PHOENIX — Ai Miyazato took dead aim, made another long graceful swing and smacked a 3-wood approach that settled 20 feet from the pin to set up an eagle.

The diminutive Japanese star was as fluid and efficient as ever, making it impossible to tell she was returning from a whiplash injury sustained in a five-vehicle crash in Thailand.

Comfortable in the heat as the temperature soared into the 90s in her offseason home, Miyazato shot a tournament-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the LPGA Founders Cup.

“It’s just beautiful out there,” Miyazato said. “It’s just always nice to play in this tournament. It’s very enjoyable and I just had a good feeling this morning. I was just very happy to be here. The weather is just awesome and I was like, `I’m going to do this today.’ And there you go, I shot 9 under. I hit the ball well and my putting was really good and I think I had good course management.”

The nine-time LPGA Tour winner was hurt three weeks ago while riding in a caravan of players on the way to the Bangkok airport. She withdrew the following week in Singapore as a precaution because of stiffness in her neck, shoulder and back.