Greetings from Saucon Valley

First-round play at the 64th US Women's Open has begun on a clear, sunny day, with only a hint of breeze and temperatures approaching 70. Perfect conditions. This being a US Golf Association championship, scores are high, with six players currently tied for the lead at 1 under par. Included in that group is Cristie Kerr, who has played eight holes.

A few observations from early play:

Lorena Ochoa and Paula Creamer both challenged the back hole location on the 399-yard 14th, and both probably regretted it. Creamer, out of the first cut of rough, sent a low scorcher that landed well in front of the hole, but skipped through the green and into heavy rough. Ochoa, from the middle of the fairway, flew the green, also settling into heavy rough. Both were chipping downhill, without much green to work with, and neither got it within 10 feet. Both missed their putts for par, taking bogeys.

The par-4 third hole seems docile enough, measuring only 373 yards with a slight dogleg to the left. But there's a stream in front of the green, maybe 15 yards wide, and it's catching lots of golf balls. I watched three groups come through, and one player in each found the water. Brittany Altomare, the 18-year-old amateur from Shrewsbury playing in her first Women's Open, put her second shot in, took a penalty drop, and eventually made double bogey, the only blemish on her card so far through five holes. Another amateur, Mallory Fraiche, tried to reach the green from the right rough, and never got her second shot more than 5 feet off the ground. It skipped into the water, and she also made double bogey. In the third group, Tracy Stanford found the water, and also took 6. It's early, but the third hole is playing the toughest on the course, with a stroke average of 4.93, nearly a shot above par.

Janice Olivencia, making her first appearance at the Women's Open, didn't get off to the best of starts. She double bogeyed the par-5 first hole, double bogeyed the par-4 second hole, and made a quadruple bogey 8 on No. 3. At 8 over par through four holes, she's tied for last among the 77 players on the golf course.

A couple of surprising scores: Yani Tseng, ranked second in the world, is 5 over through nine holes and hasn't made a birdie. Angela Stanford, a four-time LPGA Tour winner who hasn't missed a cut this year, is also 5 over through seven holes. Briana Vega of Andover is faring much better; she bogeyed No. 3, and is 1 over through five.