Pettersen, seeking her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year and fifth overall title, had five birdies in a bogey-free back nine after making the turn in 2 over on the Mauna Ocean Golf & Resort course. South Korea's Meena Lee also opened with a 69 on the overcast day with temperatures in the 50s and the wind gusting to 20 mph.

Pettersen has had a breakthrough season, winning the McDonald's LPGA Championship in June for her first major title and beating top-ranked Lorena Ochoa two weeks ago in a playoff in the Longs Drugs Challenge. The long-hitter also won the Michelob Ultra Open in May and took the European Tour's SAS Masters in August in Norway.

Scotland's Catriona Matthew was two strokes back at 71 along with South Koreans Jeong Jang, Hyun-Hee Moon and Joo Mi Kim. Ochoa topped a group at 72 that included South Korean stars Se Ri Pak and Seon Hwa Lee and Australia's Rachel Hetherington.

Ochoa, the Mexican star who wrapped up her second straight player of the year award last week with a victory in the Samsung World Championship, leads the tour with seven victories and has earned a record $3,318,421 this year.

Christina Kim had a complete meltdown, shooting an 81 after a good start.

The American birdied three of her first eight holes, then dropped 12 strokes on the next six holes. She finished her first nine with a bogey on the par-4 18th, made a triple bogey on the par-4 first, took 11 strokes to complete the par-5 third and made a double bogey on the par-4 fifth.

On the 11th, she hit her second shot long and rolled her birdie putt off the green. She then chipped several times up the slope, only to have the ball roll back down.

U.S. Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr (75), fellow U.S. star Natalie Gulbis (76) and defending champion Jin Joo Hong (81) also struggled.