Annika Sorenstam nearly holed her third shot on the par-five 18th, then lipped out a nine-foot birdie attempt to give Angela Stanford a one-stroke victory on Sunday at the inaugural Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Sorenstam, making her second-to-last start before she leaves the LPGA Tour, holed out from a bunker for birdie on the par-three 16th to get to 12-under - a stroke behind Stanford - but settled for pars on the final two holes. On the 18th, her wedge shot rolled just by the side of the cup as it spun back down the green.
"I certainly had a chance today, but Angela played very well," Sorenstam said. "As you know, she really didn't make too many mistakes and made a few birdies there both on 10 and what was it, 11. I was tracing her all day, but I never gave up, kept on fighting and I had a chance to force a playoff. Obviously, I was disappointed with that, but overall I thought it was a great tournament and I really tried."
Stanford two-putted for par on 18 before Sorenstam missed her birdie try.
"I had done such a good job all day of staying in the moment and kind of prepared myself for the playoff," Stanford said. "I would have been a little nervous in that playoff just because it's Annika. There was a moment there where I thought, 'Hmmm, I'd rather not have a playoff'."
Stanford, the Bell Micro LPGA Classic winner in September, closed with a three-under 69. She had a 13-under 275 total on the Guadalajara Country Club course and earned US$200,000 for her third LPGA Tour title.
The Texan has five straight top-five finishes.
Sorenstam, the 72-time LPGA Tour winner coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago in China in a Ladies European Tour event, also finished with a 69. She tied for second with Brittany Lang, the former Duke star who shot a course-record 65.
"I had some really good shots coming in," Sorenstam said. "The bunker shot on 15, I thought, was very good, a nice save and then, of course, the hole out on 16 was a magical shot. I always collect shots and I call them my library shots, and that's the shot I'm going to keep in my library for bunker shots, that was one of my all-times."
Ochoa shot a 70 to tie for 14th at four-under.
"I want to congratulate Angela on her victory," the home favorite said. "She has been playing very well this year. We have been good friends for some time and I'm very happy that she won this event."
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily November 18, 2008)
