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DALY CITY, Calif. Adam Ottavino Jersey . -- Karine Icher and her caddie husband, Fred, evaluated the conditions and course at challenging Lake Merced and decided on a Day 1 strategy: stay short of the pin and putt uphill. The move worked beautifully, and Icher delivered the most consistent performance on a day there werent many in the debut of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. "I think its the key on this course," Icher said. "Its a tough golf course, especially with the wind and temperature. It gets so cold. You try to stay warm and try to catch the right wind and go with it and make some putts." The Frenchwoman birdied four of her first seven holes and finished with a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Lydia Ko and several others. Afterward, Icher was off to pick up 2-year-old daughter, Lola, from the tours childrens care and head to dinner. The start was delayed two hours because of fog and play was suspended because of darkness with 24 players still on the course. Icher had a bogey-free round and hit all but one green in regulation. Many struggled off the tee or with their putters on speedy, tricky greens on a cool day with plenty of wind and hovering fog not far off the Pacific Ocean. The gallery sang "Happy Birthday" to Ko on her 17th birthday as she started from the first tee, and Ko came through with a 68 on a day she was also named among TIME magazines 100 most influential people. Kos group barely beat the horn for darkness. "I wanted to finish today," she said, acknowledging the birthday song was "kind of embarrassing" but much-appreciated. Morgan Pressel birdied four of her first eight holes and was among the players sitting three strokes back at 69. Mo Martin also shot a 69 after warming up four times before finally hitting her first tee shot following the fog delay. Pressel, whose round began on the back nine, went to 4 under at the turn. Top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 73 in the $1.8 million event, while second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 70 in her first tournament since missing three events with a back injury. On the par-4 11th, a frustrated Pettersen made an 8-foot putt for triple-bogey to fall from 3 under to even par before bouncing back. Michelle Wie, coming off her first win in nearly four years last week in her home state of Hawaii, finished at even-par 72. Those who were still on the course will play resume their rounds Friday morning, so many will have a quick turnaround after a short break. Tee times remained the same. Pressel also had a sizzling first round in Phoenix last month, going 9 under through her first 11 holes in the JTBC Founders Cup and chasing a 59. But Pressel bogeyed two straight holes and wound up with a 7-under 65. On Thursday, she recovered for par on holes 16 and 18 after both tee shots missed the fairway. On the forgiving par-5, 532-yard 18th, Pressels drive ricocheted off a tree and landed in a more favourable lie to the right of the fairway. She nearly put her third shot onto the green but the ball kicked back a couple of feet shy. "It was actually a bit of a struggle out there. My short game kept me in it. I stayed patient," Pressel said. "I stayed tough. Its a tough golf course. I knew nobody was going to go out there and blitz it." Martin played through more fog, and even wondered whether there might be a second delay. The LPGA is back in the Bay Area for the first time since 2010, and San Francisco provided exactly the kind of day that so perfectly represents this region and its unpredictable weather patterns. Martin sported an "L" charm necklace in memory of her grandfather, Lincoln Martin, who died last month at age 102. One of her biggest supporters since they reconnected 10 years ago, he last travelled to a tournament in Rochester, N.Y., last year. He ate vanilla ice cream on his chocolate crisped rice cereal -- with half and half to boot -- for breakfast every morning. He also had several U.S. patents. "It would be really hard to do him justice in a couple sentences, but greatest person Ive ever met," she said. "Changed my life when I got to know him in the last 10 years. Most peaceful person Ive ever met. ... Everybody out here loved him. He followed womens golf and was a fan of everyone." Angela Stanford and Se Ri Pak withdrew Thursday, and neither provided a reason to tournament officials. Cheap Custom Yankees Jersey . The post-season, Pierce said repeatedly, is no time to panic. And the Heat, apparently, are nothing to fear. Yogi Berra Jersey . According to the Globe and Mail, a decision between the NHL and the Players Association should come within the six months. "I can tell you, (a decision) shouldnt take all that long," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Globe and Mail. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/custom-joe-pepitone-jersey-large-934i.html . Vonn punctuated her near-perfect season in perfect fashion Friday, earning her fourth overall World Cup title with a dominating giant slalom victory.ALGIERS, Algeria -- The Muslim players in World Cup teams that have qualified for the second round in Brazil face a thorny question on Sunday when much of the Islamic world will start observing the holy month of Ramadan with a dawn to dusk fast. The question is trickiest for the Algerian team, which faces a formidable German side on Monday. There are also Muslims on the Nigerian and French teams and those players also will have to weigh their religious convictions against the possible effects of fasting on their performance. "We need to discuss it among ourselves," Algerian player Djamel Mesbah said. "Its clear that our religion is very important for the team, so we will talk about it and see how to go forward." Athletes in the Olympics in 2012 faced the same hurdle, with many teams allowing their players to eat during Ramadan so as not to impair their performance and make up for it at another time or make donations to charity. While fasting during daytime over the 30 days of Ramadan, including abstaining from drinking liquids, is mandatory for all able bodied Muslims and one of the five pillars of Islam, there are exemptions, including for the sick, pregnant, infirm or elderly. Those travelling or going to war are also excluded and it is under this provision that most athletes will likely delay the fast until a more suitable time. Algerian team captain Madjid Bouguerra pointed out in interviews with the Algerian press that it is a challenge Muslim players in European clubs have long faced and when he was with the Glasgow Rangers, he fasted but made sure he kept his performance up. "The hardest thing is staying hydrated, but its ok, the weathers good here," he said. "Some players will postpone their fast for another time, but depending on my physical condition, I think I will do it." Bacary Sagna, a Muslim player in the French squad, said that many of the players who do it are used to it from their time in the European leagues and able to function. "As a Muuslim I know that there are certain rules that allow us to avoid it," he told The Associated Press in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Mike Ford Jersey. "Personally Im not going to do it, everyones free to do as they will and I totally respect those that will do it." From a religious standpoint, however, it becomes a bit more complex. Islam lacks a central hierarchy like the Catholic church and any imam can issue an opinion that is then obeyed depending on how much respect they command. Even in Algeria, which is bathing in the euphoria of qualifying for the second round of the World Cup for the first time in its history, there have been a range of opinions from religious scholars, with some coming out quite strongly against fasting exemptions. "It is not allowed for an Algerian player to avoiding fasting just for a game -- they must fast because God is with those who fast and young people can fast and play at the same time," said Mohammed Mekerkab, the head of Algerias association of religious scholars. He also dismissed the exemption for travel claimed by most athletes since the provision was only for voyages undertaken in the search for knowledge, health reasons or fighting jihad. Algerias government-appointed High Islamic Council, however, has come down in favour of those wanting to delay their fast. Sheikh Mohammed Sherif Kaher, the head of the councils commission for religious opinions said "those playing can abstain from fasting." Dr. Hakim Chalabi, a specialist in sports and fasting who accompanied the team to Brazil, admitted in an interview that it is a delicate question because of the need for hydration and the increased risk of injuries. He noted, though, that fasting wasnt always a total hindrance to players. "We are often asked to urge players not to fast, but oddly, in some cases, there are athletes that get better results during Ramadan because they are fasting and want to," he said. "It can be a spiritual and psychological aid." ' ' '