By IANS
Hawaii (US) : Annika Sorenstam of Sweden claimed her 70th Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LPGA) Tour title and first since September 2006 with victory in the season-opening SBS Open here at Turtle Bay Resort.
Sorenstam birdied two of the last three holes Saturday for a three-under 69 and registered a two-stroke victory.
“My clubs have done the talking this week. I’m obviously very, very thrilled. There are some tournaments that mean a little bit more and they come at a special time. I would say this is one of them for many reasons,” the 37-year-old Swede said after her triumph.
Sorenstam revealed that in 2006 September, one of her friend had come prepared with a bottle of wine when she won her 69th title.
“It’s mature now! It’s probably even better,” she joked, after a final round 69, which gave her a 10-under par total of 206 in the three-round event.
“I played solid golf for three days. That’s what I love to do, just play good golf. In a way, I was kind of protecting the lead, and I didn’t really feel comfortable. I felt almost more stress, than just playing good golf and seeing what happened.”
However, the victory was not a cakewalk for Sorenstam as she had to face challenges from all quarters, until she rattled home successive birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to ensure the title.
For the second place, there was a three-way tie between Laura Diaz and Jane Park of the US and Thailand’s Russamee Gulyanamitta.