WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb, picking up where they were three days into last week's event, shared the first-round lead today in the LPGA's Office Depot tournament at Ibis Country Club.

Inkster and Webb posted 5-under-par 67s on adjacent courses. Inkster made five birdies in a bogey-free round on the 6,195-yard Heritage and Webb had six birdies and one bogey on the 6,277-yard Legend.

Last Saturday at the Naples LPGA Memorial, they were tied for the lead after three rounds. But both shot 73 the last day to tie for seventh, five strokes behind winner Meg Mallon.

"It's only the first round,'' said Webb, who missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for the lead. "There's still a long way to go.''

The third tournament of the season started a day earlier than most LPGA 72-hole events and will end on Saturday to avoid conflict with Sunday's Super Bowl in Miami.

Three players were tied for third at 68, including Kelly Robbins, the 1997 champion here; Tammie Green, who is playing in her first tournament eight weeks after giving birth to her first child; and Michele Redman, who has one win in seven seasons.

Inkster, who played earlier in the day, had five birdies, holing out an 18-foot chip shot from in front of the sixth green for the first one. On her last one of the day, she completed from about a foot at No. 18.

"I played well, just misjudged the speed on a few putts,'' she said. "It was windy and I hit a lot of three-quarters shots.

"I was disappointed about last week, especially after I three-putted the last hole.''

Inkster, 38, a native Californian, was the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1984 and has won 17 tournaments in 16 years. She has career earnings of more than $3.7 million. Her last victory came in October at the Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf.

Webb, an Australian who turned 24 in December, was the Rookie of the Year in 1996 when she became the first LPGA player to earn $1 million, and the first rookie on either the PGA or LPGA tour to hit that mark.

Five of her six birdie putts today were in the 15- to 35-foot range, and one, at the par-3 13th, came from about six feet.

"I missed three others inside 10 feet, like on the last hole, but I can't complain,'' said Webb, who tied for second at the season-opening HealthSouth Inaugural two weeks ago in Orlando. "I made up for those with some of the long putts I made.''

A 36-hole pro-amateur held in conjunction with the $675,000 main event ends Thursday, with the pros carrying on for two days more.

Struggling Se Ri Pak of Korea and defending champion Helen Alfredsson carded 71s and are four shots behind the leaders. Pak has yet to show the sensational form that enabled her to win Rookie of the Year honours last season, missing the cut at the Inaugural and finishing 12 shots back at the Memorial.

Mallon and Annika Sorenstam, last year's Player of the Year, are not entered in the limited 80-player field.