Sorenstam shoots 66 for first-round lead

Annika Sorenstam was hitting the ball so well she knew exactly where it was going. Combine that with an unusually calm day in south Florida, and seeing her name atop the leaderboard was no surprise.

Sorenstam birdied four of the last five holes Thursday, twice with a 7-iron into greens surrounded by trouble, giving her a 6-under-par 66 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the season-ending ADT Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Cristie Kerr shot a 67, while Karrie Webb was among those at 68.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., was in a group of three at 73.

LPGA unveils schedule

With an eye toward stronger fields and bigger purses, the LPGA Tour released a 2005 schedule that features one less tournament and a record amount of prize money. There will be 31 official tournaments, plus the World Cup and Solheim Cup, for official prize money of $43.3 million.

Woods rises at Phoenix

Tiger Woods overcame soggy conditions to fire a 5-under 65 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Dunlop Phoenix at Miyazaki, Japan.

Playing in a steady downpour at the Phoenix Country Club, Woods opened with a birdie on the par-4 10th and added four more to take the lead in the $1.89 million tournament, the richest on the Japanese tour.

Kaname Yokoo of Japan was second at 68. Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, South Korean Kim Jong-duk and Australian Craig Parry carded 69s.

Irish pair leads World Cup

The Irish duo of Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington shot a 12-under 60 to share the lead with Austria’s Martin Wiegele and Markus Brier after the first round of the team World Cup at Seville, Spain.

England’s Paul Casey and Luke Donald carded a 61. Americans Scott Verplank and Bob Tway were at 64.

Palmer aims to extend streak

Arnold Palmer is undefeated in international team competition as U.S. captain, a record that includes a couple of Ryder Cup wins, a President’s Cup win and three UBS Cup titles.

He looks to extend that streak this week in the fourth UBS Cup, on the Cassique Course at Kiawah Island, S.C. Palmer and Jay Haas face Gary Player and Mark McNulty in today’s alternate shot match.

Saturday features a best-ball competition, with singles matches Sunday.