Sorenstam ready for majors
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Annika Sorenstam warmed up for the next two LPGA majors and got another tournament title in the process.
Rallying from a slow start, Sorenstam shot a 7-under par 64 in the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Sunday, good enough for a four-stroke victory. In the next three weeks, she'll be playing in the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open.
"Coming into next week, I could not have gotten a better preparation," Sorenstam said. "I feel like I'm putting the ball well."
Given her sterling 17-under performance in the Classic, the world's best woman golfer might not need any help.
She finished this one in style, hitting a 38-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 18th hole to clinch her victory over Juli Inkster.
Sorenstam trailed Inkster after one round, and the two shared the lead after 36 holes. The Swede overtook Inkster when it counted most, rallying from an unremarkable start with near-flawless iron play and precise putting.
She won the Classic for the third time and claimed the $210,000 winner's share. Inkster closed with a 68 and was 13 under. Catriona Matthew (64) and Laura Davies (68) were five strokes back at 12 under.
What began as a duel between Sorenstam and fellow Hall of Famer Inkster quickly included Davies, who shot a tournament-record 62 on Saturday and opened with three straight birdies to take the lead at 12 under
Sorenstam, who made par on her first three holes, didn't make any great shots but didn't make any early mistakes, either. She stayed out of trouble, taking advantage of her birdie opportunities when Inkster and Davies started to struggle.
Sorenstam made a 28-footer for birdie at No. 9 to take the lead at 12 under, flashing a smile, raising her arms up over her head and waving to the crowd after pulling the ball out of the hole.
But the push was just starting. On the next hole, she sent her second shot over the green, but holed a 21-foot birdie putt from the back fringe to pick up another stroke.
"She doesn't make any mistakes," Inkster said. "She's just very consistent."
Sorenstam added birdies on Nos. 13 and 17 and then made the eagle putt on the par-5 closing hole to punctuate the win, capping a bogey-free round.
When it dropped, the sun-drenched crowd in the bleachers and skyboxes surrounding the green roared. Sorenstam kissed her putter and raised her hands in triumph. She hugged her caddie and then walked toward playing partner Inkster and stuck out her hands, palms up, as if to say "I can't help it."
"I was just steady the whole day and I think that was the key," Sorenstam said.
It was the sixth consecutive tournament Sorenstam won after leading or sharing the lead heading into the final round.
DUBLIN, Ohio - Bart Bryant was the last player on anyone's mind at the Memorial, even his own.He was among four players tied for the lead going into the final round, and figured someone would shoot a 67 or 68 at Muirfield Village and get an audience with tournament host Jack Nicklaus."I just didn't know it would be me," he said after a one-shot victory over Fred Couples.Couples and David Toms were in the final group behind him, with 26 victories and two majors between them. He played with former PGA champion Jeff Sluman. Tiger Woods was a few groups ahead of him."Those guys have been there a lot," Bryant said. "I thought I might just throw my guts out. Laying in bed last night, it was just a total mystery to me. Would I go out and be confident, trust my swing? Or would I just get so nervous I wouldn't play? I didn't know."By the end of a muggy afternoon at Muirfield Village, there were no questions.Bryant was the only player from the last four groups who played the back nine without a bogey. Despite the ground shaking from such raucous cheering for the ever-popular Couples, the 42-year-old Texan never got rattled.All he did was birdie three of his last five holes, and win the Memorial with an unlikely par after hitting in a hazard.Bryant, who closed with a 4-under 68 to finish at 272, won $990,000 and got an exemption into the U.S. Open for winning twice on the PGA Tour since last May; the Memorial was the cutoff for that category.His victory earned him a return trip to Kapalua for the Mercedes Championships. It allowed him to think about the Presidents Cup, having moved up to 15th in the U.S. standings.Best of all, though, was the handshake from Nicklaus when it was over.
POLK CITY, Iowa - Tom Jenkins heard something from his golf coach at the University of Houston a long time ago and took it to heart."When you think you've got the game mastered, that's the time you need to work the hardest," Jenkins said, repeating what Dave Williams told him.With that in mind, Jenkins figures it's time to go to work.He got his first Champions Tour victory in more than a year Sunday when he beat D.A. Weibring on the second hole of a playoff to win the Allianz Championship. Now he wants another."I never have won more than one event in a year on the Champions Tour," Jenkins said. "And it's been my goal after I've won out here to try to keep winning again. Certainly I'm going to try to do that this year."Jenkins' sixth victory on the seniors tour certainly was one to remember. He was sensational on the back nine, knocking in birdies on four of six holes during one stretch to move into the lead, then kept his composure after missing a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 17 that would have enabled him to win in the regulation 54 holes.Back at 17 for the second playoff hole, Jenkins was looking at a 5-footer for birdie and the victory after Weibring had missed from 10 feet. This time, he rolled it in, breaking into a smile of relief when the ball slid over the left edge of the cup."It's always great to have a second chance," Jenkins said. "Just like the Champions Tour is a great second chance. The whole key is taking advantage of your second chances."D.A. missed his putt and gave me a second chance. You've got to take advantage of it or get beat."Jenkins and Weibring finished regulation play on the wind-swept Tournament Club of Iowa at 9-under 204, Jenkins closing with a 67 and Weibring a 66.
