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| America’s Pat Hurst to face Annika |
After long birdie putts on the two previous holes, Sorenstam missed a par saving putt from 7 feet on the 17th hole and the players were square as they stood on the 18th tee, the hole which had played the most difficult during the final round. After both players made regulation pars, they finished two shots clear of three players including last month’s LPGA Championship winner Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie and Stacey Prammanasudh.
This is the third major championship in women’s golf this year and also the third major that will be decided in a playoff. However, the Kraft Nabisco Championship and McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, were only extended one extra hole.
Karrie Webb birdied the first hole of sudden death at the Kraft Nabisco Championship to beat Lorena Ochoa and was then returned some of her own medicine at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, as Se Ri Pak had a tap-in birdie on the first playoff hole to beat the Australian and win the second major of the year.
Monday’s 18-hole playoff will be Annika Sorenstam’s 20th playoff of her illustrious career. The 35-year-old owns a 14-5 record in playoffs with two of those wins coming at the expense of Pat Hurst. Sorenstam beat Hurst in sudden-death playoffs at the 1997 ITT LPGA Tour Championship (Lorie Kane was also in the playoff) and the 2000 Welch’s/Circle K Championship. Sorenstam has won her last two playoffs (against Lorena Ochoa at the 2005 Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola and against Cristie Kerr at the 2004 ADT Championship) and her last playoff loss came at the hands of Rachel Hetherington at the 2003 Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. Hurst is 0-3 in playoffs.
INTERNATIONAL SCOREBOARD
US Women’s Open Championship
29 June – 2 July, 2006
Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island
6,616 yards Par 71
Ladies European Tour players:
Winner: 18 hole playoff between Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst on Monday at 9am US ET.
T10 Sophie Gustafson 72, 72, 71, 78=293
19th Catriona Matthew 74, 76, 72, 73=295
T20 Karen Stupples 78, 72, 70, 76=296
T24 Shani Waugh 77,72,73,75=297
T28 Suzann Pettersen 73, 74, 75, 76=298
T28 Carin Koch 74, 73, 73, 78=298
T28 Becky Morgan 70, 74, 77, 77=298
T41 Maria Hjorth 74, 75, 73, 78=300
T55 Karine Icher 73, 77, 79, 74=303
T57 Diana Luna 77, 73, 77 ,77=304
68th Lynnette Brooky 75,75,76,85=311
Missed the cut:
Minea Blomqvist 73,78=131
Veronica Zorzi 73,78=131
Helen Alfredsson 79,73=152
Iben Tinning 74, 80=154
Laura Davies 78, 77=155
Nadina Light 76, 81=157
Mhairi McKay 80, 80=160
