Associated Press
Wednesday, April 12

LINCOLN, Calif. -- This is the closest Juli Inkster gets to playing a tournament in her back yard.

A year ago, Inkster conquered the tight, demanding layout of the Longs Drugs Challenge at Twelve Bridges Golf Club. She took the lead with a second-round 67 and beat Sherri Steinhauer by four strokes.

Inkster, who lives in Los Altos, returns this week and again brings an entourage of family and friends. Inkster will stay at her sister-in-law's house in nearby Auburn, home for the Inkster clan last year during the 72-hole tournament. The $700,000 event starts Thursday.

"This isn't a major, but winning it felt like one to me," Inkster said.

It was quite a year for Inkster, who won a career-high five tournaments, including two majors. She was second on the money list to Karrie Webb with a career-high $1,337,253. The victories sent Inkster into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

This year the tour has been dominated by Webb, who won the previous tournament at the Nabisco Championship, her fourth victory in nine events. The tour took a two-week break before returning this week. While many players returned to work, Webb stayed away. With another break in the tour next week, Webb will have a month's rest.

"Every tournament would like to have Karrie. She's the best player in the world now," Inkster said. "But she needs time off, too. It's good for her and it's good for us. It gives us a chance to win a tournament."

Seven of the LPGA's current top-10 players and 14 of the top-20 will be at Twelve Bridges this week. That's a departure from the past, when the Longs Drugs Challenge followed the Nabisco Championship. Many top players skipped this stop, opting for a three-way break.

Annika Sorenstam, the 1997 Longs Drugs champion, is in the field of 144 who will play the 6,388-yard layout. Sorenstam has one victory this year and is second on the money list. Her younger sister, Charlotta, who won her first tournament this year at the Standard Register Ping in Phoenix, is fourth on the money list and also is playing this week.

"This is a thinker's golf course," Annika Sorenstam said. "I don't like a course where it's always driver. Here, you have to think all the time."

Other top-10 money winners in the field are Dottie Pepper, Nancy Scranton, Lorie Kane and Michele Redman. Hall of Famers Patty Sheehan and Pat Bradley also are competing.