NEWPORT, Rhode Island -- With her trademark consistency which had been missing for the last four months, Annika Sorenstam shot a 2-under 69 to join a four-way tie for the lead after the first round of the U.S. Women's Open on Friday.

Sorenstam is joined atop the leaderboard by Se Ri Pak, Pat Hurst and 19-year-old amateur Jane Park.

It was the first time Sorenstam broke 70 in the first round of the U.S. Women's Open since she won it for the first time in 1995.

Better evidence that she might be shaking out of her doldrums was playing such solid golf in the blustery conditions of a warm, sunny afternoon along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Sorenstam was the only player among late starters to break par, and she will play on Friday morning with a chance to take control at Newport Country Club.

"I hit a lot of fairways today for a chance. I'm really happy with it," Sorenstam said. "There's a long way to go."

Michelle Wie had few complaints with her round that was a good fit for the toughest test in women's golf. The 16-year-old American made 15 pars, only one mistake and closed out her round with a 15-foot birdie putt to lead the group at 1-under 70.

Her only problem was straying into the soggy rough a few times too many, and she winced and held her left wrist trying to hit through the mushy grass. It's a minor injury that stems from the muscle in her forearm, but it didn't cause too many problems.

"I had a very solid round today, lot of pars," Wie said. "That's what the U.S. Open is. You have to have pars when you're in trouble, get away with a bogey or a par. And I felt like I did that today."

The first round was delayed by one day because of a soupy fog. Unfortunately, it was chased away by more than a half-inch of rain that saturated the links-styled course and led to dozens of rulings from casual water, with one bunker on the sixth hole marked as "ground under repair" because it became a small pond.

It didn't look like a U.S. Women's Open, except for the lack of low scores. The average score was 75.95, and 21 players failed to break 80. The only hole which played under par was the 298-yard second hole.

Sorenstam was in casual water on the ninth hole, and was able to move her ball to a dry patch of grass. It was still no bargain from there, a 4-iron from 185 yards up the hill to a three-tiered green with the pin tucked over a ridge. Her approach stopped just off the green, and she had to putt over a spine toward the cup. It was perfect.

Sorenstam raised her putter and gently thrust her fist toward the hole when the 20-foot birdie putt disappeared, and there was indeed reason to celebrate. It was the only birdie on the 436-yard hole all round.

"I was lucky that I was in casual water because I had a chance to clean my ball," Sorenstam said. "I had so much mud on it."

Despite the soft greens from more than 13 inches of rain over the last six weeks, only nine players broke par in the opening round, two of them amateurs. Along with Park, who just finished her first year at UCLA, Amanda Blumenherst of Duke University shot 70.

Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, the hottest player in women's golf who leads the LPGA Tour money list, and Paula Creamer were among those who escaped at even-par 71.

Australian Karrie Webb, who has gone 1-2 in the first two majors, was 4 over through 12 holes and slipping out of contention until she rebounded with a pair of birdies and a delicate chip up two tiers to 4 feet to save par on the ninth for a 73.

Webb fell far behind at the U.S. Women's Open last year and started to press, instead falling farther behind.

"I had to remind myself of things like that and keep plugging away," she said. "I just wanted to keep myself in it."

Pak was one of the few who felt comfortable walking the squishy fairways, battling gusts and greens that were slower than usual and bumpy because of the wet conditions. Perhaps that's because the 28-year-old star from South Korea is comfortable anywhere, having returned to the elite with her LPGA Championship victory three weeks ago.

She surged toward the top with a 35-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole, another birdie on the seventh and a two-putt par from some 60 feet and over the two ridges on the ninth.

"I'll always be here if anyone forgets about me," Pak said with a laugh. "I just so much enjoyed it out there, all day along, so much comfortable and confidence in myself. It helped me out with a good round."

The surprise was Park, an engaging personality who won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2004 and is preparing to play in her second Curtis Cup for the United States. Wearing a bucket hat -- "I always buy a hat at the U.S. Open," she said --- she was giggling and smiling her way around Newport, even making a funny face at her caddie when a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole stopped an inch short.

"I haven't been in this kind of atmosphere for a year. I really missed this," Park said. "It inspires me to play my best."

The U.S. Women's Open has been boom and bust for Sorenstam, mostly the latter.

She won this major in consecutive years early in her career, but has gone 10 years -- and 63 victories on Tour -- since last hoisting the most important trophy in women's golf. Sorenstam wasn't even the heavy favorite like she normally is, mired in her longest stretch without a victory -- eight tournaments -- in more than five years.

But the fog on Thursday turned out to be a blessing. She relaxed, did some fine-tuning on her game, and came out of the blocks strong. Along with the lone birdie at No. 9, Sorenstam holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the third hole, the second-toughest hole at Newport.

"After three or four holes, I really felt good about my game," she said. "I didn't think about it anymore."

But she knows there is a long way to go. The second round will be on Saturday, followed by a 36-hole finale on Sunday. Along with being a tough test, it might be for the fittest.

"We know it's going to be a long weekend," Sorenstam said. "You've got to be in good shape. It's going to favor the one that can handle that. There are some players out here that are in good shape, and I'd like to think I'm one of them."

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