GOLF : King, Bidding for a Sweep of Major Titles, Shares Lead

Betsy King, bidding for a career sweep of the major titles in women’s golf, shot a five-under-par 67 Thursday to gain a share of the opening-round lead in the du Maurier Classic.

King, who has won the Dinah Shore and the U.S. Open twice each and in May won the LPGA Championship, put together five birdies and 13 pars over the 6,257-yard St. Charles Country Club course.

Only Pat Bradley has managed a career sweep of the four tournaments, which since 1983 have been designated as majors by the LPGA.

Meg Mallon, who won the LPGA and U.S. Open titles last year, was also at 67, along with Michelle Mackall, Sherri Steinhauer and Kelly Robbins.

King had four birdies on the front nine, but a shaky putter limited her to only one on the back side. She twice missed short birdie putts on the back that would have given the outright lead.

She missed from less than 10 feet on No. 17.

“I was playing it to go a little left, but I wasn’t trying to play it outside the hole,” King said. “I think I shoved it a little bit.”

King used a driver on her second shot to reach the green from beneath a tree en route to a birdie on the par-4 12th, the most troublesome hole in the first round.

“It was definitely the shot of the round,” she said.

Mallon made good use of approach shots to set up short putts for most of her five birdies.

Mackall had the first of the 67s with a round featuring six birdies and one bogey. She sank birdie putts of 45 feet on No. 4, 15 feet on No. 12, 45 feet on No. 15 and 35 feet on No. 18 in equaling her low score in three years on the LPGA tour.