Ochoa wins first career major at Women's British Open  ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- Lorena Ochoa just knew her first major victory would be at the home of golf.  Lorena Ochoa was the only player to finish under par over the Old Course. (AP)
After a 1-over 74 completed a runaway four-stroke triumph in the Ricoh Women's British Open on Sunday, the top-ranked Mexican hugged her caddie, was splashed with champagne by her father and then paused to realize what she'd done. "It's a long way, 24 majors, and finally I have this (trophy) here and I think it's for a reason and I couldn't be more happy," she said. "I believed I would win this tournament Monday, when I started practicing. "I wanted to win this tournament so bad. Everything I did, my thoughts (before the tournament) were very positive and very clear to me. I saw myself on the 18th green, lifting the trophy. It was clear, it was great and even better now that we did it." Ochoa, who tied for second at the U.S. Women's Open a month ago, had been banging on the door of a major victory for a while. This was also her fourth victory of the year to go with the six she collected last year and, during those 24 months, she has finished runner-up 10 times. "For me this is the most special round of golf I ever played," said Ochoa, who led the tournament from the ninth hole of her opening round 67. "Hopefully this is the first of many (majors) to come. It was my time." Ochoa, who passed $2 million in earnings this year and has $1 million more than anyone else, made history on all sorts of fronts. She won the first women's professional tournament to be staged at St. Andrews, home of the exclusively male Royal & Ancient Club. And she became the first player to win her first major at St. Andrews since Tony Lema's triumph in the men's Open Championship in 1964. Although the rising number of majors was becoming a talking point, she didn't let it worry her. "I accepted it all because I didn't win," she said. "There's no more to say and being at St. Andrews to make history, it's going to be there for the rest of my life. A very special week." She finished with a 5-under 287 total, four strokes better than Jee Young Lee (71) and Maria Hjorth (71). Reilley Rankin (71) was another stroke back at par. Annika Sorenstam, who was tied for third going into the final round, finished tied for 16th at 4 over after a 76 that included a 7 at the "Road Hole" 17th. In teeming rain that made scoring difficult from mid-afternoon, Sorenstam felt her foot slip on the grass and she sliced her tee shot at 17 so far right it almost struck the Old Course Hotel. "I'm playing as well as I can. I'm putting as well as I can. It's just not coming together," she said. "This is one of those weeks when I am close, but sometimes close is not good enough." Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion who is on her back from neck and back injuries, saluted the young Mexican. "Everybody knows she is a fantastic player," Sorenstam said. "She's had a great run the last year and a half. She has matured a lot as a player. I think a major was just a matter of time. I'm very happy for her. She is a great person and a great player." The only player to master the strong winds, Ochoa began the final round with a six-stroke lead and the only one under par. Her only problem on Sunday came at the 17th, where her second shot landed in one of the pot bunkers well short of the green. The ball was near the steep front side of the trap and she had to pitch sideways into the rough, but she then played a superb short chip to the putting surface and escaped with a bogey 6. She went to the last hole four shots ahead and a par captured the title. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
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