Bethlehem, PA (My Sportsbook) - Na Yeon Choi fired a three-under 68 on Thursday to take the first-round lead of the U.S. Women's Open at a difficult Saucon Valley Country Club.

World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, 2007 U.S. Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr and qualifier Jean Reynolds share second place at two-under 69. Hee Young Park is the only other player under par with a 70 on Thursday.

It's been a tough week for the LPGA Tour and not just on this challenging track.

On Monday, it was reported that a meeting took place last week among the tour's top stars. The agenda? Ousting LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens.

It appears to have worked.

After a letter was penned by the players to the Board of Directors calling for Bivens' removal, it came true on Thursday, according to Golfweek magazine report.

The report, posted on the magazine's Web site, said Bivens is out as commissioner with two years remaining on her contract, but the players were focusing on the demands of Saucon Valley.

"As I said in my press conference before, I want to focus on this tournament and the golf this week because the golf is really the thing that's showcased, and as far as the LPGA stuff, I can't really comment at this time," Kerr said after her round on Thursday.

Kerr was reportedly one of those in attendance last week. So was Ochoa, who also said on Wednesday that she didn't care to comment on the situation. She let her clubs do the talking on Thursday in her quest for her first U.S. Women's Open.

Ochoa started on the 10th tee and birdied her first hole. She bogeyed the 14th from the middle of the fairway and made one more birdie and one more bogey to turn in even-par.

At the second, Ochoa holed a 50-footer for quite the unlikely birdie.

"I think I made longer putts before, but this is the one I made with more breaks," said Ochoa. "It first went left and went right, went left and went left and then went right. I didn't know what it was. It was like a good surprise."

Ochoa birdied the third hole then parred out for her 69.

"Anything in the red numbers to start a U.S. Open, I will always take it," said Ochoa. "I think I hit the ball good, but more important I had the right speed of the greens. That helped me a lot. One round down and three to go."

Kerr ran home an eight-foot birdie putt at two, then made a 12-footer for birdie at six. She hit a four-iron into a bunker at the seventh and her seven- foot par chance stayed above ground.

Kerr's only other birdie came at the 16th. She hit a nine-iron to 15 feet and converted the putt to reach minus-two.

"Hit 15 greens, hit 10 fairways, and the fairways I missed weren't by much," said the 2007 champion. "There's some you wish you would have hit harder or softer here or there, but overall I did what I had to do and played pretty well."

This talented pair, like everyone in the field, is staring up at a 21-year-old in her second year on the LPGA Tour.

Choi started her round on No. 10 and knocked her approach inches from the hole. She tapped in for birdie, then drained a seven-footer for birdie at 11. Choi made it three in a row thanks to another tap-in birdie, this time at the par-five 12th.

She got to four-under par for the championship with a birdie at the 14th. Choi dropped a shot at the par-three 17th, but used a good run at the start of her second nine to remain in front.

At the par-four second, Choi landed in a bunker with her approach. She holed out from the trap for a birdie, then ran home a 50-foot birdie putt at three to get to minus-five.

Choi ran into some trouble shortly after the long birdie at three. She bogeyed the fifth and sixth holes to fall back to three-under par. Choi had decent looks at birdie at eight and nine, but failed to convert either.

It was good enough to stay atop the leaderboard.

"I started well today, but I'm not going to let it slide and I'm just going to make sure that I play the best to the end," Choi said through a translator. "I was really excited to start my round today and I thought this was going to be a very, very interesting week for me."

LPGA Champion Anna Nordqvist, Candie Kung, Eun Hee Ji, Kristy McPherson, Young Kim and amateur Alexis Thompson are knotted in sixth place at even-par 71.

Laura Davies, who needs one major title to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, Kraft Nabisco winner Brittany Lincicome and Paula Creamer headline a group tied in 12th at plus-one.

Defending champion Inbee Park managed a four-over 75 and is tied for 50th place.