Four share first day honours

Things are looking good for the United States Solheim Cup team.

Juli Inkster and Rosie Jones were among four players to shoot 5-under-par 67s on Friday at the Safeway Classic, giving the U.S. Solheim Cup team reason to be excited.

Inkster and Jones showed they are ready for next week's international event, gaining a share of the lead with Australian star Karrie Webb and Donna Andrews.

The rest of the team didn't do too bad, either.

Kelly Robbins was one of six players to card a 4-under 68, a stroke better than a pack of 10 golfers that includes U.S. team members Laura Diaz, Michele Redman and Emilee Klein.

"It's hard to tell whether this week is an indication because you have some players who maybe are not playing great this week are going to hopefully play great next week," Jones said. "You just never know."

Swedish star Annika Sorenstam also carded a 69 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club as she seeks her LPGA Tour-leading eighth title of the season.

Nine of the 12 U.S. Solheim Cup team members are playing this week. Six of them cracked 70, with Cristie Kerr and Pat Hurst shooting 73 and Wendy Ward opening with a 76.

The same number of European team members are here. Sorenstam, Laura Davies of England and Suzann Petterssen of Sweden signed for 69s but were the only ones to break par.

Besides serving as a preparatory event for the Solheim Cup, the Safeway Classic is the last for Nancy Lopez as a full-time LPGA Tour member. A Hall of Famer and three-time winner of this event, Lopez shot a 74.

"She's been a leader out here for a long time," Inkster said. "I know she's not going to `retire' retire. She'll be out here a little bit. But we're going to miss her out here full time, that's for sure."

"I don't think anybody could be a Nancy Lopez, but strive to be similar in ways to her," Webb added. "Then I think the tour would be in good shape."

Inkster, the leader of the U.S. team, could have had the lead to herself if not for a bogey at the closing hole. She hit a 6-iron to a bunker behind the green and failed to get up-and-down.

"You always hate to bogey the last hole," said Inkster, who has two wins this season, including the U.S. Women's Open, and is preparing for her fourth Solheim Cup.

Inkster had an eagle and four birdies before the bogey, making putts ranging from eight to 20 feet. The shortest putt was for eagle at the 459-yard, par-5 seventh.

"I was struggling with my swing a little bit and I thought I hit the ball better today," she said. "I putted well and it was kind of a good, solid round."

The same goes for Jones, who sandwiched six birdies around her lone bogey. Her six birdie putts ranged from six to 20 feet and came during her best round in five events.

"Right now, shoot, 5-under, that's the best score I had all summer," she said. "So I am happy with that."

Jones will be competing in her fifth Solheim Cup when the event gets under way next Friday at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota. The U.S. is looking to take back the title it lost in Scotland two years ago.

"Everybody is really excited about it," Jones said. "And, you know, I always play the week before a big event because it gets me in tune. It gets my mind set, gets my swing in shape a little bit."

Webb and Andrews also had their swings going, although neither will be playing at Interlachen. Because she is Australian, Webb isn't even eligible, but she'll be there anyway.

It's a pretty patriotic week for the LPGA Tour, which canceled last year's Safeway Classic because of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"It's still sort of eerie," Andrews said. "You see the fighter planes go out and it's a constant reminder of what happened when you see those going out fully loaded."

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