SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Arizona (AFP) - World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico will make her first title defense of the season starting here Thursday at the 1.5 million-dollar LPGA Safeway International.

Ochoa, who captured her first crown of the year earlier this month at Singapore, shared eighth two weeks ago in Mexico City.

"Winning that first week was amazing. It really gave me a lot of confidence," Ochoa said. "In Mexico City it was a tough week. I had a rough start and I was able to finish in the top 10 so actually I was very happy."

Ochoa birdied four of her final five holes here last year to erase a two-stroke deficit to Norway's Suzann Pettersen and capture her 10th career crown, a 225,000-dollar top prize and the first of her eight 2007 titles.

This event in suburban Phoenix is the final tune-up for next week's first major LPGA championship of the season in Rancho Mirage, California.

"I do really try to focus one tournament at a time. Right now my head is in Phoenix and I want to win the tournament," she said. "Even with the (major) coming soon, to me it's so far away."

Former world number one Annika Sorenstam and Hall of Fame players Juli Inkster of the United States, Se Ri Pak of South Korea and Karrie Webb of Australia are also in the field of 144.

Sweden's Sorenstam has won here three times, including a tournament-record total of 27-under par 261 in 2001 that included an 18-hole record score of 59, matching the lowest round in men's or women's pro golf history.

England's Laura Davies, 44, set a record by winning this event four times in a row from 1994 through 1997, but the 20-time LPGA champion has not won an event on the tour in seven years.

"I could win again in the States," Davies said. "I came close a few times and it was just a pity that I didn't manage to get another victory. But I'm confident going into the new season."