Golfweek - Golf News Magazine

By HANK KURZ Jr.
Associated Press

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Annika Sorenstam’s comeback is real. And with her third victory in eight events this season, she also showed she can beat the world’s No. 1 player, Lorena Ochoa.

The eight-time player of the year pulled away from Ochoa Saturday with a steady 2-under 69 and then did the same to Jeong Jang on Sunday. A binge of four birdies in five holes on the back nine left no doubt the injuries that led to her winless 2007 are behind her, and that her once-unrivaled game is almost all the way back.


Sorenstam shot a closing 66 in the Michelob Ultra Open to obliterate Karrie Webb’s tournament record by five shots with a 19-under 265 total. Jang missed a short putt on the final hole for her first bogey in 35 holes and dropped into a tied for second with Christina Kim (69), Allison Fouch (64) and Karen Stupples (66).

But the story was Sorenstam, who said this weekend she knew there were people that thought her best days were behind her. She also said she’d love to play her way back to No. 1.

There were also some who pointed out her first two victories this season came in events Ochoa didn’t play. The Swede answered those doubts this weekend, as well.

Sorenstam was almost as good Sunday as when she shot 64 to open the tournament. Sorenstam overcame an early bogey — just her second of the tournament — and made birdies whenever Jang closed to within two shots.

She then used her terrific wedge game to leave everyone behind.

Jang, playing with a sore wrist that she said has bothered her for more than a year, made a 15-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole to get within two, and Sorenstam promptly hit her approach on the par-4 sixth to 12 feet and made it to restore a three-shot edge.

When Jang chipped in from 40 yards on the par-4 ninth, Sorenstam followed with an approach to within a few feet on No. 10 for another birdie.

By then, it was all but over. Sorenstam made sure it was with three consecutive birdies beginning on the par-3 13th. She sealed the deal with another on the par-3 17th.

She was all smiles while waiting on the tee at the par-4 18th hole, where she snap-hooked her drive into the water Saturday, one of only two mistakes that hurt her all weekend.

She finished her 72nd career victory with a short miss for par on the closing hole, but by then, it was academic.

The only thing still missing from her days as No. 1 is a little bit of distance on her drives and fairway woods, but the way she was hitting her wedges on the 6,315-yard River Course at Kingsmill, she showed that 5-10 yards matters little when she’s on her game.

Aside from Sorenstam, the day was remarkable for several other players.

Katherine Hull, who started the day tied for 21st, made the first double eagle of the year when she hit a 3-wood 229 yards on the par-5 seventh, part of a 64 that lifted her into sixth. The best round of her career also included a double bogey at the par-4 10th.

And Shi Hyun Ahn, whose first three rounds were 71, 71 and 72, tied the course record with a 63, making nine birdies and eight pars before a bogey on the par-4 ninth, her last hole.

---

Final scores with earnings and relation to par from the Michelob Ultra Open, played May 8-11 at the par-71, 6,315-yard Kingsmill Resort & Spa (River) (Note: a-amateur):

1. Annika Sorenstam	$330,000	64-66-69-66--265		-19
2. Allison Fouch	138,548	69-71-68-64--272		-12
2. Karen Stupples	138,548	67-69-70-66--272		-12
2. Jeong Jang	138,548	67-66-69-70--272		-12
2. Christina Kim	138,548	70-67-66-69--272		-12
6. Katherine Hull	74,793	70-69-70-64--273		-11
7. Sophie Gustafson	58,727	71-71-66-66--274		-10
7. Candie Kung	58,727	66-74-66-68--274		-10
9. Stacy Prammanasudh	45,245	66-72-69-69--276		-8
9. Maria Hjorth	45,245	68-71-66-71--276		-8
9. Jee Young Lee	45,245	68-71-67-70--276		-8
12. Hee Young Park	35,347	66-72-70-69--277		-7
12. Meena Lee	35,347	67-68-73-69--277		-7
12. Shi Hyun Ahn	35,347	71-71-72-63--277		-7
12. Lorena Ochoa	35,347	65-68-74-70--277		-7
16. Yani Tseng	27,184	70-69-72-67--278		-6
16. Sun Young Yoo	27,184	64-75-71-68--278		-6
16. Paula Creamer	27,184	71-69-70-68--278		-6
16. Song-Hee Kim	27,184	66-71-70-71--278		-6
16. Suzann Pettersen	27,184	71-71-65-71--278		-6
16. Inbee Park	27,184	67-72-67-72--278		-6
22. Marisa Baena	22,410	69-73-69-68--279		-5
22. Laura Davies	22,410	71-71-70-67--279		-5
22. Kris Tamulis	22,410	68-71-69-71--279		-5
22. Ji Young Oh	22,410	69-69-68-73--279		-5
26. Teresa Lu	19,612	70-70-69-71--280		-4
26. Jimin Kang	19,612	67-69-71-73--280		-4
26. Laura Diaz	19,612	70-69-68-73--280		-4
29. Becky Morgan	16,731	67-69-74-71--281		-3
29. Sandra Gal	16,731	68-70-73-70--281		-3
29. Na Yeon Choi	16,731	69-73-68-71--281		-3
29. Juli Inkster	16,731	68-70-74-69--281		-3
29. Dina Ammaccapane	16,731	68-72-74-67--281		-3
34. Helen Alfredsson	13,906	67-73-70-72--282		-2
34. Jamie Hullett	13,906	69-71-72-70--282		-2
34. Pat Hurst	13,906	69-71-69-73--282		-2
34. Kyeong Bae	13,906	69-73-72-68--282		-2
38. Na On Min	11,321	72-68-70-73--283		-1
38. Heather Young	11,321	70-71-69-73--283		-1
38. Karrie Webb	11,321	70-71-69-73--283		-1
38. Kristy McPherson	11,321	68-68-73-74--283		-1
38. Janice Moodie	11,321	66-73-76-68--283		-1
38. In-Kyung Kim	11,321	72-70-74-67--283		-1
44. Beth Bader	8,920	68-70-73-73--284		E
44. Louise Friberg	8,920	69-69-72-74--284		E
44. Michele Redman	8,920	72-70-70-72--284		E
44. Angela Stanford	8,920	69-70-73-72--284		E
44. Cristie Kerr	8,920	68-71-73-72--284		E
44. Natalie Gulbis	8,920	69-73-71-71--284		E
50. Hee-Won Han	7,313	74-68-71-72--285	+	1
50. Mhairi McKay	7,313	63-77-73-72--285	+	1
50. Sophie Giquel	7,313	69-73-73-70--285	+	1
50. Danielle Downey	7,313	70-71-74-70--285	+	1
50. Brittany Lang	7,313	71-71-75-68--285	+	1
55. Marcy Hart	6,538	69-71-71-75--286	+	2
55. Diana D'Alessio	6,538	65-72-74-75--286	+	2
57. Sarah Kemp	5,873	70-71-72-74--287	+	3
57. Katie Futcher	5,873	69-72-72-74--287	+	3
57. Lindsey Wright	5,873	71-71-74-71--287	+	3
57. Eun-Hee Ji	5,873	66-75-75-71--287	+	3
61. Sung Ah Yim	5,374	69-71-72-76--288	+	4
61. Nicole Castrale	5,374	72-68-76-72--288	+	4
63. Catriona Matthew	5,097	69-70-71-79--289	+	5
63. Meredith Duncan	5,097	68-68-77-76--289	+	5
63. Nancy Scranton	5,097	72-70-74-73--289	+	5
66. Johanna Head	4,875	74-67-74-75--290	+	6
67. Emily Bastel	4,654	69-73-73-76--291	+	7
67. Russy Gulyanamitta	4,654	68-73-74-76--291	+	7
67. Leta Lindley	4,654	69-73-77-72--291	+	7
70. Alena Sharp	4,405	70-72-74-76--292	+	8
70. Soo-Yun Kang	4,405	68-71-78-75--292	+	8
72. Carolina Llano	4,321	68-74-75-76--293	+	9
• • •
Missed the cut
73. Reilley Rankin		71-72--143	+	1
73. Erica Blasberg		69-74--143	+	1
73. Young-A Yang		72-71--143	+	1
73. Seon Hwa Lee		69-74--143	+	1
73. Julieta Granada		72-71--143	+	1
73. Lorie Kane		71-72--143	+	1
73. Mollie Fankhauser		72-71--143	+	1
73. Nicole Perrot		69-74--143	+	1
73. Kelli Kuehne		68-75--143	+	1
73. Seo-Jae Lee		71-72--143	+	1
83. Mikaela Parmlid		67-77--144	+	2
83. Jennifer Rosales		71-73--144	+	2
83. Su A Kim		68-76--144	+	2
83. Meg Mallon		73-71--144	+	2
83. Morgan Pressel		72-72--144	+	2
83. Carin Koch		71-73--144	+	2
83. Young Kim		74-70--144	+	2
83. Jill McGill		69-75--144	+	2
83. Liz Janangelo		72-72--144	+	2
83. Amy Hung		73-71--144	+	2
83. Sherri Turner		70-74--144	+	2
94. Miriam Nagl		69-76--145	+	3
94. Yu Ping Lin		69-76--145	+	3
94. Liselotte Neumann		75-70--145	+	3
94. Minea Blomqvist		70-75--145	+	3
94. Rachel Hetherington		71-74--145	+	3
94. Wendy Ward		73-72--145	+	3
94. Moira Dunn		74-71--145	+	3
94. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc		73-72--145	+	3
94. Becky Lucidi		73-72--145	+	3
94. Shanshan Feng		74-71--145	+	3
94. Heather Daly-Donofrio		75-70--145	+	3
94. Jackie Gallagher-Smith		71-74--145	+	3
106. Ai Miyazato		71-75--146	+	4
106. Candy Hannemann		75-71--146	+	4
106. Jane Park		72-74--146	+	4
106. Michelle Wie		75-71--146	+	4
106. Michelle Ellis		72-74--146	+	4
106. Il Mi Chung		74-72--146	+	4
106. H.J. Choi		70-76--146	+	4
113. Linda Wessberg		72-75--147	+	5
113. a-Courtney Ellenbogen		70-77--147	+	5
113. Jin Joo Hong		72-75--147	+	5
113. Brandie Burton		75-72--147	+	5
113. Gloria Park		74-73--147	+	5
113. Karin Sjodin		75-72--147	+	5
119. Giulia Sergas		73-75--148	+	6
119. Karine Icher		71-77--148	+	6
119. Kate Golden		71-77--148	+	6
119. Momoko Ueda		70-78--148	+	6
119. Meaghan Francella		73-75--148	+	6
119. Eva Dahllof		76-72--148	+	6
119. Kim Hall		75-73--148	+	6
126. Angela Park		76-73--149	+	7
126. Carri Wood		74-75--149	+	7
128. Cindy Rarick		73-77--150	+	8
128. Sherri Steinhauer		75-75--150	+	8
128. Silvia Cavalleri		74-76--150	+	8
128. Vicki Goetze-Ackerman		74-76--150	+	8
132. Seol-An Jeon		76-75--151	+	9
132. Becky Iverson		74-77--151	+	9
132. Tracy Hanson		79-72--151	+	9
135. Wendy Doolan		74-78--152	+	10
136. Brittany Lincicome		74-79--153	+	11
137. Grace Park		80-74--154	+	12
137. Kris Tschetter		78-76--154	+	12
139. Charlotte Mayorkas		76-79--155	+	13
140. Dorothy Delasin		75-81--156	+	14
141. Michelle McGann		76-84--160	+	18
142. Danielle Ammaccapane		86-83--169	+	27
143. a-Sarah Turcotte		84-89--173	+	31
WD. Mi Hyun Kim		69-WD

Posted: 5/11/2008

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