"I'm really elated," said Rarick, 38, who slipped to 118th on the money list last year with earnings of $41,686. "I've been going through a divorce for the past three or four years. It really screws you up mentally."

Rarick, a five-time winner in 14 seasons on the tour, had eight birdies and a bogey on the Royal Pines Resort course, with officials undecided if the round qualified as a course record. England's Laura Davies shot a 64 in her 1994 victory, when the course played to a par of 73.

Americans Annette DeLuca and Kim Saiki, South Korea's Ko Woo-soon and Australia's Alison Munt were tied for second at 68.

It was the fourth time the Sydney, Australia native has had surgery on the knee. The first was in 1992 after she injured it playing for her school team.

Paterson was the All-Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division first-team goalkeeper her freshman (1996) season and was named to the Pacific Division second team this past season.

She allowed two goals per game in 13 matches in 1997.

The surgery last week was performed to insert cartilage between the femur (the large bone in the upper part of the leg) and tibia and fibula (the two bones in the lower part of the leg).

"Basically I had no cartilage on the outside of the knee. It was painful and the bones were being damaged," Paterson said. "When there is no cartilage, there is no cushion in there.

"All the ligaments are fine and there are no other problems."

She will be in a full leg brace for a month and her doctor expects it will take another three months to complete rehabilitation.

"I think I'm a slow healer so I may take an extra month," said Paterson, who will be a junior this coming season. said. "But, I definitely will be back.

"I'm not about to give up yet. I'll wait until it blows out. I'll continue with my hand and eye work. I don't want to lose that."