Sorenstam in a class of her own at ANZ Ladies Masters

BY Bruce Young | ALPG Tour | 2004 ANZ Ladies Masters | Wrap | 29 Feb 2004

On a weekend where the world’s number one golfers in their respective genders, Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, would win on opposite sides of the world, Sorenstam displayed just what a consummate professional she is by walking away with her third ANZ Ladies Masters title.

A slow start, by her standards, on Thursday and Friday had her trailing the 36 hole leader, Karen Stupples, by four shots leading into round three. By the time she had reached the turn on Saturday however she was six under for the day and had joined Stupples in the lead at 11 under. While she would play the back nine at just one under that day, she had the 54 hole lead that most felt would be extended in round four.

As the on course commentator for Channel Ten, it was a privilege to see her game at such close quarters. I had seen her two years ago when she edged out Webb at the fourth extra hole but there appears to be another dimension to Sorenstam now that wasn’t necessarily apparent in 2002.

Perhaps that dimension is the length that she has added to her game.

At the beginning of 2002 when she arrived at the ANZ event, she was 26th on the LPGA Tour in driving stats, her average drive in the previous 12 months some 256 yards. When she arrived this year she had come off a 2003 season that had seen her leap to the top of the driving stats on the LPGA Tour, averaging nearly 270 yards. That added length has offered her the luxury of many more options and provides a great weapon to her already fine course management. When she so chooses, she can take her 4 fairway wood from the tee and lose little in comparison to those taking driver. When she does hit the driver however, as she so often does, she has such great accuracy that she is able to capitalise on that length by setting up great angles to virtually all flag positions. It is hard to imagine on courses set up for LPGA Tour events that there are many flags which she cannot attack.

Added to this brilliance in driving is a huge improvement in her bunker play which allows her to be more positive about attacking flags that are tucked close to greenside bunkers. Should she err with an iron zeroed in on a flag and end up in a trap, she now backs herself to get up and down on a more regular basis and the scores have continued to improve as a result of that greater belief.

Two years ago she had come off a 2001 season that saw her win eight events while finishing 100th on the putting stats. In 2003, she was 27th in that department and for someone who hits as many greens as her, therefore giving less opportunity for the par saving up and downs, that is a very good stat. Her putting still causes her problems at times as we saw at the weekend, but she has managed it and improved it to the point where she now capitalises on many of the opportunities she creates for herself.

Arriving at the event early in the week Sorenstam, like the rest of the field, was denied the chance for much pre-event practice due to the deluge of rain the course was forced to absorb. Many of the field had already played a lead up event the week before but for the Swede this would be her first event of the season. It showed in the early rounds but by the time the weekend arrived her game was close to its peak.

Her third round seven under 65 had seen her take the lead from a very impressive Karen Stupples and when she opened with a birdie on Sunday it was pretty much for the others a case of “thanks for coming”.

If there was any glimmer of hope for the chasers, it was likely put to bed with her eagle at the par five third on the final day. Coming off a brilliant tee shot, Sorenstam found the green with a five iron from 188 metres. When she holed the twelve metre putt for eagle it was a case of sitting back an enjoying the class of the lady for the rest of the round, rather than expecting a serious contest for the trophy.

She would go on to birdie the 5th, the 7th and the 9th to be out in 31 and take a five shot lead into the closing nine holes. As had been the case on the first three days however it was at about that time that Sorenstam’s putting began to let her down. She missed several good opportunities on the way in but the damage to the rest of the field had been done earlier and she cruised to a four shot victory over a very plucky Stupples.

Stupples has been on the LPGA Tour since 1999 and had come off a brilliant amateur career where she represented Great Britain in the Curtis Cup and had been a successful member of the Florida State University team. She has steadily found her feet on the LPGA Tour and although yet to win, it is hard to see her going much longer before that first victory comes her way. She is long from the tee now having worked hard on a fitness and strength building regime that has seen improve from 54th to 7th in the driving distance stats in the last twelve months.

Stupples is an engaging character and when she finds the next level she will become a very popular player with galleries. Her putting is still weakness but if she can improve that part of her game to the same degree that she has improved her ball striking and length, then we can expect big things from the Florida-based Englishwoman.

Other performances of note from the weekend were that of 26-year-old Queenslander Kylie Pratt who has for so long lived in the shadow of her tennis playing sister Nicole. She may well have broken out with her last round 65 and share of third place. Five under through eight holes of the last round, Pratt went on with it to finish with a brilliant final round and share third with Jennifer Rosales. Pratt will head for the Futures Tour in the States this year armed no doubt with the confidence that this finish, along with a third place at the warm up event last week, has given her.

Anne-Marie Knight the elegant and tall South Australian is destined for bigger and better things than her professional career has produced to date. She has a fine swing, and as her amateur career (which included an Australian Amateur Championship and a runner up placing at the US Amateur) indicates, some game. Working closely with a new coach over the past twelve months has seen her swing improve to the point where the thirty three year old can expect much more of herself in the years ahead.

The disappointment of the week was likely Karrie Webb, who has won four times and been second twice in the last six stagings of this event. Her 11th placing suggests that there is still some early season rust to eliminate from her game but her class will see her back contending before too long.

The ANZ Ladies Masters has a great place in Australian golf and has so over the last 14 years. It has provided Australian golfing fans the opportunity of not only seeing the best of the local talent but often the best female golfers in the world. It has also provided a launching pad for so many of Australia’s young golfers to convince themselves that they have the game to succeed at the next level. Several did that this week, more especially Pratt and Knight but it was the presence of the world number one, Annika Sorenstam, that was the making of the event.

For those of us fortunate enough to witness her great win, it is a memory that will be long be cherished.