Ochoa wins again
Lorena Ochoa took a huge step toward dethroning Annika Sorenstam as the LPGA Tour player of the year, overwhelming her Sunday with a 7-under 65 that turned a three-shot deficit into a two-shot victory in the Samsung World Championship at Palm Desert, Calif.
Ochoa was relentless at the start, a little lucky in the middle and solid down the stretch at Bighorn to win for the second straight week and fifth time this year, tops on the LPGA Tour and almost enough to wrap up the points-based award that Sorenstam has captured the last five seasons.
Trailing by two shots at the turn, Ochoa hit a 60-foot putt on the 10th hole that banged into the back of the cup, hopped out briefly and then dropped back in the hole for a birdie that turned into a two-shot swing when Sorenstam made bogey from a bunker.
The 24-year-old Ochoa, the winner last week in her native Mexico, stood on the green in mild shock, then smiled and shook her head.
Sorenstam, who closed with a 70, must have felt like she had seen that all day. Ochoa took only 28 putts in the final round.
Ochoa matched the best score of the tournament. Juli Inkster earlier posted a 65, which was 10 shots better than her playing partner, Michelle Wie. The 17-year-old from Hawaii had more trouble in the desert and finished with a 75, her worst score on the LPGA Tour this year and her eighth consecutive round without breaking par.
Wie finished 17th in the 20-player field.
Ochoa earned $218,750, pushing her season total over $2.3 million. Sorenstam or Karrie Webb would have to win their final two tournaments of the year to keep Ochoa from winning player of the year.
PGA Tour
At Las Vegas, consistently hitting his approach shots close and remaining cool and collected on the tense final holes, rookie Troy Matteson shot a 3-under 69 to win the Frys.com Open for his first PGA Tour victory.
Matteson, the three-time All-American from Georgia Tech who had to complete the last six holes of the rain-delayed third round early in the morning before beginning the final round, held off Ben Crane and Daniel Chopra by one shot.
Matteson finished at 22-under 265. Crane, a two-time winner on the tour, shot a 65, and Chopra, left looking for his first victory, had a 66.
The 26-year-old Matteson won twice last year on the Nationwide Tour and broke the developmental tour’s money record with $495,009. His initial tour win wrapped up a three-week stretch when he was edging toward the top, with a tie for eighth in Mississippi earlier this month, and a tie for sixth last week in Greensboro.
Playing in the final group with Chopra and nursing a one-shot lead, Matteson stuck his second shot on the 444-yard, par-4 18th within 8 feet of the pin. After Chopra missed his birdie try from 18 feet, Matteson needed only to two-putt. He barely missed the first, then tapped in for the victory.
Champions Tour
At Spring, Texas, Jay Haas won his sixth career Champions Tour title when rain forced the cancellation of the final round of the Administaff Small Business Classic.
Haas shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday to take five-stroke lead at 17-under 128. He earned $240,000 for his fourth victory of the year and also passed Loren Roberts in the Charles Schwab Cup points race. Bruce Lietzke and Tom Purtzer tied for second.
It was the second week in a row a Champions Tour event ended after two rounds. Tom Jenkins won the rain-shortened SAS Championship last week in North Carolina.
China Masters
At Sanya, China, Retief Goosen successfully defended his China Masters title, shooting a 1-under 71 to beat Michael Campbell by three strokes.