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Japan's Ayako Uehara shoots 62 to take NW Arkansas lead (The Associated Press)

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Ayako Uehara, of Japan, smiles as she watches her tee shot in the first round at the Women's PGA …

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) -- Japan's Ayako Uehara matched the course record with a 9-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour's NW Arkansas Championship.

Uehara, who entered the event at Pinnacle Country Club ranked 214th in the world and without a top-10 finish this year, needed only 25 putts in her bogey-free round. She was 6 under on her final nine, birdieing the last two holes to best a 63 she shot in Malaysia in 2014.