Pak plays in shadow of Sorenstam, Webb

Saturday, April 6th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ In her four-plus years on the LPGA Tour, Se Ri Pak has won 13 tournaments, including three majors. The impressive achievements still don't necessarily rank her as one of the women's top stars.

Pak, whose 4-under-par 68 gave her the first-round lead Friday in the Office Depot Championship, is playing in the shadows of Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb.

``I think I pretty much play at the same level with them, but am a little bit behind. I know I will be someday, if my game is as consistent as Annika's,'' said Pak, who was born in South Korea and lives in Orlando, Florida. ``I will be with them together in the newspapers and on TV. I used to be with them always. As long as I work hard, it will get better. I'm behind them a little bit, but I don't care too much.''

Pak survived a water-logged double bogey and rolled in seven birdie putts to take the first-round lead at El Caballero Country Club.

Deadly with her putter from 15 feet (4.5 meters)and closer _ except on her double-bogey _ Pak was one shot in front of Tonya Gill and Wendy Doolan. Dawn Coe-Jones and Kristal Parker-Manzo were another shot back.

Defending champion Sorenstam, coming off a win in the LPGA's first major of the year, opened with a 71.

Sorenstam went into the final round last year 10 shots off the lead, but stormed back to tie in regulation then win on the first hole of a playoff with Mi Hyun Kim.

Pak, who started on the back nine at El Caballero, made three birdie putts to go to 3-under through her first five holes, then gave two shots back when she hit her 4-iron approach into the water alongside the green on No. 17.

She dropped and hit a wedge within 11 feet (3.3 meters) of the pin on the par-5, 463-yard (421-meter) hole, but then three-putted from there.

The 24-year-old Pak quickly settled down after the trouble at No. 17, sinking a 12-footer (3.6-meters) for birdie on the next hole.

She added three more birdies _ and a lone bogey _ on her final nine holes.

The 31-year-old Gill is back trying to make a go of golf after spending most of the past seven years working in sports marketing, mostly for charity golf events, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Her first-round 69 at El Caballero was bogey-free, and she made one 6-footer (1.8-meter) for par, and tapped in for two others. Gill was the early leader in the clubhouse before Pak finished her round.

``I have never led in an LPGA event, and even now I am not in the lead anymore,'' Gill said not long after finishing play. ``But I think this is only the third round that I have ever played without a bogey.''

A three-time academic all-American at the University of Kentucky, Gill played in 19 LPGA events in 1995, but made the cut just seven times and earned dlrs 13,558. She has played in just four tournaments since then, one each in 1999 and 2001 and two this year, after earning an exemption by tying for 15th in the LPGA's final qualifying tournament.