Kane and Mallon head Arch Champs

Meg Mallon and Lorie Kane head the Arch Wireless Championship in Florida, both shooting 67 (-5) on LPGA International's Legends Course to take a one-stroke lead over Leta Lindley, Dottie Pepper and Annika Sorenstam.

Kane, who has just won the Mizuno Classic in Japan, has won two of her last four tournaments in which she has played and has also notched up her first three wins, all this season.

Mallon carded six birdies and one bogey in her round which included two chip-ins with one from 50 feet.

"My pitching wedge was very nice to me today, my pitch-ins were terrific" said Mallon. "I took three weeks off and I had no idea what to expect. I'm playing a new course that I have never played in competition."

Scots Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew are also handily placed and Matthew from North Berwick, arrived in Daytona Beach just one hour before their tee time. She was in Scotland when she got the call that Cristie Kerr had withdrawn from the tournament due to a knee injury. Matthew, next on the money list, flew all night from Glasgow to Brussells to Newark to Orlando where she then drove the hour-and-a-half to Daytona Beach.

But leader of the British contingent is Laura Davies, who carded a first round 70 to head Matthew and Moodie by one shot.