Sorenstam breezes to playoff title

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- 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 make short work of Hurst, closing with a 1-under 70 for a four-shot victory and her third Open title.
No doubt, this was the sweetest.
"It's been 10 years. It's been 10 long years," Sorenstam said. "But I'm very grateful and thankful."
And there was no mistaking that silver trophy behind the 18th green, shining beneath a blazing sun over the tip of Rhode Island.
USGA officials carried it onto the green moments after Sorenstam tapped in for par to clinch the win.
Long time coming
It had been so long since her 1996 Open victory that Sorenstam didn't even remember how to hold the trophy. She clutched it awkwardly at the front of the green, the Atlantic Ocean behind her, holding it in front of her face before shifting her hands to hoist it over her right shoulder and give photographers a clear view.
The view had been muddled in recently months as Sorenstam went four months without a victory, and old rivals Karrie Webb and Se Ri Pak captured the first two majors. All it took was one week at historic Newport for Sorenstam to deliver a defiant answer about the state of her game and that so-called slump.
"To come here this week, with not such a great season and then to win is pretty ironic," Sorenstam said. "I wanted to approach it like it was any other week. I was just thinking, 'Pretend it's not the Open. Try not to think about the consequences of this tournament enjoy yourself.' "
Jumped out quickly
She was at her best in the playoff from the very first hole.
Sorenstam hit a sand wedge that landed in the first cut of rough behind the green and spun back to 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 got sloppy with a poor bunker shot on the sixth that led to bogey, Hurst was even worse. 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."
The U.S. Women's Open is by far the biggest event on the LPGA Tour, and Sorenstam figured she would pile up several titles after winning in 1995 and 1996, so dominant in her second victory that she missed only five fairways all week at Pine Needles and won by six shots.
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