Sorenstam strolls to seven-stroke LPGA triumph

AFP ©

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (AFP) - Sweden's Annika Sorenstam fired a five-under par 66 here Sunday to win the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open by seven strokes and capture the 72nd crown of her career.

Sorenstam, the former world number one who went winless last year, took her third title of the season with a 72-hole tournament-record total of 19-under par 265 to claim the 330,000-dollar top prize at the 2.2 million-dollar event.

"I feel great. The season has started very well," Sorenstam said. "It's nice to be back playing some good golf. I feel like I'm in control of the golf ball again. It's a nice feeling."

Sorenstam won for the 27th time in the past 30 events which she has led entering the final round. She began the day with a three-stroke edge and birdied four of five holes starting at the 13th before concluding with a bogey.

"This was a very special one," Sorenstam said. "I love coming here. It's a great golf course. I haven't played well here in the past. I really wanted to do something big this week."

Sorenstam did with three of her lowest four rounds in the past two years coming this week. Her four-round total matched the course record for pros set by Scott Hoch in 1996 when the Kingsmill course hosted a PGA event.

South Korean Jeong Jang, Sorenstam's nearest rival most of the day, birdied the fifth and ninth holes but ended with a bogey to fall into a four-way share of second on 272.

Also sharing second were Americans Allison Fouch and Christina Kim and Britain's Karen Stupples with Australian Katherine Hull on 273 and Taiwan's Candie Kung and Sweden's Sophie Gustafson on 274.

Sorenstam's season winnings jumped to 1.2 million dollars but she still trails world number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico by just over 300,000 dollars on the LPGA season money list.

Ochoa shared 12th on 277 after a disappointing week, firing a final-round 70.

"I'm a little frustrated. It was a long week. I didn't really get it going," she said. "It's a little bit about the speed and it breaks more than you think. It's time to go ahead to the next one. Hopefully I will have an easier week."