Newport, R.I. – Annika Sorenstam kept trying to convince herself the U.S. Women’s Open was just another tournament, despite reminders at every turn how much it meant and how long it had been since she won.
Tiger Woods kept calling her through the weekend to cheer her on. Every shot demanded so much thought. Then came the 18-hole playoff Monday against Pat Hurst, which turned out to be the easiest task Sorenstam faced at Newport Country Club.
By seizing control from the start, Sorenstam built a big lead early and made short work of Hurst, closing with a 1-under-par 70 for a four-shot victory and her third Open title.
“It’s been 10 years. It’s been 10 long years,” Sorenstam said. “But I’m very grateful and thankful.”
Sorenstam was at her best in the playoff from the first hole. She hit a sand wedge that landed in the first cut of rough behind the green and spun back to within 6 feet for birdie, which turned into a two-shot lead when Hurst’s wedge was heavy and spun off the green. Hurst left her first putt 10 feet short, didn’t even get her par putt to the hole and it was all downhill from there.
Sorenstam added another birdie at No. 3, and even when the 35-year-old Swede got sloppy with a poor bunker shot on the sixth that led to bogey, Hurst was even worst. She jabbed at a 3-foot putt that lipped out for double bogey.
“It hurts,” Hurst said. “You don’t know how many more chances you’re going to have.”
Sorenstam won her 10th major championship, tied with Babe Zaharias for fourth all-time, and now she’s only five majors behind Patty Berg for most in LPGA Tour history. Sorenstam has won a major in each of the past six years, the second-longest streak in LPGA history behind Mickey Wright.
“This was important,” said her swing coach, Henri Reis, who flew over from Sweden to work on a stronger grip for Sorenstam, then watched her miss only three fairways and four greens in the playoff.
Sorenstam had gone eight tournaments without winning, her longest drought in five years. She lost a 54-hole lead at one event, missed the cut in another and wasn’t a serious threat in the first two majors.
“I didn’t make any putts. That was what probably kept me back,” Hurst said. “If I could have made some putts, it would have been closer, I could have put pressure on her.”
Sorenstam won for the 68th time in her career, leaving her 20 short of Kathy Whitworth’s all-time record. She earned $560,000 from the biggest prize in women’s golf, pushing her to more than $20 million for her career.
Hurst dropped to 0-4 in career playoffs, with three of those losses coming to Sorenstam. She knew it was over on the 17th hole, and she walked up the final fairway, she turned to Sorenstam and asked her for an autographed golf ball.
“She’s a class act in women’s golf, and she’s very good for us,” Hurst said. “Someone like that, you want them on your side.”
Double-figure major figure Annika Sorenstam, who won her 10th major Monday
with a playoff victory over Pat Hurst, has won
six of the past 14 women’s majors. Her titles:
Kraft Nabisco Championship: 2001, 2002, 2005
LPGA Championship: 2003, 2004, 2005
U.S. Women’s Open: 1995, 1996, 2006
Women’s British Open: 2003
