Sorenstam claims LPGA Corning Classic crown
BY iseekgolf.com | LPGA Tour | 2004 LPGA Corning Classic | Wrap | 31 May 2004
Practice? Who needs practice? Certainly not Annika Sorenstam. With no practice round and without having seen Corning Country Club in nine years, the 33-year-old grinded through four rounds of golf at the LPGA Corning Classic to win the US$1 million event by two shots over Michelle Estill and Vicki Goetze-Ackerman.
Sorenstam strung together four consecutive rounds under par to finish at 270 (-18). It was her third win in six LPGA events this year and her fourth in seven tournaments worldwide.
Prior to this year’s event, Sorenstam had not competed in the LPGA Corning Classic since 1995, that was before she had won even the first of her 50-career LPGA titles. Sorenstam picked up career win 51 without even taking a practice round. The world’s best player arrived in Corning, N.Y., on Wednesday evening and did not see the tight Corning Country Club layout until her first round Thursday.
“I don’t know why it took me nine years,” said Sorenstam, who reclaimed the top spot on the ADT Official Money List from Grace Park with the US$150,000 first-place check. “I’ve had a good stay, and I’ve had good food. The people here have been so supportive. I felt that Thursday morning when I showed up. Through every golf shot I hit, especially the warm welcome on 18 today, I felt like I should have been here sooner, but then again, I’m glad I won, and I’ll be back.”
Sorenstam began the day one shot behind Estill, who was looking for her first win since the 1991 PING-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship. Estill’s lead would swell to four shots after six holes, as she started with early birdies on two and four. Couple that with Sorenstam bogeys on three and six, and it appeared Estill had a chance to erase a 310-event winless streak.
Sorenstam clawed back to within two shots at the turn and then tied for the lead after she drained a 3-foot birdie putt on 10, while Estill carded a bogey. Goetze-Ackerman, who lost in a playoff at the 2000 LPGA Corning Classic, had four birdies on the front side to join the party.
All three were tied at 15-under-par with nine holes to play, but Sorenstam was the only one to answer the call. She birdied four of her last nine holes to card a back nine 4-under-par 32, while Goetze-Ackerman could only manage a 1-under-par 35 and Estill an even-par 36.
“That’s Annika,” said Goetze-Ackerman, who notched her first top-10 finish of the year. “She’s always there. We’re used to seeing her every week that she’s out, so, I mean, nothing she did today really surprised any of us or actually what she did all week.”
Estill, who made only two of 20 cuts a year ago, recorded her best finish since 1998.
“I had a great time,” Estill said. “I didn’t play as well, but, boy, I had a lot of fun. It was fun to battle with Annika out there and kind of keep up. She played better today, but it was fun to be in the hunt.”
Wendy Ward, Soo Young Moon and Shi Hyun Ahn tied for fourth, respectively, at 275 (-13).
Source – LPGA
