ROGERS -- Azahara Munoz missed a month on the LPGA Tour after surgery earlier this spring to have a benign tumor removed from her left hand.
Her best finish since returning is a tie for 30th at the North Texas Shootout in early May, but the Spaniard put herself in prime position Friday to improve on that finish.
Munoz grabbed a share of the lead with Brittany Lincicome and Anna Nordqvist in the rain-delayed opening round of the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club.
South Korean Mi Jung Hur birdied five consecutive holes on the back nine to get to 8 under but had only finished the 14th when play was suspended because of darkness at 8:38 p.m. with 72 players left on the course.
The three co-leaders in the clubhouse survived two weather delays totalling four hours and eventually finished at 6 under on the par-71 layout.
Waiting out Friday's delays paled in comparison to what Munoz went through after she began experiencing pain in her left hand after hitting balls on the range in December. Munoz said she felt pain where the thumb met the palm, and her decision to have surgery in March caused her to miss six weeks on the tour.
"I kind of started losing confidence, and it got to the point that I didn't really know what to do," Munoz said. "Last week I had a really good practice and things started clicking, so coming into this week I finally felt much better."
Munoz, 27, was even par before she reeled off three consecutive birdies to close out her front nine at 3 under. After making par on the 10th, she shot to the top of the leaderboard with birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to get to 5 under.
Munoz had to settle for pars the remainder of the way after making her final birdie on the par-5 14th. She had a chance to get to 7 under, but her 35-foot birdie attempt rimmed out at the par-3 15th.
"Obviously it's only the first round, but it's been a rough year," said Munoz, who played college golf at Arizona State and whose best finish in Rogers was a tie for second in 2012. "When you are playing really well and then all of a sudden you are not playing well, you can feel a little anxious.
"I finally actually tried to relax a little bit and not be so focused on results."
Lincicome, who won the season's first major championship, the ANA Inspiration, and tied for fourth two weeks ago at its second, the Women's PGA Championship, only had to play half of her final hole after the second weather delay. She was already in the middle of the ninth fairway -- she started on the back nine -- when the horn sounded to resume play.
A pitching wedge from 120 yards put her 15 feet from the hole where Lincicome, 29, left a birdie attempt inches short that would have given her the outright lead.
"Going to the range this morning I told my caddie, 'I don't feel good. I feel like there's something off,' " said Lincicome, who was 4 under after 10 holes and moved to 6 under after back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth. "Then [I] had a couple good saves early, which really helped.
"I made a couple of 15-footers to save par, and it kind of was just the momentum I needed to kind of get the round going."
Nordqvist had her alarm set for 5 a.m. Friday, but after 12 1/2 hours and zero bogeys in her round, the 28-year-old Swede said she couldn't be too disappointed.
"I'll get some rest tomorrow, but bogey-free I'll take any day," said Nordqvist, who has eight top-15 finishes this year, including top-10 finishes in the two majors. "[I was] solid tee-to-green today, and this course you can be aggressive at and you can attack. You have a lot of wedges in, so I tried to take advantage of that.
Ryann O'Toole sits alone in fourth place at 5 under. She had six birdies for the round with her lone bogey coming on the par-4 10th. O'Toole has made only one cut in her four previous tries at the Northwest Arkansas Championship.
Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer lead a group of five players at 4 under among those who completed their round.
Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks), who is playing in her third Northwest Arkansas Championship, had a 2-over 73 that included four bogeys and two birdies. Monday qualifier Samantha Marks (Razorbacks) had a 4-over 75 that included two double bogeys.
Hur's 7 under leads the 72 remaining players who will finish their first round this morning. She had a 3-under front nine before she reeled off four consecutive birdies to begin the back side.
Defending champion and World No. 3 Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) is 4 under after 15 holes.
Sports on 06/27/2015