PATTAYA, Thailand (AP): In-Kyung Kim shot a course record-equaling 9-under 63 Thursday to take the lead in the first round of the season-opening LPGA Thailand.

The seventh-ranked South Korean started with a birdie and picked up nine more at the Siam Country Club despite damp conditions from heavy downpours earlier in the week.

"I started with a birdie and then kept making birdies," Kim said. "My coach and I work on my game and it really helped today.

It was a good start so I couldn't be happier."

Kim equaled the course record shot by 2007 winner Suzann Pettersen, Stacy Prammanasudh in 2009 and defending champion Ai Miyazato.

"I didn't think about the record, I just wanted to play well," Kim said. "I should do this more often."

Top-ranked Yani Tseng and Juli Inkster (both 66) were three shots behind Kim. "It's a pretty good round for this course.

It's playing longer this year," Tseng said. "I hit lots of 7-iron, 6-iron, 5-iron, which is totally different from last year. I just didn't hit my irons as good, but I'm staying patient and I hope the next three days get better."

Inkster started with bogeys on the second and third holes before sinking seven birdies and an eagle to go with a third bogey late in the day.

"I hit a bad shot on three and on two, I hit a good shot, but I couldn't get up and down," the 50-year-old Inkster said. "I hung in there and started hitting some really good irons and got some birdies. I didn't really get in too much trouble today. Hit my irons really good."

Also near the top was Catriona Matthew (67) and Pettersen (68), followed by Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis (all 69).

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP): Vera Zvonareva and Francesca Schiavone were both eliminated in the third round of the Dubai Championships on Thursday.

Alisa Kleybanova beat Russian teammate Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2, while Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Schiavone 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Samantha Stosur of Australia also reached the quarterfinals, beating Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-4, while Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-2 and Shahar Peer if Israel overcame a sluggish start to beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.