WATERLOO, Ont. -- Top-ranked Inbee Park took a well-earned break last week after winning her third major of the season. She was refreshed for her first round at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic on Thursday and quickly picked up where she left off. Park opened with an impressive 6-under-par 65 under mostly sunny skies at Grey Silo Golf Course. The South Korean was two shots behind American Angela Stanford and Catriona Matthew of Scotland. Park is looking to become the first golfer to win four straight LPGA Tour events since Lorena Ochoa in 2008. "Golf is a sport where you could miss the cut this week and you could win next week," Park said. "Theres a lot of imbalance in this game and to keep this kind of level going for four weeks, five weeks, six in a row is a very tough thing to do. We really have to be strong mentally, you have to be physically strong. "Everythings got to work perfect to win that many tournaments in a row I think. You could win six, seven tournaments a year, but I think its really tough to do in a streak, like in a row." It took a tremendous round from Matthew to leapfrog Park on the leaderboard. The veteran Scot carded a career-best 18-hole score of 63 to top her previous best of 64, which she carded on four separate occasions. Matthew had five birdies en route to a blistering 31 on the front nine and had just a single bogey on No. 12. She didnt miss a fairway and hit all but three greens in regulation. "I hit it close all day which gives you a lot of chances and then obviously I putted well," she said. "I gave myself a lot of chances but took advantage of them." Stanford joined her in top spot when she closed her round in the early evening with three straight birdies. "Today I hit it really good," she said. "So it was just one of those days that as a golfer you just love." Park was joined by American Irene Cho, Spains Belen Mozo and South Koreas Hee Young Park and Meena Lee at 65. American Ryann OToole and South Koreans Chella Choi, Jenny Shin, Amy Yang and Ji Young Oh were three shots off the lead at 66. Hamiltons Alena Sharp -- one of 10 Canadians in the field -- shot a 68. Defending champion Brittany Lang of the U.S. and Charlottetowns Lorie Kane opened with scores of 69. Players took advantage of soft conditions early in the day on the 6,330-yard course. Aggressive approach shots were rewarded before the greens started to dry up in the afternoon. "We were pretty much able to attack the pins this morning," Park said. "The next three days might be a little bit different if we dont get any more rain, might play a little harder." Warm temperatures and sunny skies are in the forecast through the final round of the US$1.3-million tournament on Sunday. The 24-year-old Park oozed confidence as she strolled down the fairways. She seemed very business-like and appeared to be in complete control of her game. Dressed in a white shirt and teal pants, Park raises the club with an oh-so-slow backswing before launching the ball with remarkable consistency. When she found her first bunker of the day in front of the 18th green, she casually blasted out to within a few feet of the hole and made the birdie putt. "I think it was an excellent round," she said. "I had a really good start this morning, five under through (eight) holes. I missed a couple opportunities on the back nine, but Im pleased with the way I played today. "I hit the ball great, I putted great." It was Parks best first-round score since she opened with a 7-under-par 65 at last years Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. She went on to finish second at that event. Nancy Lopez holds the tour record with five consecutive victories in 1978, a mark equalled by Annika Sorenstam over the 2004-05 seasons. Park, who enters the tournament as the tour leader in seven statistical categories, has already won six times this season. Shes dominating the tour the way players like Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa did over the last decade. "At the time when I was watching them, I thought they were so good, that I would never be in that kind of position, never be able to win like four, five tournaments in a row," Park said. "I thought that was toughest thing to do and Im getting really close to that. "Im not as good as them yet, but Im still learning now and just starting." Hank Aaron Brewers Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Robin Yount Brewers Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/709y-keston-hiura-jersey-brewers.html . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Matt Albers Brewers Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Jake Faria Brewers Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.ARDMORE, Pa. -- Luke Donald enters the U.S. Open more focused on a different No. 1 than reclaiming his old ranking. Like winning major No. 1. Donald is 0-for-the majors as he heads into his 10th U.S. Open, starting Thursday at Merion Golf Club. Hes had big wins over an 11-year pro career. Hed even been No. 1 for a total of 56 weeks until the run ended late last year. Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros are the only other players who had been No. 1 longer since the ranking began in 1986. Some viewed Donalds top spot without a major as a flaw in the system. That wasnt his concern. Hoisting that U.S. Open trophy Sunday is his lone goal this week. "It always crosses your mind when its going to happen," he said. "You always go back to the successes you had. The fact I was able to get to No. 1, win seven times the last couple of years, you just keep going back to those things and try and focus that. You try and focus not on, if I can, but, when is it, going to happen. Just be comfortable that what Im doing is the right thing." Ranked sixth, Donald said the pressure to win his first major hasnt gone away just because No. 1 has slipped away. "Theres always more attention, more requests of your time and that takes management, and thats tough," Donald said. "But within myself, the pressures are just the same. I want to win a major championship just as badly this year as when I was No. 1. Its about managing those expectations, managing those feelings and knowing what you have is good enough." Donald played two practice rounds last week at Merion. He arrived for the tournament late Monday night and skipped the day of rain that soaked thhe course.dddddddddddd "Its a real shame that weve had so much rain," he said. "I think that most people would really like to see this course play firm and fast. And I dont think were going to get that this week. But its a good challenge, this course. I think if it was firm and fast, this course, even despite the length, would hold up just as well as any other U.S. Open course." The 35-year-old Donald failed to make the cut at last years U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco because of putting failures. He has never finished better than 12th in an Open (2006) and missed the cut three times since his 2002 debut. He was 45th in 2011 and 47th in 2010. "I think in U.S. Opens, usually success comes from hitting a lot of fairways and hitting a lot of greens. And I think my game is more from the hole backward," he said. "Ive always kind of worked that way. This year Ive made a little bit more of a conscious effort to try and change that, to get a little bit more control, to work some things around, spending a little bit more time on the range working on really solidifying a few things. And it hasnt happened yet, but statistics will show Ive improved in those areas." Donald and Lee Westwood are the only players to be No. 1 without having won a major. Donald was No. 1 entering the 2011 U.S. Open and held it going into the 2012 PGA Championship. He lost the ranking after Rory McIlroy won last years PGA title. Regarded as a mild-mannered Englishman, Donald is ready to show some ruthlessness at Merion as he chases that elusive win. "It has a lot of tradition, this course, and Im excited to see what it has to offer," he said. ' ' '