Mallon Takes the Early Lead Despite Windy Conditions

Defending champion Meg Mallon picked up right where she left off last year, shooting an eight-under 64 Thursday to take the first-round lead at the $850,000 Memorial of Naples tournament at Naples, Fla.

Mallon did well despite playing in the afternoon, when the wind became a factor.

“I looked up at the board on No. 18 and everybody was finished on the leaderboard, so obviously it was all from the morning,” said Mallon, who played with Kelly Robbins and Donna Andrews. “I said to Kelly and Donna, ‘Was it that hard of an afternoon?’ They said, ‘Yes, it was.’

“It was just one of those zones you’re in where you’re not affected by anything.”

Mallon leads Nanci Bowen, who was bedridden with vertigo-like symptoms on Monday, and 22-year-old Colombian Marisa Baena, by one stroke. Nancy Scranton and rookie Jen Hanna are two shots back.

“When you’re out in the morning, especially when you have it the first day, you’d like to get a good score in, because you know the conditions are usually better in the morning than they are in the afternoon round,” said Scranton, who returned from shoulder surgery almost four years ago to finish 26th on the money list last year.

Golf Notes

Golfer Notah Begay, arrested for drunk driving after a late-night parking-lot collision in Albuquerque, said Thursday he wants to take full responsibility and face the consequences. “It’s a cut-and-dried case of bad judgment,” Begay said. “It will not happen again.” He said he may quit drinking entirely. Begay was arrested about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and failure to keep proper lookout. . . . Raymond Watson, father of Tom Watson, died of a heart attack while in Hawaii to watch his son compete in the Senior Tournament of Champions. He was 80.