Sorenstam's victory overshadowed by Wie's mistake
BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2005 Samsung World Championship | Wrap | 17 Oct 2005
As if giving her fellow LPGA Tour competitors a reminder of just who was boss, Annika Sorenstam today blitzed nineteen of the world’s best female golfers to win in a canter at the Samsung World Championship of Women’s Golf in Palm Desert.
The arrival of the most talked about commodity on the LPGA Tour in season 2005, Michelle Wie, gave Sorenstam every incentive to remind those with short memories that she was a lady with more than 60 wins on the LPGA Tour and seven already in season 2005. Her eight shot win did just that and her total has now reached 64 wins.
While the victory was to a large extent overshadowed by the unfortunate disqualification of Wie, nothing could take away from the brilliance and emphatic nature of Sorenstam’s win.
In what was a stop start affair on day four, the weather played its part but nothing was going to stop Sorenstam. Even a double bogey at her last hole could not put a dampener on what was yet another impressive display as she opened up a ten shot lead before her last hole hiccup. In what is becoming a familiar scenario on the LPGA Tour, Paula Creamer ran second to Sorenstam but like everyone else, trailed in her wake.
Creamer further consolidated her brilliant rookie season, the greatest first LPGA season since Se Ri Pak in 1998 and Karrie Webb’s amazing debut in 1996 when the Australian led the money list and became the first women to earn more than US$1million in a season.
Gloria Park bogeyed the last to miss out on a share of second but she held third alone with Meena Lee, Natalie Gulbis and Cristie Kerr all sharing fourth place benefiting in that regard from Michelle Wie’s misfortune.
Wie had fired a final round of two over 74 to finish at eight under and had only just finished when informed of a possible indiscretion the previous day. She had taken relief when her ball came to rest in a bush on the 7th hole on day three but had inadvertently dropped the ball closer to the hole and as a consequence she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard the previous day. If she had been made aware of the mistake – by the reporter who chose not to inform authorities until today despite having been at the scene of the indiscretion yesterday – before she had signed her card after round three, then the penalty would have been just two shots.
No Australians played in the event.
The LPGA Tour has a week’s break before heading to Korea for the Nine Bridges Sports Today event.
