Ochoa clear favourite in Oklahoma
IN: News | LPGA | SemGroup Championship (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 02 May 2007
The LPGA Tour is in Oklahoma for this week’s SemGroup Championship at the Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow near Tulsa.
For the second week in succession only Lorena Ochoa from the world’s top three will be present but given that she is now the world number one and has such charismatic appeal, she more than makes up for the disappointment of Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb’s absence.
The Joe Finger designed Cedar Ridge Country Club hosted the US Women’s Open in 1983 – when Australia’s Jan Stephenson won her third major title – but became the venue for this event in 2004 after the tournament had been held at the Tulsa Country Club for three years. At 6600 yards it is one of the longer courses on the LPGA Tour schedule, especially in relation to its par of 71.
The defending champion is Cristie Kerr, who last year put together one of the great rounds in LPGA golf when a second round of 61 saw her take a one shot lead over Annika Sorenstam into the final round and then beat her by two.
Ochoa played the event for the first time in 2006 and did well when finishing third behind Kerr and Sorenstam, her last round of 65 indicating that she was getting comfortable with the layout. With the benefit of that behind her and her current form, she is going to be very tough to beat.
Kerr has not been so impressive in 2007 but she is one of the class players in the field and with winning form at this venue might be a chance.
Paul Creamer finished runner up to Sorenstam at this venue in 2005 but has been a little out of sorts of late after a great start to the year. Like Kerr, however she is too good a player to be out of contention for long and might well be in the thick of things this week.
The big hitting Brittany Lincicome will be suited by the lengthy layout (6600 yards) this week and the in form Julieta Granada and Stacy Prammanasudh are sure to be factors by Sunday afternoon.
The Australians are headed by Rachel Hetherington, Wendy Doolan, Michelle Ellis and Katherine Hull.
Photo – Anthony Powter
