Pak Looking to Be Leader

One of these years Se Ri Pak is going to break out in a big way.

Since her arrival on the LPGA tour in 1998, Pak has shown in spurts that she has the ability to dominate the tour the way Annika Sorenstam has for the last two years.

Pak won five times in 2001 and five more in 2002, winning major championships each year. Nothing to sneeze at, but Sorenstam has 19 victories over the same span.

Still, you get the feeling this might be the year.

Pak is on somewhat of a roll as she begins defense of her title in the Office Depot Championship Hosted by Amy Alcott beginning today at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana.

She won two of the final five tournaments last year and won two weeks ago in Phoenix, giving her three victories in the last eight tournaments. She was in the hunt last week at the Nabisco Championships until a back-nine 39 on Sunday left her tied for 15th.

“I know I feel a lot more confidence every year and my game is getting much better,” Pak said. “I know I’m not as good as Annika right now, but one day. My goal is trying to elevate my game.”

That’s exactly what Sorenstam is afraid of. Pak arrived from South Korea with a bang in 1998. She won four times, including two major championships, as a rookie. She followed that with another four-victory season, then after an off year in 2000, has had two consecutive impressive seasons.

Pak has steadily improved in every statistical category since 1998. She was 112th in driving accuracy as a rookie, 33rd last year. She has improved from 17th to third in greens in regulation and from 77th to 29th in putts per round.

She has surpassed Karrie Webb as the No. 2 player in the world and as Sorenstam’s chief rival.

“She’s become more of a complete player,” Sorenstam said. “We all knew that she has a lot of talent and she works very, very hard. I know she wants to be the best player out here and that drives her to practice more and get better.”

Pak is not in a hurry to reach the Sorenstam plateau. Only 25, she is seven years younger than Sorenstam. She didn’t attend college in the United States as Sorenstam did and had a difficult adjustment period when she moved here.

Learning the language and adjusting to American food and culture proved quite a task. As the only South Korean golfer playing the LPGA Tour at the time, the Korean media hounded her and held high expectations after her rookie-year success. Pak said it became too much to handle.

“I have a lot of pressure because of that and that made me not have fun a couple of years ago,” she said.

Things are different now. There are 18 Korean players on tour this year, including eight rookies. Pak said expectations have tapered as the Korean public has embraced the game and grasped its difficulties.

“Before when I don’t win, so many people had so many opinions on why,” she said. “They write ‘What happened? What’s she doing, just going out and having fun and every night party or what?’ Now the people are understanding a lot and support other players. They cheer for us. Now I can just play well and have fun.”

What separates Pak and Sorenstam is age and experience, Pak said.

“She has much better control of her life,” Pak said. “She’s got marriage, friends, the game, everything is all set. All she has to do is go out and play. I think I’m not even old enough to do that. I’m still 25 years old. It’s not too young, but it’s not too old either. You have to learn more and see more. It’s different world.”

In most other years, Pak would have been the story of the LPGA Tour the last two years. But Sorenstam set or tied 50 LPGA records during that span and raised the standards of the tour.

“Usually that’s a wonderful year,” Sorenstam said of Pak’s 2002 season. “But the expectations for certain players are getting higher and higher. I remember when I won five and Karrie [Webb] won seven, nobody really cared about it. That got me totally fired up. Now you have to win two digits to get any recognition, so that makes it really tough.”

Pak intends to remain patient. While her ultimate goal is to pass Sorenstam in the world rankings and in the record books, she refuses to pressure herself into thinking it has to happen now.

“It’s not gonna be just one day, ‘OK, I’m top No. 1 in the world,’ ” Pak said. “I just want to be consistently and slowly moving or improving myself. I still have many years to go. I don’t think it’s just one day gonna happen.”

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LPGA Facts

* What -- The Office Depot Championship Hosted by Amy Alcott.

* When -- Today-Sunday, 54 holes.

* Who -- 144 players, including defending champion Se Ri Pak, Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster, Laura Diaz, Laura Davies, Grace Park and Lorena Ochoa.

* Where -- El Caballero Country Club, Tarzana.

* TV -- ESPN2 today, noon-2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

* Purse -- $1.5 million. Winner receives $225,000 and a new car.

* Tickets -- $15 a day or $30 for a three-day pass. Available at the gate or through Ticketmaster.

* Parking -- $5 at Lake Balboa Park, 6335 Balboa Blvd. Includes shuttle service to course.