Kent's Karen Stupples has a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills in California.

The event is the women's first major tournament of the year and Stupples fired a five-under-par 67 to head world number one Lorena Ochoa and Japan's Ai Miyazato.

Stupples, from Deal, the 2004 Women's British Open champion, said she was refreshed after taking time off to give birth to her first child 12 months ago.

"I actually think that having had seven months off from competition did me a world of good because it gave me a chance to recuperate and recharge mentally," said Stupples.

"My practice time has to be a little bit more limited now, so I have made it much more of a quality practice.

"When you have a baby, you have to learn a bit of patience, and that's always been a tough thing for me, so I think it's been really good for me.

"And my coaches have been great, and they have already worked hard with me to get me back into shape, and I feel very happy where I am."

Stupples and her American partner Bobby Inman, who is also her caddie, are getting married in Las Vegas on Tuesday.