Annika Sorenstam joined Mickey Wright as the only golfers - male or female - to successfully defend three majors after her victory at the LPGA Championship in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday.
Wright won back-to-back in all four major events during the late 1950s and early 1960s. And Sorenstam, who finished at 13-under 271 and earned $240,000 at the weekend, can match her by winning the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale this summer.
"Majors mean so much to me," said the Swede after her three-stroke triumph over Korean Shi Hyun Ahn secured a seventh career major title and her fourth victory of the season. Rankings released yesterday also showed that the win pushed Sorenstam’s earnings for the year over $1million.
Sorenstam, forced to play 36 holes on Sunday, set a 54-hole tournament record at 14-under-par 199 as she built a six-shot lead. But she followed a double-bogey at the ninth hole with two bogeys as the margin dwindled to two strokes.
She recovered with birdies at the 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th and could even afford a bogey at the 18th. "This one feels great," said Sorenstam, who compiled rounds of 64 and 72. "I played really well in the morning, but for some reason it started to slip away. I’m very glad I turned it around."
Posted by Ron at June 13, 2004 10:20 PM