Johnson Fires 64 and Leads by Two Shots

Chris Johnson birdied seven of her last 10 holes Thursday to post an eight-under-par 64 for a two-shot lead over Wendy Doolan of Australia after the first round of the $650,000 Safeco Classic at Kent, Wash.

Michelle McGann, Leslie Spalding, Catriona Matthew, Akiko Fukushima and Ashli Price-Bunch shot 67s over the 6,198-yard Meridian Valley Country Club course south of Seattle.

Se Ri Pak, who won last week’s event at Maple Grove, Minn., shot a three-under 69.

Defending champion Annika Sorenstam had three birdies and two bogeys in a round of 71.

Johnson, 41, in her 20th year on the LPGA tour, has finished no lower than 31st on the money list for the last five years. She has struggled this year, however, missing seven cuts in 22 events. She is 65th on this year’s list.

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Hurricane Floyd washed out the first round of the B.C. Open after Gene Sauers got off to a fast start at Endicott, N.Y.

Sauers, who hasn’t won on tour in a decade, was alone atop the leaderboard at three under par through five holes when organizers halted play at 9:30 a.m. They will still try to make it a 72-hole tournament.