KAHUKU — In a first round almost as startling as the huge waves crashing in the background, a trio of Americans rose to the top of the LPGA's season-opening SBS Open in Hawai'i yesterday at Turtle Bay's Palmer Course.

Paula Creamer, Paige Mackenzie and Sherri Steinhauer shot 5-under-par 67 to lead a field of 138 extremely diverse golfers on a tour so cosmopolitan Americans will defend just six titles this year. Paraguay's Julieta Granada, South Korea's Sung Ah Yim, and Natalie Gulbis and Wendy Ward — two more Americans — are a shot back.

Hilo native Kimberly Kim, a 15-year-old amateur, shot 73. Kim received exemptions into this tournament and next week's Fields Open in Hawai'i after becoming the youngest in history to win the U.S. Amateur last year. She also finished 66th at the 2006 U.S. Women's Open.

Kim is tied for 51st going into this morning's second round (she tees of at 7:40 a.m.). The top 70 and ties advance to tomorrow's final round.

The LPGA's international influence is ubiquitous, particularly here, at a tournament sponsored by a South Korean broadcasting network (Seoul Broadcasting System) and covered by more than 70 members of the media, about 85 percent of whom are foreign. The LPGA has 117 active international players from 26 countries.

For one day anyway, this looked more like the much less diverse LPGA from the days before Kim was born.

Creamer (20), Mackenzie (24) and Steinhauer (44) offer a good look at where women's golf stands in the U.S.

Creamer won her first LPGA event four days before graduating from high school. Even she can't believe this is her third year on tour. "It's weird, but I'll take it — 20 years old and feeling like a veteran," she said.

Creamer does have regrets about Year 2. She won twice as a rookie, finished second on the money list to Annika Sorenstam and said flat-out No. 1 was next on her list. Her stroke average improved last year and she had 14 top-10s, but Creamer hasn't won in 19 months.

"I always had one not-so-good day that would take me out of contention," Creamer said of 2006. "Just too many mistakes. Too many bogeys and not enough birdies to cancel it out. I just feel it was one of those years where my expectations were incredibly high and I put a lot of pressure on myself."

Yesterday was Mackenzie's first round as an LPGA member. The rookie finished 12th at Qualifying School after a brilliant college career (22 top-10 finishes) at Washington and memorable performances at the 2005 U.S. Women's Open (13th) and on the winning 2006 Curtis Cup team.

Her seven LPGA appearances as an amateur erased the "scary and intimidating" part of yesterday's debut. Mackenzie did admit to a case of nerves when she saw her name on top of the leaderboard as she made the turn.

"My heart started beating faster," said Mackenzie, who sank a pair of 20-foot-plus birdie putts. "Then I birdied, so maybe I need to watch the scoreboard more often."

Then there is Steinhauer, who started her LPGA career the year Creamer was born. Of her seven wins, four are majors, three coming at the Weetabix British Open.

She couldn't help but smile at three things yesterday: The fact she coached many of the best young Americans, including Creamer, as captain of the 2002 Junior Solheim Cup team; her round, which included an eagle from 105 yards out, two 35-foot birdie putts and just 24 total putts; and the thought of a trio of Americans sharing first.

"I didn't even think about that," Steinhauer said when asked about the last time three U.S. players led. "I don't know."

Those a shot back also paint a vivid picture of the diversity the LPGA has grown to embrace.

Ward, 43, has four wins, including the 1998 Hawaiian Ladies Open at Kapolei. Sung Ah Yim, 22, from Seoul, won for the first time last year. So did Granada, 20, whose $1 million payoff for capturing last year's final event made her the richest rookie in LPGA history.

This is the 136th start for the 24-year-old Gulbis, one of the LPGA's most popular players. She is still seeking her first win. Her search is far from desperate — she has won nearly $2.5 million her first five years — but her focus for 2007 is the same "every single week."

"I want to win a tournament," said Gulbis, whose friend Cristie Kerr coincidentally got her first win in her 136th start. "I try to take it week by week, but my first goal is to win an event."

Defending champion Joo Mi Kim shot 77 yesterday and 2005 champion Jennifer Rosales 79. Qualifier Taylore Karle, a 16-year-old who will play for Pepperdine in the fall, had a 76.

Lorena Ochoa, the 2006 Player of the Year, rallied from a double-bogey on the sixth to shoot 71.

"It's important to be in good position," said Ochoa. "I think the scores this afternoon will be a little higher. Hopefully in the morning I can take advantage of good conditions, be more aggressive and be in good shape."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.