Tour Stop at Oakmont Is the Start for Some

Tournament day, finally.

After two days of pro-ams and practice rounds, the 132-player field will tee it up for real today in the LPGA Tour’s Los Angeles Women’s Championship at Oakmont Country Club.

The L.A. Women’s Championship ends a two-week layoff for the LPGA Tour, but for the 13 players who are making their 1998 debut at Oakmont, it’s been a longer wait than that.

“I’m excited to play again,” said Karrie Webb, who hasn’t played a competitive round in two months. “You don’t know what to expect in the first event of the season.”

Annika Sorenstam, who also is making her 1998 debut, said she doesn’t expect much this week.

“I’m a little rusty,” she said. “It would be a little strange if I wasn’t a little rusty.”

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Among the numerous story lines to watch:

* The renewal of the rivalry between Sorenstam and Webb, who have been the top LPGA players over the past two years.

Sorenstam was the 1997 player of the year and Webb won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average.

It remains to be seen if the two will remain the tour’s elite or if others can join them at the top.

Some say the big two is becoming a big three with Kelly Robbins, who already has a victory this year, about to join them.

“It’s always good to tee it up with both of them in the field,” Webb said of Sorenstam and Robbins. “You know one will be on the leaderboard.”

* Amy Alcott, who for six years has been on the outside of the LPGA Hall of Fame looking in, is entered in the tournament.

The LPGA requires 30 career victories for induction into the Hall of Fame. Alcott, a Santa Monica resident, has 29 and last won in 1991.

* Four members of the LPGA Hall of Fame are entered in the tournament--Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley, Patty Sheehan and Betsy King.

* USC freshman Nicole Dalkas is making her LPGA debut after receiving a sponsor’s exemption.

Dalkas, from Palm Desert, won the 1997 SCGA-CIF Girls’ High School tournament and has been among the top-ranked girls throughout her junior career. She will be the only amateur in a field that contains 23 of the top 25 from the 1997 money list.

* The million-dollar necklace. Any player scoring a hole-in-one on the 156-yard 14th hole during Sunday’s final round wins a cultured pearl necklace valued at $1 million.

Helen Alfredsson scored an ace on the 14th during Wednesday’s pro-am, but that didn’t count.

Karen Weiss had a hole-in-one on the 146-yard 11th hole in Thursday’s pro-am, but that didn’t count either.

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Some of the top first-round pairings include Sorenstam and Dottie Pepper, who tee off at 11:28 a.m. on the 10th hole; long-hitting Laura Davies and Bradley on the first tee at 8:03 a.m. and local favorite Emilee Klein paired with Robbins at 7:54 a.m. on the 10th tee.

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The LPGA’s official position on the Casey Martin situation is that it doesn’t have a position.

“The LPGA has not had a chance to fully examine the judge’s ruling in the lawsuit between Casey Martin and the PGA Tour,” said a statement released by the LPGA on Thursday.

“There is no urgency on the part of the LPGA to issue a statement because there is not a similar case pending on the LPGA Tour. The LPGA will continue to follow the course of all proceedings involved with this case.”

Martin sued the PGA Tour and won under the Americans with Disabilities Act and will be allowed the use of an electric cart during tournaments.