Golf

Playoff pays off for Sorenstam

She wins her 10th major title and grabs another piece of history by capturing the U.S. Women's Open.

By BOB HARIG
Published July 4, 2006

NEWPORT, R.I. - As coronations go, this one could not have been much better for Annika Sorenstam. Strolling up the fairway, soaking in the cheers, knowing that she could stumble into the clubhouse and still get her name engraved on the trophy.

Endings had not been happy ones at recent U.S. Women's Opens for Sorenstam, who dealt with her share of heartache in trying to recapture a championship that seemed so easy to win a decade ago.

But this one could not have been scripted much better.

Even if it required an extra day.

Sorenstam birdied the first hole Monday morning at Newport Country Club and never trailed in an 18-hole playoff with Pat Hurst, defeating her 70 to 74. The lead was three strokes after three holes and five at the turn.

That made for a rather leisurely back nine for the No. 1 player in women's golf, who captured the 61st U.S. Women's Open to make her just the sixth player to win the championship three or more times.

"It doesn't get much better than this," Sorenstam said. "They say that the big championships you really have to earn. I felt like I really earned this. It obviously feels awesome, especially to win this championship again after 10 years."

The 10th playoff in Women's Open history became necessary when Sorenstam and Hurst were tied after 72 holes at par 284.

Sunday was a drama-filled day, with lead changes and mood changes. Sorenstam and Hurst had to fend off the likes of Michelle Wie, Juli Inkster, Se Ri Pak and Stacy Prammanasudh, and then a tense 18th hole played out with Sorenstam barely missing what would have been a winning 22-foot birdie putt, followed by Hurst having to hole a testy 5-footer for par.

But as is often the case in 18-hole playoffs, the same kind of tension was missing Monday.

Hurst's lone birdie of the day was a bomb from the front of the 18th green, when the outcome was long since determined. It was the largest margin of victory in a Women's Open playoff since Kathy Cornelius won by seven in 1956.

"If I could have made some putts out there, it would have been a little bit closer and put a little pressure on her," Hurst said. "But she played great and steady, down the middle and on the greens."

The victory was Sorenstam's 10th major championship, tying her with Babe Zaharias for fourth on the LPGA list, five behind overall leader Patty Berg. Sorenstam has won majors in each of the past six years.

It was the 68th victory of her Hall of Fame career, leaving Sorenstam 20 wins behind the all-time leader, Kathy Whitworth. The only player between them, Mickey Wright, won 82 times. The win was worth $560,000 from the $3.1-million purse. (Hurst won $335,000.)

Taking on Sorenstam is tough duty. Hurst, a 37-year-old mother of two with four career victories - although one did come at the 1998 Kraft Nabisco, a major - had been 0-for-3 in playoffs, with two of those defeats to Sorenstam, who is now 15-5.

But few gave Hurst a chance on Sunday, either, when she entered the final round trailing by two and shot the lowest score of the final round, a 69 that tied Sorenstam.

And many questioned Hurst's stamina, having to play 36 holes on Sunday and having to go up against Sorenstam, 35, whose fitness routine is legendary.

Hurst admitted it was a grind. Perhaps it finally caught up to her Monday.

"I'm tired," she said. "I just want to get in and put my feet up. Emotionally, I'm spent."

Sorenstam experienced some strange emotions coming into the tournament, having to deal with talk of a "slump." She had gone eight tournaments without winning, the longest such stretch since 2001. And although she had six top-10 finishes, she wasn't a factor in the two previous major championships.

Perhaps more alarming was Sorenstam's statistics were not up to their usual lofty heights. She had slipped to 79th on the LPGA Tour in driving accuracy and seemed to have trouble holing the important putts, the ones she always made to keep her in contention or put her in position to win.

"I haven't really played so well this year," she said. "It was important for me to play well here."

Of course, it would be nearly impossible to keep up with the pace Sorenstam has set.

From 2000 through 2005, she won a staggering 48 times in 123 starts. In just the previous two seasons, she was 18-for-38. She won 10 of 20 tournaments last year.

So one out of nine this season coming into the Open did not look so good.

Two out of 10 is much better.

"It's fantastic," she said. "It's been a long wait, and a long road. On the way, I learned a lot. The way the season has gone, up and down, to win the Open is pretty ironic."

MOST U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN VICTORIES

4 - Mickey Wright (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964)

4 - Betsy Rawls (1951, 1953, 1957, 1960)

3 - Babe Zaharias (1948, 1950, 1954)

3 - Susie Berning (1968, 1972, 1973)

3 - Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978, 1984)

3 - Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996, 2006)

WOMEN'S ALL-TIME GOLF MAJORS

Patty Berg, 15

Mickey Wright, 13

Louise Suggs, 11

Babe Zaharias, 10

Annika Sorenstam, 10

Betsy Rawls, 8

Juli Inkster, 7

Karrie Webb, 7

Pat Bradley, 6

Betsy King, 6

Patty Sheehan, 6

Kathy Whitworth, 6

Amy Alcott, 5

Se Ri Pak, 5

[Last modified July 4, 2006, 00:26:05]