Can they beat Annika at the ADT?
BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2004 ADT Championship | Preview | 17 Nov 2004
The ADT Championship, the LPGA’s equivalent of the Tour Championship gets underway Thursday at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach Florida with the thirty leading money winners on the LPGA Tour in 2004 taking one last chance to improve their monetary position for the season.
The defending champion is Meg Mallon who recorded a one shot victory over Annika Sorenstam around this same course last year. Mallon has continued on her resurgence this year with three wins and a runner up placing in 2004 and she seems likely to do well again on a golf course that clearly suits her (she was 5th here in 2002).
To do so of course Mallon will need to get past Sorenstam, who was runner up here last year and the winner in 2002. There is no real need to describe in detail the year of Sorenstam in 2004 other than to say it has been yet another brilliant season. She will not go past her amazing year in 2002 when she won eleven times, but a win here will give her eight for the season on the USLPGA Tour and US$2.55 million in earnings.
Others likely to give Sorenstam at least some sort of contest this week are Grace Park, who despite being more than US$800,000 behind the Swede on the money list, is in second place, ahead of Lorena Ochoa. Park has had a brilliant year and has emerged as a serious contender for the top crown if and when Sorenstam takes her leave from the LPGA. Still only 25-years-old, Park has several years of high quality golf left in her and the manner in which she has blossomed this year as the main challenger to Sorenstam, suggests she is ready to take yet another step.
Lorena Ochoa did not fare so well here last year but just playing her way into the tournament in her rookie year was some achievement. She has progressed even further this year and is the next genuine star of the LPGA. She is in third place on the money list and will likely need to win if she is to improve to second.
It’s hard to imagine any others seriously challenging for the title this week. Karrie Webb, who won here in 2001 seems to be putting together some solid performances but a win now would surprise. She does however have her game and her life, it would seem, heading in the right direction. Christie Kerr is a big event player who has played well here previously and has been in good form of late. She might be some sort of chance to run a place.
The other Australians in the field are Rachel Teske and Wendy Doolan.
The tournament carries a total purse of US$1,000,000 with the winner to receive US$215,000.
