie two consecutive holes on the back nine despite driving into the trees on each. She also hit a 60-foot putt for birdie on her sixth hole.

What's scary for the rest of the field is that Diaz wasn't too impressed with her play.

"I didn't hit as well as I scored," she said.

Rachel Teske, last year's tournament champion, was right behind Diaz with at 66.

Four players were tied in third, including Mi-Hyun Kim, who finished her round with six birdies in the final nine holes. Dottie Pepper, Heather Bowie and Carri Wood were also two shots back.

Michelle Wie struggled early but recovered, thanks to her putting. It's an area she has been working on during the last month.

"I guess it finally paid off," she said after finishing with a 2-over par 73.

Wie, a 13-year-old amateur, drove two of her first three tee shots far to the right and into the rough. Her tee shot on the second hole nearly bounced into a back yard, but she came out with a second shot through the trees that stopped 5 feet off the green.

But Wie got into more trouble with her tee shot on the fifth hole and lost her ball. She ended up with a triple bogey.