Business as usual for Sorenstam in Tulsa
IN: News | LPGA | John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic (2004) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 13 Sep 2004
Despite a break of four weeks since she last played, and won, at the HP Open in Stockholm, Annika Sorenstam showed that even coming off a lengthy spell, she was tournament ready.
Her convincing four shot win in today's John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic highlighted once again, in case any of us needed it, just how far above the rest she is in Ladies golf.
She handled the long and strong Cedar Ridge golf course from the start, trailing only Christina Kim on day one and then talking control of the tournament on day two. She took a three shot lead into the final day and you just cannot give her such a lead and expect to catch her. Chasing her into the final day was perhaps surprise contender, Joanne Morley, who along with her fellow Englishwoman Karen Stupples and fine swinging Korean, Shi Hyun Ahn, were the nearest challengers.
Morley had not finished inside the top twenty in any of her sixteen events this season and championship Sunday was about to expose just that. She started with two birdies to get within one of Sorenstam but that was the end of her challenge as she fell away with five bogeys before the turn.
As Stupples also, perhaps surprisingly, fell away, it was left to Koreans Shi Hyun Ahn and Mi Hyun Kim and Taiwan's Candie Kung to make their runs.
Ahn would finish second, her sixth top ten of the year which in her rookie year is outstanding. The 19-year-old (she turns twenty this week) is an undoubted future star and must surely win her first LPGA Tour event in the US soon. She did win the CJ Nine Bridges event in Korea last year, but look to her to win in the next few weeks.
Candie Kung was third with Mi Hyun Kim's last round 67 getting her to fourth.
The leading Australian was Shani Waugh who easily recorded her best finish of what has been a very ordinary year to date when sharing sixth. Waugh had not finished better than 35th in any of her previous sixteen starts on the LPGA Tour in 2004, so this was a great boost. She still has much work to do however.
Defending champion Karrie Webb and Rachel Teske were 17th, Nadina Taylor 27th and Loraine Lambert 71st.
