Sorenstam win serves reminder to all

BY iseekgolf.com | LPGA Tour | 2006 State Farm Classic | Wrap | 04 Sep 2006

Annika Sorenstam’s simply stunning final round of 62 at the State Farm Classic has not only provided her with her 69th LPGA Tour victory but reminded everyone that she is still a force to be reckoned with.

Sorenstam had not played an event in the US since mid-July but she had hardly suffered from lack of tournament play. She had beaten Ochoa two weeks ago in Sweden and despite a poor week at the Weetabix Women’s British Open she has not exactly been struggling.

This week, in one of the few tournaments she has not won previously, the 35-year-old made a slow start while several of the pretenders to her throne had put several shots between themselves and Sorenstam.

If those ahead of her leading into the final day were wary of her existence on the leaderboard at the start of the day, they became even more so within an hour of Sorenstam teeing off. She birdied four of her first five holes and had closed within two of third round leader Maria Hjorth who had made an early birdie herself.

While Sorenstam had made a great start to he final round it would her finish that would blow the opposition away. She birdied six of the last eight holes to beat another in form player, Cristie Kerr, by two shots with Hjorth recovering from a late double bogey to birdie the last and share third with Seon Hwa Lee and Il Mi Chung.

Lorena Ochoa retained her position at the top of the ADT Money List with a share of 11th. She leads by US$132,000 over Karrie Webb but Sorentsam’s win has moved her within striking distance of both. The race for the money list title will be one of the features of the last three months of the LPGA Tour season.

The best of the Australians was Lindsey Wright who finished 13th. Michelle Ellis was 40th, Sarah Jane Kenyon was 55th and Katherine Hull, finally making a cut, was 67th. Hull had missed thirteen consecutive cuts prior to this week.

For Kenyon this was a good week having gained an invite to play the event and in doing so making her first cut in an LPGA Tour event.

The LPGA Tour now moves to Oklahoma for the John Q Hammonds Hotels Classic.

Photo – WireImage