Swedish star Annika Sorenstam birdied four of the last five holes for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the season-ending ADT Championship on Thursday.
Cristie Kerr had a 67, while Karrie Webb of Australia was among those at 68.
PHOTO: AP
It was the lowest opening round in the ADT Championship since it moved four years ago to Trump International, a tough course with a few waterfalls for decoration and plenty of water hazards for intimidation.
PHOTO: AP
Sorenstam, going after her eighth victory of the year, was oblivious to both.
Despite another dominant year, she made sure her swing was right before showing up for the final tournament of the year. Sorenstam spent a few days with swing coach Henri Reis, and just like that she looked tough to beat.
"Now I know where the ball is going," Sorenstam. "I can be more aggressive with these pins if they're tucked in the corner or just behind the bunker. I'm not afraid of being a little more aggressive because I have a better feel."
That was evident on the par-4 16th, which has two bunkers to the right and a two-tiered green that slopes severely to the right toward the water.
Sorenstam had 149 yards from -- where else? -- the middle of the fairway, and hit a soft 7-iron some 9 feet below the cup for the only birdie among the 30 players in the field.
Then on the 18th, with the pin all the way back, Sorenstam hit another 7-iron that stopped pin-high about 8 feet to the right. She made that to take the lead by herself.
"The conditions were as good as they could get," Sorenstam said. "But I must say, I thought the pins were very tough. I didn't think it was that easy. I told my caddie that it seems like there are ridges in the front or the back. So, in that case, I thought it was difficult.
"Then again, I felt like I was hitting the ball well."
That wasn't the case for Grace Park of South Korea, No. 2 on the money list and paired in the first round with Sorenstam.
She nearly had a lost ball on the par-5 third -- someone found it as she was walking back to the fairway to drop and take a two-shot penalty -- but still made bogey. She failed to birdie the next two par 5s, but still managed to scratch out a 71. Lorena Ochoa of Mexico had a 75, giving Park a good start toward winning the Vare Trophy.
"I just didn't have anything today," Park said.
As for her partner? Park smiled, looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh, her."
"I feel even more horrible on a day like this when I'm playing with Annika," she said. "She just hits every fairway and every green. That's why she's No. 1."
Sorenstam wasn't perfect. She did miss one green and one fairway. And the 34-year-old Swede will be the first to remind anyone that the tournament is just getting started.
A year ago, Sorenstam had a three-shot lead going into the final round when Meg Mallon rallied on the back nine and beat her by one shot.
Mallon was happy just getting to the first tee today, having suffered a lower back injury two weeks ago. She opened with a three-putt bogey and finished by dumping two tee shots into the water on No. 18 and having to hit a great approach into 8 feet to save triple bogey.
It wasn't too bad in between, and Mallon walked off with a 74.
"I felt very good today," she said. "I don't think I've had a big number in two years. I was due for one."
Despite the tame conditions, only 11 players managed to break par.
Laura Diaz got into the tournament with birdies on her last two holes last week to finish second and earn enough money to move into the top 30 on the money. She was tied for the lead at one point until getting too cute with a 6-iron on the 18th hole, hitting it about 50 yards into the water and having to get up-and-down with a 9-iron for bogey.
Still, she shot 69 and felt like she was capable of winning.
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
RSS