WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - There's no great secret to getting to the top of the LPGA Tour these days. Just beat Annika Sorenstam.

Easier said than done.

Sorenstam has already tied Nancy Lopez's LPGA record with five straight victories, and she's going for No. 6 this week at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill.

"She has raised the bar for women's golf," rookie Paula Creamer said Wednesday. "If you're going to win, you have to beat Annika. That's the bottom line right now."

Sorenstam has had stretches of dominance before. This is, after all, a woman with 59 victories, including eight majors, in 11-plus seasons. She even made a run at Lopez's winning streak before, winning four straight in 2001 before finishing in a tie for 43rd at the rain-shortened Longs Drugs Challenge.

But this stretch is something really special. She's played her last 43 rounds at par or better. She's beaten the best the LPGA Tour has to offer. She's won running away, coming from behind and in a playoff.

And she's having a blast doing it. While other players might feel burdened by the pressure and attention that comes with chasing a milestone, Sorenstam is reveling in it.

"I love it," she said, a grin splashing across her face. "That is what keeps me motivated and going. I love the chance. It has a meaning other than just trying to finish good in a week. That I can make history, I love that. That is fun pressure."

Sorenstam's march on history hasn't generated quite the same buzz as Tiger Woods did when he won six straight PGA Tour events at the end of the 1999 season and the start of 2000. Part of that might be its timing. Sorenstam's run has been an extended one. She started her streak back in November, at the Mizuno Classic.

After her last victory, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she took the last five weeks off. She worked on her game some, but most of her time was spent at home, relaxing with family and friends.

"If I play six or five in a row, could I do it? I am not sure," she said. "For me, it is important to be fresh. I enjoy some time off, then I come back here and I am excited to be here."

So how does the rest of the tour keep up?

Sorenstam has always been intensely competitive, driven to win every time she steps on the course. But she's grown more patient with each season, realizing she doesn't have to win a tournament on Thursday. She's also gotten more confident. If she has a bad round, especially early, she knows she has time to turn it around.

Her experience in the circus-like atmosphere when she played on the PGA Tour at Colonial helps, too, especially in majors or tournaments where there's a lot at stake, like this week.

"I dealt with it before, and I know how to react," she said. "Now I am on my tour, I know what I am doing here. I know this golf course, and bottom line is I have got to play some good golf. You need some good breaks. You need some momentum. If I have that, I am going to do my best to do it.

"Winning is contagious," she added. "I'd like to continue to do that."

Asked what it will take to beat her, Meg Mallon laughed.

"A 65 on Sunday helps," said Mallon, who shot that to overtake Sorenstam at the U.S. Women's Open last year. "It's definitely a challenge, and something you like to see. When you win out here, you hope it's against the best."

These days, that's Sorenstam.

While Sorenstam takes great pride in everything she's accomplished, she's not satisfied, either. Her goal again this year is to win all four majors, and she's already got one.

She's constantly working on her game, often incorporating tips from good friend Tiger Woods. She switched to a new set of irons at Kraft Nabisco, and has yet another set this week.

Golf is also something of a refuge these days, giving her something positive to think about as she goes through a divorce.

"I am fortunate that I have something I enjoy doing," she said. "I am throwing myself into golf. I am happy about that, something that's been in my life and going well. That's the way I deal with it, thinking about the good stuff."