LAS VEGAS (AP) – Karrie Webb, a dominant player on the LPGA Tour a few years ago, showed flashes of her former brilliance on and around the greens Thursday in a 7-under 65 that gave her a share of the lead at the Takefuji Classic with Wendy Ward.

Amateur In-Bee Park, a native of South Korea who is a 16-year-old high school junior in Las Vegas, shot a 66 that left her in a group one shot behind the co-leaders.

Wendy Doolan had consecutive eagles on her way to a 66. She holed a wedge from 109 yards on No. 8, a 420-yard par-4, and then made a 15-foot putt on the 460-yard par-5 9th.

Catriona Matthew, who chipped in from the fringe for one birdie and holed a bunker shot for another, and Mi Hyun Kim also had 66s.

Webb was accurate with her irons and her putter on the way to eight birdies and a lone bogey in the opening round of the 54-hole tournament at The Las Vegas Country Club. She hit irons within 8 feet of the pin to set up four birdies, and made birdie putts of 25, 20, 18 and 15 feet.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr, who beat rookie Seol-An Jeon in a seven-hole playoff last year, opened with a 72. The par round left her tied for 59th. Jeon shot a 70 and was tied for 33rd.

Annika Sorenstam, who has won five consecutive tournaments, is taking the week off.

Webb, winner of 30 titles since joining the tour fulltime in 1996, finished atop the LPGA rankings in her rookie year, then again in 1999 and 2000. She has won just one event each of the past two years.

The 30-year-old Webb, an Australian who lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., believes she can take her game back to her earlier level – and beyond.

“I’m really close to putting everything together,” she said. “Obviously shooting 65 gives me a lot of confidence.

“What I’m seeing with my swing right now, if I can trust things and let things happen, I think I could be a better player than I was.”

Like Webb, Ward putted extremely well, making a 25-footer, a 20-footer and an 18-footer among her eight birdies.

She is looking for her first victory in almost four years. She has won three titles since joining the tour fulltime in 1996, with the other victories coming in 1997 and 1998.

“The neat thing about this course is that pretty much every hole is birdie-able,” Ward said. “Maybe you miss a birdie opportunity, you know there’s going to be another one facing you on the next hole.

“In the past, I haven’t been making those 10-footers, 12-footers. The tap-ins I can handle, but it’s nice when you feel good over something outside of 8, 9 feet.”

Park obviously enjoyed her round.

Asked if she felt pressure playing with the pros, the teenager smiled and said, “I have nothing to lose, can just come out and have fun. I think the pressure is on them.”

AP-ES-04-14-05 2210EDT