RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The first LPGA Tour major of the year began with a scoreboard malfunction.

No one is sure what happened Thursday morning, but the leaderboards at the Kraft Nabisco Championship showed results from a previous year. Everyone knew immediately that something was wrong because it showed the name of Michelle Wie.

She’s not even here.

Later in the first round, the electronic board erroneously had Lorena Ochoa leading at 6-under par.

No one doubted that for a second.

Ochoa had to settle for a 4-under 68 when she three-putted from the fringe, up a series of steep humps and severe ridges on the par-3 eighth hole that dropped her one shot behind Karen Stupples.

Stupples, who has not won since her eagle-double eagle start carried her to victory in the 2004 Women’s British Open at Sunningdale, was practically flawless on a gorgeous day of sunshine and snowcapped Santa Rosa mountains.

She played bogey-free for a 67, giving her a one-shot lead over Ochoa and Ai Miyazato, who birdied her last two holes late in the day.

But the buzz, and the bunches of birdies, came from Ochoa.

The No. 1 player in women’s golf is trying to become the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 2005 to win consecutive majors, having captured her first one last summer at St. Andrews in the Women’s British Open.

Ochoa knows what it takes to win, even if she has suffered only heartache at Mission Hills.

“There are going to be some low scores the first two days, and then anything around par is good,” she said.

All she wanted was to have one of the low scores on the opening day, and she got there in a hurry. After swapping consecutive birdies with a bogey from the bunker along the back nine, her fortunes turned on the par-5 18th.

She laid up 70 yards short of the island green, felt a stiff breeze at her back to a front pin, and hit a sand wedge as well as any shot she struck all day. It spun back slightly to 2 feet for birdie, the first of four in a row.

The next two birdies were inside 6 feet, then she holed a 20-footer on No. 3 to join Stupples atop the leaderboard.

“It was important to get a couple birdies early in the round to give myself some momentum,” she said.

Equally inspiring was what she saw in the middle of those birdies. Walking across the putting green, Ochoa saw a poster attached to the back of the grandstand behind the first tee that said, “Mission Hills Golf Course Staff Supports Lorena Ochoa.”

It had been signed by the Mexican workers, and it wasn’t the first time she saw it.

“They gave it to me yesterday when I went to visit them,” said Ochoa, who often visits with the mainly Mexican maintenance crew at tournaments in California and Arizona. “Yes, when I was walking on the putting green, I saw the sign on the top. That was very nice.”

Natalie Gulbis and Heather Young were another shot behind. UCLA freshman Maria Jose Uribe was the low amateur and in a group at 70 that included Liselotte Neumann.

Sorenstam tried to stay with the leaders, but missed too many putts inside 10 feet and settled for a 71.

It was her 15th consecutive round under par this year, but she wound up trailing Ochoa, the game’s most dynamic player.

“It’s a long way to go,” Sorenstam said. “You just have to go out and battle it day by day, stroke by stroke, and take it as it comes.”

Laura Davies lost her battle on one hole.

Needing only this major to complete the career Grand Slam and qualify for the World Golf Hall of Fame, the big hitter from England took a 10 on the 18th hole as she was making the turn.

Davies hit her third shot into the water. After taking a penalty drop and hitting her fifth over the green, she chipped through the green and back into the water. Her eighth shot spun back off the green and nearly into the water, and she got up-and-down to spare herself an even higher number. Davies wound up with a 76.

“I walk off with a 10 and the tournament is over for me,” she said. “It’s sickening.”

Under bright sunshine and wind that grew stronger throughout the day, Stupples found her confidence early by finding the fairways, and saving par the one time she strayed. She picked up easy birdies on two of the par 5s, then capped off her round with a 6-iron on the par-3 17th to 6 feet. It was a good sign that her strength is back nearly a year after her son, Logan, was born.

“Up until about a month ago, I hadn’t really regained my full strength,” Stupples said. “All of a sudden, it came back almost overnight. And that was really good to see, that I was able to get through the ball.”

No one gets through the ball quite like Ochoa.

She worked hard on her putting during the offseason, but it’s her power off the tee that has left everyone talking, and some of her competitors feeling even more out of their league.

Ochoa played with defending champion Morgan Pressel, who scrambled for a 71, but was constantly 40 yards behind.

“I’d like to be a little longer,” Pressel said. “It’s tough to compete when you’re hitting 3-wood into the greens.”

Pressel wound up with a 71, joining a group that included Paula Creamer, and she had mixed feelings. The course might have been as generous as it will play all week, and Pressel expected more. However, she hit only five greens in regulation, and did well to stay in the mix.

“I know how to play — fairways and greens,” Pressel said. “I just didn’t hit the green today. But you look back at the end of the day, and it’s still a major championship. And I’m right in there.”