A lot of women are looking forward to this Thursday, February 14th, but instead of hearts and flowers, they'll be seeking birdies in Hawaii.

Yes, Valentine's Day marks the official start of the LPGA 2008 season. The ladies will be battling it out at the SBS Open on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay, a beautiful and romantic backdrop for their endeavor. The impressive field includes most of the 2007 top money earners with a notable exception of No. 1  -- Lorena Ochoa. But last year's winner, Paula Creamer, still has her work cut out for her in defending her title.

Not that I'm rooting against Paula, per se, but it sure would be nice to see Annika Sorenstam get off to a strong start toward what I'd like to be able to define at the end of the year as a dominant, if not magical, season.

There are plenty of other golfers who aim to get in their way, including Suzann Petterson, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis, Jeong Jang, and much of the rest of the 2007 Solheim Cup teams. This should be a compelling competition to watch.

I also enjoy watching this tournament simply because of the golf course. I've played it, and it really is breathtaking, not to mention quite a challenge. I even have fond romantic memories from certain locations on the course. Ahem. Prime spots aren't difficult to find when you're out there. And the air in Hawaii is conducive to passion a warm, fuzzy feeling. Although when you rip that 5-iron for your approach shot, you might curse that air for gusting and diverting your ball into a bunker. Then you'll shake it off, remember you're not competing for a $1.1 million dollar purse, and just enjoy where you are.

Speaking of the purse, it kind of sounds impressive at first, until you realize that money is split between 85 players with the winner receiving a paltry $165,000. For a quick disparity check, the first event of 2008 on the PGA Tour had a $5.5 million purse and the winner -- Daniel Chopra -- received $1.1 million: notice that's the entire purse for the LPGA's first event.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, my excitement about the event, the competition and the golf course.

The absence of a certain player whose home is in Hawaii hasn't escaped my attention either. I think I heard something about Michele Wie taking a break from college already to play some events this year, but she's not on the field list so evidently this isn't one of them. And I can't be bothered to pay much attention to her schedule or look it up.

My DVR will capture all the action the Golf Channel will allow (that's a whole 2.5 hours per day) so if I'm not playing locally or attending the nearby Northern Trust, I'll be rapt in this season opener. And I'm sure we can count on Paula Creamer to sport something pink to celebrate and remind us of the simultaneous Hallmark occasion as she tries to defend her title.

Go, Annika!

www.thegolfchick.com