Players were able to finally take the course at the LPGA’s Evian Championship after Thursday's play was a wash-out due to bad weather over Evian-les-Bains, France, and it was Japan’s Mika Miyazato who emerged as the first round leader.

The 23-year-old Japanese star shot a six-under par round of 65 at the fifth major of the LPGA season to take a one shot lead over Suzann Pettersen of Norway, Se Ri Pak of South Korea and Sandra Gal of Germany.

Miyazato, despite a bogey at the Par-5 15th hole, piled up seven birdies in taking the first-round lead Friday over Pak, Gal and Pettersen, who dropped out of the lead due to a bogey at 18. Pettersen bogeyed No. 2 in addition to the 18th but also had seven birdies.

Gal was bogey-free Friday while Pak had six birdies and a bogey en route to her 66. Christina Kim is alone in fifth place at four-under while New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko, who could become the youngest ever winner of a major, Karrie Webb, Michelle Wie and Lindsey Wright are T-6th three-under 68.

Miyazato was four-under on the front nine and got to six-under the first time with a birdie at 13. While she had the bogey at 15, Miyazato took the lead with a 17th-hole birdie.

World No. 1 Inbee Park, who won the first three women's golf majors this year, got off to a poor start though as she shot a three-over par round of 74 and is T-72nd.

Meanwhile, World’s No. 2 Stacy Lewis, the Women's British Open champion, is four strokes behind Miyazato in a 10-player group T-10th that includes Na Yeon Choi, I.K. Kim, Angela Stafford and Beatriz Recari.

The first round of the tournament -- the fifth major in women's golf this year -- was scheduled to be played Thursday, but recent heavy rains in eastern France left the course unplayable. Originally, organizers rescheduled the first round for Friday and the second round Saturday, with a plan for a 36-hole finish on Sunday.

But on Friday evening, tournament officials released the following statement about the 2013 Evian Championship: “Based on the current weather forecast models for the next 72 hours, tournament officials will target the completion of 54 holes with a cut to top-70 and ties following 36 holes at the 2013 Evian Championship.”

This means that the second round and cuts will now place on Saturday with the competition shortened to 54 holes because of the impending weather.