It’s Fun and Games for Sorenstam in ’98

For Annika Sorenstam, 1998 is going to be all about fun . . . at least until she decides if that’s the right approach.

Sorenstam, who is playing in the Los Angeles Women’s Championship this week at Oakmont Country Club, won six tournaments in 1997, set the LPGA Tour single-season earnings record with $1,236,789 and won player of the year honors for the second time.

But the Swede with the sweet swing said she doesn’t want to focus on topping her accomplishments.

“I have achieved what I wanted to achieve in golf,” Sorenstam said Wednesday at Oakmont. “I don’t have anything to prove to myself anymore. This year is just about having a good time.”

Sorenstam is making her 1998 debut at Oakmont after spending most of January on the ski slopes in Lake Tahoe and getting braces on her teeth.

She didn’t touch a golf club for five weeks after last season ended, the longest layoff of her pro career and is looking forward to returning with her new attitude.

“In the middle of the year I got tired because after the start I had I wanted to win every tournament I entered last year and I thought I could,” she said. “I had the longest year on tour ever.

“Being in contention every week wears on you. I’m excited to see if [just having fun] works. I may get back to my mood next week but it’s worked so far and I’ve been here two days.”

Sorenstam warned that just because she’s trying to have more fun doesn’t mean anyone should count her out of any tournament.

“Winning is fun,” she said. “It’s not like I don’t want to win anymore.”

Sorenstam got a jump on having fun in Wednesday’s pro-am when she played with actress Cheryl Ladd, sponsor of the pro-am.

Ladd, who carries an 18 handicap, signed more autographs than Sorenstam and recruited several television reporters to caddie.

“She’s a very sweet lady and a pretty good golfer too,” Sorenstam said. “I gave her a few tips, but I do some television commercials for Callaway and I asked her for some help in front of the camera too.”

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Where there are celebrities, there are paparazzi and the Los Angeles Women’s Championship pro-am was no different.

According to a tournament official, Gary Garren of the Howard Stern radio show obtained a media credential and asked for an interview with Ladd.

Garren caught up with Ladd during her pro-am round and asked her a question on how she maintains her beauty.

After Ladd graciously answered, the questioning became offensive.

“He asked her if Jaclyn Smith is as dumb as she looks on TV,” the spokesman said. “That offended her so we had to ask him to leave.”

Ladd and Smith co-starred in the 1970s TV hit “Charlie’s Angels.”

Also in the field were Ladd’s husband Brian Russell, a producer, and actor Rocky Carroll of TV’s “Chicago Hope.”

Scheduled to play today are actor James Garner, country singer Mac Davis and actor Peter Barton of “Young and the Restless.”

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Fans in attendance this week can visit the LPGA Fan Village located between the 16th and 17th fairways.

The Fan Village, a 2,400-square-foot entertainment and information center housed in a large tent, offers fans the opportunity to test their golf swings and have them analyzed, have pictures taken with LPGA players and learn about the history of the LPGA.

It will be open today through Sunday. Players will be there from 2-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.