After 14 holes, Sorenstam was at even par.
She got under par with a birdie on her third hole. She then parred the next 10 holes before suffering her first bogey on her 14th hole.
Sorenstam was five shots behind leader Patrick Sheehan.
Hitting a 3-wood, she hit her opening drive 243 yards in the fairway, outdriving her playing partners, Dean Wilson and Aaron Barber. Sorenstam also outdrove her partners on the 10th hole.
Sorenstam parred the first three holes she played before getting a birdie. She began play on the par-4 10th hole.
A crowd of media and fans bunched up 10-12 deep around the tee, and the fairway on the 404-yard hole was lined with spectators -- many of them women wearing "Go Annika" buttons.
Babe Zaharias was the last woman to play on the PGA Tour when she competed at the Los Angeles Open in 1945.
Sorenstam said she isn't trying to prove she can beat the men. She also said she isn't suggesting that the LPGA Tour, where she has won 43 times and four majors, is no longer a challenge.
What a sponsor's exemption in the Bank of America Colonial is allowing her to do is find out how her game stacks up against the best in the world. She said a week on the PGA Tour will satisfy her curiosity.
During a practice round Wednesday, Sorenstam was at least 1-over when rain halted play. She had picked up her ball on several holes.
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