Parade of Nations Comes to Glendale

Looks as though the LPGA Tour is getting into the Olympic spirit.

The leaderboard after the first round of the Los Angeles Women’s Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale easily be could be mistaken for the entrants list for the women’s luge at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Hiromi Kobayashi of Japan, leads after a five-under-par 67. A five-way tie for second at 70 includes Janice Moodie of Scotland, Wendy Doolan of Australia, Alicia Dibos of Peru and two Americans: Karen Weiss and Elaine Crosby.

There are some bigger names at 71, including Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, Dottie Pepper and Helen Alfredsson.

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Weiss found an unusual way to prepare for Oakmont’s rain-softened fairways.

She was hitting the ball hard thanks to some extra work over the winter.

A few more sessions with her coach? A few more hours on the driving range?

Hardly.

The Minnesota native bulked up by shoveling snow outside her house.

“I got a couple of workouts in,” she said.

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Any LPGA players who don’t suffer from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) had better start thinking twice.

On Friday the 13th, there were 30 bogeys and two double bogeys on the 13th hole.

The 13th group to play the 13th hole, Patty Schremmer, Catrin Nilsmark and Moodie, combined to play the hole in one-over par.

Nilsmark, who shot 41 on the front nine, later was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

She signed for a four on the sixth hole when she actually had a five.

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Amy Alcott, who needs one more victory to meet the minimum requirement of 30 for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame, was nursing a sore shoulder after completing her round of 73.

Alcott, who has been stuck on 29 for six years, said she hasn’t been playing well lately while healthy and welcomed the injury.

“Heck, I may win this thing if it gets any worse.”

Staff writer David Wharton contributed to this story.