After taming terrible winds to start the season in the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, Hawai'i's Michelle Wie struggled in afternoon gusts of more than 40 mph yesterday in the opening round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International at Papago golf course.

Wie finished in a 15-way tie for 37th at 1-over-par 73, a shot behind two-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa and five back of leader In-Kyung Kim. Jiyai Shin, Imbee Park, Eun-Hee Ji, Suzann Pettersen and Cristie Kerr, who eagled the final hole, are tied for second at 3-under.

Nine golfers did not finish and will complete their rounds early this morning before Wie goes out first in the second round, around 4:30 a.m. HST.

The Punahou graduate hopes early morning conditions are more conducive to good scores.

"I felt like it was a hard day out there, with the wind and everything," said Wie who, like Ochoa, played in the afternoon. "I felt a little bit rusty, you know. I made a couple of stupid errors, but overall I played pretty solid."

Wie hasn't played since she was second to Angela Stanford at Turtle Bay on Valentine's Day. She just finished her fourth quarter at Stanford. She was 1-under after 14 holes yesterday, but bogeys at No. 15 and No. 16 put her over par.

Kerr, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, eagled No. 10 in addition to her eagle on the closing hole.

"It was almost like torture in the wind," Kerr said. "But I didn't try too hard. If you try too hard, you won't be able to control your shots in the wind. I controlled the ball very well today."

Kerr played in the afternoon and thought golfers who played early had a "one- or two-shot advantage." Only five players broke par in the afternoon wave.Pettersen called the wind "ridiculous."

"I knew the wind was going to blow, but this was surreal," she said. "There isn't even any shotmaking out there. You can try, but no chance. You have to be really creative."

Shin had a spectacular finish, with birdies at 16 and 17, and a 12-foot eagle putt at 18, moving her to 3-under. Shin is a rookie, like Wie, and won the HSBC Women's Championship this month in Singapore. Before becoming an LPGA member, she won three tournaments last year — the Women's British Open, Mizuno Classic and season-ending ADT Championship, where she earned $1 million.

This is the first LPGA tournament of the season on the U.S. Mainland and a prelude to next week's Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major.