Davies takes first-round lead at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Defending champion Laura Davies shot a 5-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Women's Australian Open.

Davies had six birdies and a bogey on the tough, par-73 Commonwealth layout where fewer than 25 golfers in the 150-woman field broke par Thursday.

There was a six-way tie for second: Yang Soo-jin, Giulia Sergas, Jenni Kuosa, Felicity Johnson, Rebecca Flood and amateur Alison Whitaker all had 70s.

Alexis Thompson, the 15-year-old American amateur who played in the U.S. Open at the age of 12, shot 71 and was in a group tied for eighth.