SORENSTAM IS TRUE TO HER GAME.

Byline: DAVE SHELBURNE Golf

She is the best LPGA player of her generation and perhaps ever, but Annika Sorenstam hardly dominated the reports of her charge to an eight-stroke victory in last week's Samsung World Championship.

The 64-time tour winner - well on her way, at age 35, to breaking that tour's all-time win record of 88 and maybe even making a run at 100 tour victories - yielded much of the limelight early and late to the future of her tour.

Hawaiian-born 10th grader Michelle Wie, appropriately enough, commanded much of the first-round attention, even though tournament leader Sorenstam finished six shots better and came within a final-hole lipout of an opening 63.

Wie, after all, was making her professional debut at the age of 16, having already demonstrated the ability to drive a golf ball 300 yards, having already played in a PGA Tour event as an amateur and having already signed endorsement deals worth a reported $10 million annually.

When apparent fourth-place finisher Wie was disqualified late Sunday - for an improper penalty drop after hitting into a bush on Saturday - Sorenstam again wound up second in media reports, despite winning for the eighth time in 17 LPGA starts this year.

Sorenstam has no problem with any of that, which probably has a lot to do with why she is the best player on her tour - she remains focused on what she is attempting to do, not others' prioritizing of it.

``I don't think I need to send a statement to anyone, especially not myself,'' she said after her win at Bighorn, when asked if the tour's burgeoning youth movement had inspired her to demonstrate who is No. 1.

``I know what I've achieved,'' said Sorenstam, who sounded more interested in what she hoped to yet accomplish.

``I have some high goals ahead of me, and I hope to achieve them as well.''

Having addressed the focus issue, Sorenstam admitted she relished the way her tour is turning out so many top young players.

``I love the competition, I love the challenge,'' she said after becoming the first player to win the tournament five times. There is no doubt about it that I wanted to play well this week.''

But not because she wanted to make a statement: ``You know, the reason of winning this tournament the fifth time is a big reason to play well,'' she said. ``Getting a chance to win Player of the Year eight times, I believe no one else has done that. Also working on the scoring average (she leads the tour again this year after establishing the lowest average in LPGA history last year).

``I wanted to finish this year the way I started it,'' said Sorenstam, who won her first three 2005 starts and six of her first eight. And, again, hopefully, I can continue for a few more years. I know the young ones are going to take over eventually. There's no doubt about it.''

But, Sorenstam said, she loves the position she is in and is not going to let it go easily, and if that belief is a statement of sorts, so be it.

``I'm here and I can play, and I can play against anyone.'' Sorenstam said. ``I've proved that to myself over and over again.''

--Names in the game: Tommy Barber of Burbank and Paul Holtby of Simi Valley and former Cal State Northridge golfer Mantor Hays came up short in a first-stage PGA Tour qualifying tournament held last week at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West.

Barber, the 2002 Los Angeles City champion who was making his second attempt at the PGA Tour, missed moving on to the second stage by seven shots. He finished 75-68-72-78-293 to tie for 37th at the Norman course, where three players tied at 21st for the final qualifying score of 286.

Hays, who won the Southern California Mid-Amateur Championship last year, shot 71-73-72-78-294, tying for 43rd in a competition won by Ben Hays at 66-68-70-72-276.

Holtby, who has played as a qualifier in the PGA Tour's Buick Invitational in San Diego and Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades this year and last, tied for 58th at the Norman course, shooting 81-74-72-77-304.

Holtby, a teacher at the Tom Barber Golf Center in Moorpark, was the Southern California PGA section Player of the Year in 1998 and is a surviving player on ``Big Break IV,'' a taped-for-television elimination series running on The Golf Channel and featuring players from the United States and Europe. ...

Stevenson Ranch resident Bob Burns, the former Kennedy High of Granada Hills standout and NCAA Division II champion at CSUN, is in the field for Nov. 16-19 second-stage play at the Bayonet Golf Course at Fort Ord in Seaside.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

ANNIKA SORENSTAM

Box:

ON THE GREEN

BY DAVE SHELBURNE