Tuesday March 29, 2005

The ‘Soren-Slam’ bid begins

RANCHO MIRAGE (California): Sweden's Annika Sorenstam made an overpowering start to her Grand Slam bid here on Sunday, winning the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship by eight strokes for her eighth major title.

Serving notice that she has the skill to achieve her goal of a “Soren-Slam” this season, Sorenstam achieved her largest victory margin in a major and matched an LPGA record with her fifth consecutive triumph.

“I just had one of those great weeks where everything went my way,” she said. “I'm getting better and better at every part of the game, and it's all coming together.

“I felt good. I felt calm. Hit some good shots. Got some good bounces. I've been driving down the street and it has been green lights. Good music on the radio. You name it. Everything has been perfect.

“I'll remember this Easter weekend for a long time.”

Sorenstam fired a four-under par 68 final round at the US$1.8mil event to finish 72 holes on 15-under par 273, winning here for the third time and leaving American runner-up Rosie Jones in awe.

“She played awesome,” Jones said. “She's just really hot, really on.”

Sorenstam, who has won 59 career titles, matched the 1978 record win streak of Nancy Lopez, a retired American who rates Sorenstam ahead of Tiger Woods.

“I don't think anybody in the sports world gives her enough credit for what she has done and what she's accomplished,” Lopez said. “I think really and truly she's better than Tiger Woods.

“I think she will be in the winner's circle again and again and again until somebody steps up and takes her out of there. Tiger, he was awesome. He has won and played great golf, but I just don't think he dominated the way she has.”

Sorenstam would not say where she would play next, wanting a rest break before contemplating a possible record-smashing sixth tourney title in a row and what she must do to enhance her chances for a sweep of the major titles.

“One of the big factors is it is spread out through the whole season,” she said. “You've got to play well in March, May, June and maybe August. Talking about peaking at certain times of the year, that's not always so easy.

“And everybody wants to win majors. Someone is going to be hot somewhere and it's going to be difficult. You just have to be so precise and you need good breaks, good momentum and some weeks you just don't have it.”

Sorenstam birdied three of the first five holes, just in case a rival thought about making a challenge, and finished with 12 pars and a birdie at the par-5 11th to complete an overwhelming display of superior skills.

“I felt like I was in control all week and obviously that helps,” Sorenstam said. “There are tournaments where I've hit the ball better, but overall this is probably as solid as I've played in a long time.

“That was the key. The momentum kept going. I never had to worry.”

The Swedish star capped her triumph with a traditional swim in a lake near the 18th green along with her mother, sister and caddie.

Then Sorenstam admitted that the victory was much sweeter after a similar push for a Grand Slam last year died at this first step in the quest.

“I want to get to 10. Now I'm on eight. I'm on my way,” Sorenstam said.

“Last year, I told everyone what my goals were and then I didn't get to come in here and hold the trophy or be so aking wet. So my goal went down the tubes. Now I'm here, I'm soaking wet and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Sorenstam's bid for a Grand Slam continues in June with the LPGA Championship and US Women's Open. If she can complete that double, the Women's British Open could see Sorenstam go for another piece of golf history.

“It is one of my goals. But first things first. This is a very important tournament,” she said. “So far this year has started great. I couldn't have asked for a better start to the season. I'm smiling a lot.”

The title's US$270,000 top prize lifted Sorenstam, who also won here in 2001 and 2002, into third place on the all-time career win list and fifth place on the all-time major win list.

Her US$16mil in career money is already five million dollars better than her nearest rival.

One LPGA record that appears to be safe from Sorenstam is Kathy Whitworth's mark of 88 career titles.

“To me that has always seemed so far ahead,” Sorenstam said. “I've won now 59 times and I have another 29 left, 30 left? It's amazing. So that's not really a goal of mine, not right now anyway.”

Americans Laura Diaz and Cristie Kerr shared third on 283, one stroke ahead of South Koreans Kim Mi-hyun and Grace Park. – AFP

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