VIENNA, Ohio -- With two of the LPGA Tour's top guns -- leading money-winners Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb -- missing in action, most observers expected the mantel of 2001 Giant Eagle LPGA Classic favorite to fall on the shoulders of Se Ri Pak.

And Pak, third on the Tour's earnings list this season and the 1998 winner of this tournament, didn't disappoint, leading a field that includes only eight of the top 25 players on the money list.

Pak, a three-time winner on the Tour in 2001, fired a 5-under par 67 Friday afternoon at Squaw Creek Country Club to snare a share of the first-round lead with Marnie McGuire and Maggie Will, who are 50th and 86th, respectively in Tour earnings this year.

"It's not that strong of a field, but there are some pretty good players in this week," Pak said. "I can never really get relaxed because there are too many good players right behind me."

Pak, who won the Giant Eagle in 1998 and is a four-time winner overall in the state of Ohio, found little trouble on the tree-lined, undulating 6,908-yard layout, posting five birdies and 13 pars.

"I had a pretty good start for the first four or five holes and it gave me a lot of confidence," Pak said. "I really enjoyed it today. ... I was kind of relaxed out there."

McGuire, a New Zealander, raced to 5-under par after eight holes and appeared on her way to a remarkable round. However, she posted only one birdie, to go along with one bogey, the rest of the way to also finish at 67.

Will's round was a bit more adventuresome as she mixed in an eagle -- holing a 5-iron from 157 yards out on the par-4 10th -- and five birdies with three bogeys for her 67. She was 6-under through 13 holes before back-to-back bogeys preceded a birdie on the final hole, a 15-foot putt that Will said she "slipped right in."

Will's eagle was one of a handful in the opening round, including Jane Geddes' spectacular hole-in-one on the 137-yard ninth hole.

She hit an 8-iron that cleared the lake, landed four feet from the hole, bounced once and rolled in the cup for her third career ace.

"What a great way to finish," Geddes, who started on the 10th hole, said. "What more can you ask for?"

Geddes finished in a group of some one dozen golfers at 3-under 69. That group also

includes defending champion Dorothy Delasin, as well as former two-time Giant Eagle champion Tammie Green.

Donna Andrews, Becky Iverson and Laurel Kean shot 68s, as nearly three dozen golfers broke par in the fairly favorable conditions.

"I think it was a good round," Andrews said. "...The greens today were much more receptive after the rain, more than when I played (the course) on Tuesday. (But) the scoring is going to get tougher as the weekend goes on and the greens dry out, which will make them harder to play."

Iverson, who teed off at No. 10, finished birdie-eagle-birdie-par on six through 9. Her eagle was a 121-yard wedge at the 341-yard, par-4 seventh hole.

"I thought I played pretty safe today," Iverson said. "Some of these greens are pretty treacherous and the last three holes I played really good. ... I will try not to think too much about (today), but right now all I can say is that one good round is better than no good rounds."

Kean had a golden opportunity to finish with a share of the lead, but kept a birdie putt just to the right of the cup at 18 after nailing a 9-iron from 150 yards out to six feet. She did sink a 35-foot eagle putt, however, on the 486-yard, par-5 eighth hole after hitting her second shot from about 200 yards out.

Pak, a native of South Korea, has excelled in her young career in the Buckeye State, winning the Jamie Farr Classic in Toledo three of the last four years while placing first, ninth and third in three appearances in the Mahoning Valley.

"She should buy a home in Ohio for sure," Will quipped, regarding Pak's past Buckeye successes. "Or (Ohio) should at least give her a rebate on her taxes for all the money she's won. They should take away the toll roads and get it from her in taxes."

"I really like Ohio," Pak said. "I don't know why, I just feel really comfortable."

Although she added part of the reason may be the people.

"People are so nice to me, they try to talk to me and are always smiling at me," she said. "And they follow me around the golf course and give me a lot of cheers that help me play well."

Notes: Leading money-winner Sorenstam and No. 2 Webb both skipped the tournament to prepare for Monday night's made-for-TV match with Tiger Woods and David Duval. ... Other than Pak, the only other player in the field to win an LPGA event this year is Betsy King. King, who had a 75, won the tournament in 1992, the last time it was played at Squaw Creek in what was then known as the Phar-Mor in Youngstown.

Classic tee times

Tee times for today's second round:

TEE No. 1

7:30 a.m. -- Cathy Johnston-Forbes, Sally Little;
7:40 -- Lori Atsedes, Minny Yeo;
7:50 -- Michelle Louviere, Michelle Ball, Natalie Aber.
8 a.m. -- Betsy King, Susan Ginter, Michelle Dobek;
8:10 -- Dawn Coe-Jones, Lucianan Bemvenuti, Marcy Newton;
8:20 -- Jody Nieman-Dansie, Jenna Daniels, Tina Fischer;
8:30 -- Mary Kay Marino, Connie Masterson, Katie Bokken;
8:40 -- Terry-Jo Myers, Hee-Won Han, Michelle McGann;
8:50 -- Amy Langhals, Alicia Dibos, Marissa Buena.
9 a.m. -- Lori West, Amy Read, Jennifer Hubbard;
9:10 -- Joan Pitcock, Michelle Murphy, Jamie Hullett.
11:50 -- Maggie Will, Marnie McGuire, Se Ri Pak.
Noon -- Becky Iverson, Donna Andrews, Laurel Kean;
12:10 p.m. -- Diana D'Alessio, Vickie Odegard, Suzy Green;
12:20 -- Janice Moodie, Jane Geddes, Audra Burks;
12:30 -- Dorothy Delasin, Tammy Green, Dina Ammaccapane;
12:40 -- Sherri Steinbauer, Mi Hyun Kim, Jane Egan;
12:50 -- Dodie Mazzuco, Jen Hanna, Dale Eggeling.
1 p.m. -- Barb Mucha, Jane Crafter, Angela Stanford;
1:10 -- Jackie Gallagher-Smith, Connie Wei, Jean Zedlitz;
1:20 -- Annette DeLuca, Stephanie Keever, Deb Richard;
1:30 -- Michelle Redman, Dottie Pepper, Smriti Mehra.
TEE No. 10

7:30 -- Marilyn Lovander, Lee Ann Walker, Beth Bader;
7;40 -- Donna Wilkins, Sherri Turner, Jennifer Rosales;
7:50 -- Leta Lindley, Soo Yung Kang, Laura Baugh.
8 a.m. -- Cindy Flom, Heather Zakhar, Angie Ridgeway;
8:10 -- Lisa Kiggens, Yu Ping Lin, A.J. Eathorne;
8:20 -- Penny Hamel, Eva Dahllof, Marie-Josee Rouleau;
8:30 -- Carmen Hajjar, Vickie Fergon, Kim Bauer;
8:40 -- Caroline Gowan, Anne Marie Palli, Kelly Cap;
8:50 -- Faith Egli, Tish Certo, Pamela Kerrigan.
9 a.m. --Sue Thomas, Joan Delk, Jeong Jong;
9:10 --Moira Dunn, Lisa Becka, Lenore Rittenhouse.
11:50 -- Laurie Rinker-Graham, Nan Kyong Ha, Nicole Materne.
Noon -- Kim Saiki, Nancy Taylor-Capps, LaRee Sugg;
12:10 -- Liselotte Neumann, Val Skinner, Heather Daily-Donofrio;
12:20 -- Wendy Ward, Pat Hurst, Amy Fruhwirth;
12:30 -- Nancy Harvey, Danielle Ammaccapane, Laura Diaz;
12:40 -- Jennifer Feldott, Leigh Ann Mills, Carrie Wood;
12:50 -- Marianne Morris, Siew-Ai Lin, Julie Piers.
1 p.m. -- Katie Golden, Kris Lindstrom, Jennie Park-Choi;
1:10 -- Jenny Lidback, Brandie Burton, Mitzi Edge;
1:20 -- Tamie Durdin, Jean Bartholomew, Cindy Schreyer;
1:30 -- Gloria Park, Patricia Baxter-Johnson, Heather Bowie.