Sorenstam's lead grows to 10 at Chick-fil-A

Her 60th tour victory is all but assured.
STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam muttered something under her breath after a poor chip. She missed a couple of short putts. She nearly put her ball in the water after getting a little too cautious off the tee.
OK, so Sorenstam isn't perfect.
But a slip-up here and there won't stop the inevitable.
Sorenstam stretched her lead to a staggering 10 strokes Saturday, virtually assuring her 60th career LPGA Tour victory with another round to go at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship.
Only two players in LPGA Tour history have rallied from such a daunting deficit on the final day, and they just happen to be two of the best in women's golf history -- Sorenstam in 2001 and Mickey Wright in 1964.
"I have come from 10 shots behind in one day and won a tournament," Sorenstam pointed out. "So it has happened."
But she's the one in front this time, and she doesn't have anyone nearly so impressive behind her. This will be the 60th time Sorenstam has gone to the final round with a lead, and she's claimed 39 of her wins from that position.
"You've got to play your own game," she said. "It's nice to have a lead, but sometimes it's easy to get too protective, and then you suddenly see your lead start to shrink, and then all of a sudden you start to panic."
History
Sorenstam still remembers letting a five-stroke advantage get away at the 2001 State Farm Classic, even though she closed with a 70.
"When I walked off the 18th hole then, I was totally disappointed," she said. "I told myself, 'I'm never going to do that again.' "
It's not likely to happen this week. Despite her first bogeys of the tournament -- she had three -- Sorenstam managed a 5-under 67 that extended her six-stroke lead at the halfway point and gave her an 18-under 198.
Silvia Cavalleri put up the best score of the day, 65, but that was only good enough to pull within 11 strokes of Sorenstam. Emilee Klein shot 68 and was the closest challenger at 208.
Margin of victory
With a fourth straight stellar round, she's got a chance for another record -- largest margin of victory. Cindy Mackey holds the mark with a 14-stroke runaway at the MasterCard International Pro-Am in 1986.
"I just want to win the tournament," Sorenstam said. "That's all that matters to me."
Still, she's putting on quite a show, just one week after being denied a record sixth straight victory. The 60th victory would tie Patty Berg for third place on the career list, leaving only Kathy Whitworth (88 wins) and Wright (82) to chase down.
"Of course, I'm thinking about it," Sorenstam conceded. "I've got to go out there and do the work. There aren't going to be any shortcuts."
The rest of the field could use a shortcut.
"She just doesn't make any mistakes," said Cavalleri, who played with Sorenstam the first two rounds. "Obviously, finishing behind Annika would already be good. She is so far ahead."
Sorenstam sent any early message to those who hoped she would fall back to the pack: forget about it. At the par-5 second hole, she knocked a 4-wood to 28 feet and sank the eagle putt.
Two holes later, Sorenstam made her first bogey of the tournament, snapping a streak of 39 straight with par or better. A three-putt -- the second miss coming from just 3 feet -- left her one hole shy of tying Rosie Jones for the longest bogey-free streak of the year.
But Sorenstam bounced right back with three birdies on the front side, taking advantage of her strength off the tee at the par-5 sixth and the 306-yard seventh, a short par 4 on which her drive landed just short of the green. Both times, a two-putt was good enough for birdie.