Annika Sorenstam's post-Colonial slump is over.
The Swede who so dominated women's golf she played a men's tournament but missed the cut, completed a career Grand Slam of women's majors on Sunday, winning an elusive British Open and underlining why she's still No. 1 in the game.
The women's game, that is.
PHOTO: AP
She did it by taking the title from one of her biggest rivals, Karrie Webb, and winning a thrilling head-to-head duel with another, Pak Se-ri.
Avoiding all but one of the 198 bunkers and going for consistency rather than flamoyance, Sorenstam carded a final round 70 for a 10-under total of 278 at Lytham St. Annes to edge Pak by one stroke.
Playing partners, the Swede and the Korean had spent the first 17 holes matching birdie for birdie until Pak found a bunker at the last and bogeyed for a 72.
PHOTO: AP
"I am thrilled," said Sorenstam, who was British Open runner up three times in 1994, 1995 and 1999. "I have been wanting to win the tournament for so long and been close. I can't believe it.
"I've won another major, and now I've won all the four, so all my goals are coming true."
Sorenstam said a season Grand Slam was her next goal.
"It's really a possibility. I have played eight majors in the last two years and had chance to win seven of them. It's been that close," said the Swede who managed to stay out of trouble for four days while her opponents hacked around in the sand or got tangled up in the clinging rough. "I have proved to myself I can win all four majors."
She has a total of six major titles in 56 tournament victories which include five this season. She joins Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb on the list of players who have won career Grand Slams.
What's more, Sorenstam, who was two shots back going into the final round and four behind at half way, proved that her mentally draining visit to the men's PGA Tour when she played the Colonial in May was now a distant memory.
It had even helped her win the latest two of her six majors, she said.
"I think I have become a better player since Colonial for different reasons. I have experienced a lot of pressure and that's what you experience on a day like today," said Sorenstam who pulled out of the Canadian Open after six holes through exhaustion she put down to playing the men's event seven weeks earlier.
Sorenstam made just three birdies in her 2-under round. She reached the greens in two at two par 5s, the 474-yard sixth and the 465-yard 11th, and two-putted from 30 feet and chipped to a foot at the 15th, another par 5.
Each time, Pak hit back with birdies at the seventh, 12th and 16th. But her tee shot at 18 landed in a fairway bunker and she could do no more that chip forward as far as she could.
Sorenstam had already made a huge drive down the fairway and her second ended 10 feet from the hole. Pak's third got to 12 feet and she missed the par putt to hand the title to the Swede.
Pak admitted that landing in the bunker effectively cost her a shot almost as if had been a penalty.
"I thought I was in great shape but, for some reason, my ball went into the bunker," Pak said.
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