Klein to Play at Wood Ranch

Emilee Klein, formerly of Studio City, is among the LPGA players who have committed to the Los Angeles Women’s Championship on Feb. 11-13 at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley.

Klein was No. 23 last year on the money list at $367,258. She had seven top-10 finishes. In 1996, she was No. 9 and won her only two LPGA tournaments.

The Notre Dame High graduate has played once at Wood Ranch.

“I definitely don’t feel I will have an advantage playing in this event,” Klein said. “The only time I played at Wood Ranch was when I was 11 years old, and I really don’t remember much about it.

“I heard it can get very windy out there, but I can play well in the wind because I don’t hit the ball high.”

Klein’s best finish in the L.A. event was eighth in 1997, when it was at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, which was her home course while growing up.

Defending champion Catrin Nilsmark of Sweden has entered, along with tour veterans Laura Davies, Liselotte Neumann, Dottie Pepper and Annika Sorenstam. The $750,000, 54-hole event will pay the winner $112,000.

Wood Ranch is a par-72 course designed by Ted Robinson and operated by American Golf. The links-style course features more than 7,000 yards of rolling terrain. It has been the site for two PGA Senior Tour events and three U.S. Open qualifying tournaments.

SOCCER

* The city of Lancaster, in conjunction with the Sierra Vista Futbol Club-Tahuichi, is finalizing plans to host a youth tournament June 23-25 at the Lancaster National Soccer Center, with the top two teams in each division advancing to a national tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

Teams from the California Youth Soccer Assn. are eligible to compete in five divisions for boys and girls, 9-16.

FOOTBALL

* Billy Miller, Vince Bruno, Gary Wellman and Craig Walendy will have their uniform numbers retired by Westlake High during halftime ceremonies of the Westlake-Agoura basketball game on Feb. 11 at Westlake.

TRACK AND FIELD

Senior Jayda Bailey, two-time City Section girls’ champion at Taft High, has withdrawn from Birmingham High.

Bailey, who won the 800 in the 1997 City championships and the 400 in 1998, attended El Camino Real and Birmingham during 1998-99, but was ineligible.