Karrie Webb wins by nine at John Q. Hammons Classic
IN: News | LPGA | John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic (2003) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 08 Sep 2003
It is hard to imagine, given the emphatic nature of her nine shot win this morning at the John Q Hammons Hotel Classic in Tulsa, that Karrie Webb has been struggling for much of this season.
By most standards it has been a reasonable year, but by the very high standards she has set herself in recent years this had been a slow year to date. Webb, however, has often excelled on the most difficult courses where strategy and ball striking are key criteria in winning. This was one of those courses.
Designed in 1908 by the great A. Tillinghast, the course saw only five players under par at the end of 54 holes although in addition to a demanding layout, bumpy greens were a contributing factor to the high scores. Confessing to a less than perfect ball striking week, Webb acknowledged that her capacity to recover has been a great improvement in her game this season.
"Well I guess that is one of bonus things about not playing particularly well lately, you learn how to get up-and-down. That part of my game has definitely improved over the last couple of years. Probably the longer I've been out on Tour, but especially the last couple years," she said after the second round.
Webb started the final round three ahead of Cristie Kerr and four ahead of Donna Andrews, but by the time they reached the 6th hole, it had become apparent, if it wasn't already, that this was to be a one horse race. Webb was out in one under thirty four and by then it was a matter of whether she would win, but by how many. In the end it would be by nine strokes from Dorothy Delasin, Candie Kung, Tammie Green and Jamie Hullet.
It wasn't as if this was a lesser field that Webb was dismantling either. Annika Sorenstam. Se Ri Pak, Candie Kung, Rachel Teske, Laura Davies, Laura Diaz, and Mi Hyun Kim were all there.
This was Webb's 29th win on the LPGA Tour and the $US150,000 she earns has her finally inside the top ten for the season. Her USLPGA career earnings are now $US9,372,000 nearly $3,000,000 behind Sorenstam but well ahead of third placed Juli Inkster.
Candie Kung continued her amazing run to finish in equal second. In her last three starts she has had two wins and her second placing here today.
For the record Se Ri Pak shared sixth place and Sorenstam climbed in to equal 10th with a final round of 68 to somewhat erase her second round of 74, her highest in 2003.
Australasians other than Webb were Loraine Lambert 32nd, Joanne Mills and Michelle Ellis 35th, Fiona Pike 45th, Mardi Linn 61st, Karen Pearce 67th and Katherine Hull 75th.
The LPGA takes a rest next week as the Solheim Cup takes centre stage in Malmo, Sweden.
