TURNBERRY, Scotland (AP) Rookie Candie Kung celebrated her 21st birthday with a 7-under 65 Thursday to lead the Women's British Open after the first round.

Kung is a stroke ahead of two-time champion Karrie Webb, with defending champion Se Ri Pak and leading American Tina Barrett among four players two strokes behind.

With top-10 finishes in her last two tournaments, Kung came into the tournament on form. The fickle Scottish weather behaved itself, allowing Kung to race around the tricky links with birdies on the first two holes.

She finished with birdies on four of the last five holes in a bogey-free round.

Kung, who is from Taiwan, said she took up golf seven years ago after her parents moved to the United States.

"We moved to the States in '95 and I had nothing to do at that time, and that's how I got started," Kung said.

"My brother was here for school, and we had to move because of him. Now he's done with school. He caddied for me earlier in the year."

Kung, who was the 1999 American Junior Golf Association player of the year, tied for ninth at the Sybase Big Apple Classic two weeks ago and seventh at the Wendy's Championship for Children last week.

"I was hitting the ball well the last couple of weeks and, coming into this week, just pretty much tried to do the same thing," Kung said. "Today my putts were going in, and that was about it."

Webb, who has not won a major this year even though she has won five in the previous three years, won her British Opens at Woburn and Sunningdale, totally different courses than the Turnberry links.

But the course, a regular venue for the men's Open, played easier than usual with just a gentle breeze blowing off the sea. The 462-yard, par-5 third hole was so friendly without the wind that 14 players in a row made birdies.

"On this course, even as easy as the conditions were today, I don't think you were ever expecting to go out there and shoot 66," Webb said. "So I feel really good about that."

The Australian made seven birdies to one bogey. Laura Davies, one of her playing partners who hasn't won a British Open in front of her home fans since 1986, had a quadruple bogey nine at the par-5 17th after driving into the thick rough and struggling to get out.

Pak, who swore she would not return to links golf after carding a 20-over 308 at Lytham St. Annes in her rookie season four years ago, started with a bogey after her second shot landed in a greenside bunker.

But the Korean didn't slip up again and came back with six birdies for a 67, tying her with Barrett, Germany's Elisabeth Esterl and Sweden's Carin Koch.

"Back in 1998 I don't think I had any idea of the different kind of conditions on the golf course," Pak said. "When I think about then it's kind of stressful too.

"A couple of years later my game improved a lot, and I have learned a lot about different kinds of golf course."

Taking advantage of virtually windless conditions late in the day, Barrett looked like she would join Webb in second place. But she missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

"I putted really well all day so I really can't complain," she said. "I pushed it just a touch and it lipped out. It could easily have lipped in, too."

Another American on the leaderboard is Emilee Klein, who won the Open in 1996 and is tied for seventh place after a 4-under 68 thanks to birdies on the last two holes.

Coming off back-to-back victories, Mi Hyun Kim rolled in five birdie putts for a 68, three off the lead.

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