SORENSTAM SHUTS THE DOOR TOP WOMEN'S GOLFER SECURES VICTORY WITH TWO LATE BIRDIES.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer Annika Sorenstam gave her opposition plenty of hope again Sunday. But hope was all they got and there was never really enough of that. The top-ranked women's golfer in the world punctuated an inconsistent - for her - tournament with birdies on the final two holes of a 1-under-par closing round of 71 to win the Office Depot Championship The Office Depot Championship was an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It took place every year from 1997 through 2005 at various sites in the South Carolina and in the Los Angeles area. by four strokes. ``I hung in there and kept trying,'' said Sorenstam after a 54-hole competition in which she produced nearly as many bogeys (11) as birdies (12) but also punched out two first-round eagles during a four-hole burst that got her under par to stay in a tournament where few players even reached par. Sorenstam played in red numbers the final 50 holes at difficult El Caballero cab·al·le·ro n. pl. cab·al·le·ros 1. A Spanish gentleman; a cavalier. 2. A man who is skilled in riding and managing horses; a horseman. Country Club in Tarzana, finishing 5 under par at 68-72-71-211 to secure her 52nd career victory worldwide. Heather Bowie (73), Pat Hurst Pat Hurst (born May 23, 1969) is an American golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Hurst's father is American and her mother is originally from Japan. She was born in San Leandro, California and raised in California. (72) and defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Se Ri Pak Se Ri Pak (born September 28 1977 in Daejeon) is a South Korean professional golfer, playing on the LPGA Tour. She will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007. Career overview Pak turned professional in 1996. (71) wound up four shots back at 1-under 215. Michele Redman Michele Redman (born April 15 1965 in Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.) is an American golfer. Michele attended Zanesville High School where she played on the varsity boy's golf team. (70-216) was the only other player to finish as low as par. Before Sorenstam collected her first-place check of $225,000, all three of her closest pursuers had their chance to catch or pass her. Bowie, who wound up with her best tour finish, shared the lead at 4 under late Saturday before falling back with bogeys on her last two holes in that round. Pak got within a shot of Sorenstam late Sunday, midway between bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 that dropped her two shots off the lead. Hurst, whose 68 on Saturday matched Sorenstam's Friday total for best round of the tournament, got within a stroke early Sunday, when Sorenstam bogeyed her first two holes. But Sorenstam, as she has done throughout the tournament, kept coming up with big shots or big breaks when needed. She followed her bogey-bogey start Sunday with three consecutive birdies on holes 5-7 to pull away from Hurst, who was just completing a stretch of three consecutive bogeys. And when Pak seemed ready to complete a three-day rally that had brought her back from 5 over after 11 holes Friday, her back-to-back final-round bogeys on 15 and 16 gave Sorenstam breathing room she soon expanded with her closing birdies. None of it was totally unexpected by her opposition, which has been chasing Sorenstam through two of the best back-to-back seasons in LPGA LPGA abbr. Ladies Professional Golf Association history, a stretch in which the 32-year-old Swedish standout won 19 tour events. ``I saw her a couple of times on the scoreboard,'' Pak said of Sorenstam's early troubles Sunday. ``But I knew she was going to play well anyhow an·y·how adv. 1. In whatever way or manner; however: I'll cook it anyhow you like. They came anyhow they could  by boat, train, or plane. . The way she was playing the last couple of years, she is never going to give up that easy.'' That was about the way Sorenstam viewed her entire inconsistent week: ``I'm just totally relieved,'' she said afterward. ``I mean, I fought so hard today and over the last three days. You know my game hasn't been on top, but unconscious I fought through everything. ... I kept trying and trying and, you know, now I can breathe and enjoy this.'' Bowie was enjoying it, too, after going from a missed cut at last year's Office Depot Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) is one of the world's leading suppliers of office products and services. The Company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, to the best finish of her three-year LPGA career, ``There is a big difference between second and third,'' the 1997 NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association champion said. ``So it definitely feels better than three thirds.'' She accomplished her share of second with one of the best putts of the day on No. 17, holing out from 30 feet after leaving her ball against the fringe of the downslope n. 1. a downward slope. Noun 1. downslope - a downward slope or bend declivity, declination, declension, fall, decline, descent downhill - the downward slope of a hill rough. Hurst wasn't that surprised at struggles by even the best player on the tour, given the difficulty of El Cab. ``This course is tough, and if you are not on your A-game, it can come up and bite you, and that's what it did the first two holes,'' Hurst said. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Annika Sorenstam claimed her 52nd career victory by winning the Office Depot Championship with a closing round of 71. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer Box: SCORES |
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