Annika Rules at 2005 Mastercard Tournament

Annika Sorenstam fired a four-under 68 today to take the lead from Cristie Kerr and proclaim victory at the 2005 Mastercard Tournament from Mexico City. Karrie Webb, twice player of the year and with 32 career wins, finished in second place. “I’ve probably worked harder over the last couple of years than I have ever worked on the Tour” remarked Webb in a recent interview.

Lorena Ochoa rallied to fifth place after coming back from a 27th place tie on Friday. Ochoa, the 23-year-old darling of Mexican golf and two-time LPGA tour winner, is the first Mexican-born champion on the LPGA Tour. At the end of 2004, Ochoa made a pledge that in 2005 she would improve her position and topple number one seed Annika Sorenstam. “I think I need to remain consistent with where I am and try to shorten the distance that Annika has over me. I want to get closer and closer to give her more of a fight,” Ochoa states in a recent LPGA.com interview.

In preparing to beat the fabled Annika, Ochoa’s goals in the off-season included straightening her drives, hitting more fairways and greens and turning in lower rounds. Last year, Ochoa was ranked first in number of birdies, rounds in the 60s and rounds under par. Ochoa ranked third overall in GIR in 2004, right behind Karrie Webb and Sorenstam. If she can play consistently each week on tour and remain in a top ten spot each week, confidence will replace the pressure. Although the season has just begun, Lorena is already number fifteen on the ADT Official 2005 Money List. Annika has not yet broken through in the top thirty, but don’t count her out.

Making a top ten finish each week is difficult enough when it’s done for personal satisfaction, but how can the pressure be controlled when all of Mexico is watching and rooting for you? “It was more important just to get that win to put off all that pressure that I had from Mexico and all the media over there. It was hard for them to understand how tough it is to play on the LPGA” Ochoa states.
Pressure on the LPGA Tour is one thing; pressure to do well for your country is quite another. This is the first time in 30 years an LPGA event is being played in Mexico. A second event, The Corona Morelia Championship will also be held in Mexico this season (April 21-24).

With the first major of the season coming up this month (Kraft Nabisco Championship, March 24-27) a win this week could have taken the pressure off of Ochoa.

Annika’s round included eight birdies – including five in a row on holes two through six – to better the four bogeys she carded in windy conditions at Bosque Real Country Club. Annika, playing for the first time since filing for divorce, notched her 57th career victory, putting her 31 behind Kathy Whitworth’s 88-win record. Said Sorenstam, “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. I wanted everybody to know that I’m ready to play and ready to go.”

Second-round leader Cristie Kerr folded with a 75 in the final round. Rookie Paula Creamer finished strong with a 68 to wind up T6.

Pos  Player              Tot    R1    R2    R3    Total
1    Annika Sorenstam     -7    70    71    68     209
2    Karrie Webb          -4    71    71    70     212
T3   Hee-Won Han          -3    66    76    71     213
T3   Cristie Kerr         -3    70    68    75     213
5    Lorena Ochoa         -2    71    75    68     214
T6   Paula Creamer        -1    73    74    68     215
T6   Michele Redman       -1    73    70    72     215
T8   Helen Alfredsson      E    73    73    70     216
T8   Kim Saiki             E    71    74    71     216