By Jeremy Harness

On the day before she turns 18, Lydia Ko, the world’s No. 1 female golfer, returned to a familiar position in the first round: on top.

Ko, who won this tournament last year, shot an opening-round 67 to grab the early lead at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced Golf Club on Thursday.

“I hit the ball pretty good where I wasn’t in too much trouble,” she said. “(But) this is a very tough golf course. You need to position yourself well, and even if you’re in the fairway, sometimes it’s really hard to hold it on the green.”

She certainly hit her share of fairways (11 of her 14 tee shots found the short grass), while also hitting 13 greens to maximize her opportunities to score.

Right behind her, however, is 54-year-old Northern California native Juli Inkster, who fired a five-under 67 to go into the second day of the tournament one shot off the lead and tied for second place.

Inkster had a very nice-sized gallery for the opening round, and it is only expected to grow as long as she keeps playing the way she is.

“It’s always nice to be able to sleep min your own bed and drive a little north of (the) 280 (freeway),” said Inkster, who added that she has several fellow players staying at her house for the weekend.

However, while one NorCal native is enjoying one of her finest outings in some time, another had one that she would rather forget very quickly. Pleasanton native Paula Creamer shot a 10-over 82 on Thursday, having a miserable time on the greens – she had 34 putts in the opening round, including a pair of damaging three-putts – and only hit 11 of 18 greens.