Spring is officially here, because it's time for the first major of the LPGA season, the Kraft Nabisco Championship (or the Dinah Shore, as Karen Palacios-Jansen still calls it).  Mission Hills is the venue for the 38^th consecutive year, dating back to Jane Blalock's win in 1972.  The Shore became an LPGA major in 1983, the year Amy Alcott won the first of her three titles.  Lorena Ochoa won her first KNC last year and joined the long list of pond jumpers which include Morgan Pressel, Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam and Grace Park.

As you can see from the numbers in the tournament box, scoring is always at a premium in Rancho Mirage - as it should be for a major championship.  The rough is always thick here and with the yardage being on the long side, it behooves those long hitters to keep it in the short grass.

As usual for a major, the field is very strong but surprisingly it is not quite as stout as last week's J Golf event.  From my Top 40 Jeong Jang and Maria Hjorth are still missing for health reasons but this week Karen Stupples is absent as well.  According to the KNC qualifying criteria Karen should be here via at least a couple of methods (2004 British Open win and 2008 money list Top 70) so I can only assume an injury is holding her out.  Which is unfortunate because that means three of last year's top 12 KNC finishers don't return - Stupples, Hjorth and Annika Sorenstam.

Of course that makes room for somebody else to step up.  Karrie Webb always seems to play well at Mission Hills and Suzann Pettersen has finished second the last two years running.  If you ignore 2007 when she played while six months pregnant, Hee-Won Han has finished in the Top 20 here five straight times - twice in the top 6.  My pick to win is a player who has a pretty good record here (three Top 10s in ten career starts) and seems to be peaking of late.