Golf across the globe: Sorenstam to retire

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In THE PLAYERS Championship's 35-year history, a European golfer added his name to the list of winners for only the second time last week when Sergio Garcia forced Paul Goydos into a playoff and left the fateful 17th hole the new champion. As if that weren't exciting enough, check out what else went on in the golf world.

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Annika Sorenstam announced her plans to retire at the end of the season just two days after earning her third 2008 win and 72nd career victory.

Schedules

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LAST WEEK

Event: Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill
Sanctioned by: LPGA
• Tournaments aside, the major news to come out of the LPGA this week is the somewhat shocking (given that she is in the midst of a major comeback) announcement of Annika Sorenstam's plans to retire. The 37-year-old Swedish legend will finish out the 2008 season -- hopefully with the same gusto with which she began it -- and hopes to settle down and start a family with fiancé Mike McGee, son of former PGA TOUR player Jerry McGee.
• The announcement came just days after the test everyone had been waiting for finally took place: Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam played the same event. Both women had wins under their belts this season, and both had earned them without the other in the field. But, in what seemed like a surprise turn of events last week, the veteran Sorenstam came out on top with a seven-shot victory, her third win of the season.
• Despite Ochoa's opening rounds of 65 and 68, the Mexican phenom wasn't able to keep up with the now 72-time winner. Sorenstam saw Ochoa's 65 and 68 and raised her, cranking out her own impressive opening rounds of 64 and 66. She then followed those up with a 69 and another 66 over the weekend, while Ochoa dropped back to shoot a 74 Saturday and a 70 on Sunday, finishing the event in a tie for 12th with Shi Hyun Ahn, Meena Lee, Hee Young Park and Jee Young Lee. Don't expect that to be the end of the war on the LPGA Tour, though; both Ochoa and Sorenstam are back in the field again this week for a continuance of the battle that is sure to last all season. And, if Sorenstam's attitude and reputation means anything, she'll want to make it back to the top before she says farewell.
• Other notable finishes in the field came from Jeong Jang, who tied for second, Stacy Prammanasudh, who tied for ninth, and Paula Creamer, who tied for 16th.

Event: Methorios Capital Italian Open
Sanctioned by: European Tour
• South African Hennie Otto's win at the Italian Open was a long time coming. The 31-year-old won several times as an amateur and has seven titles to his name on the Sunshine Tour, but he had not yet managed the clinch the victory in Europe.
• Otto had racked up 23 top-10 finishes on the European Tour since 1998, including runner-up finishes at the Daewoo Warsaw Golf Open and the BMW Russian Open in 2008, a tie for third at the 2003 Austrian Golf Open, a tie for 10th at the 2003 British Open, a second-place finish at the Omega Hong Kong Open in 2004, a tie for third at the 2005 Jazztel Open de España en Andalucia, a third-place finish at the Johannesburg Open in 2007 and another runner-up finish at this year's Madeira Islands Open BPI -- Portugal. The door finally opened for him.
• Other notable finishes in the field came from England's Oliver Wilson and Sweden's Robert Karlsson, who finished second and third respectively as well as Nick Dougherty -- also of England -- who finished tied for 10th.

Event: Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open
Sanctioned by: Sunshine Tour
• While the 20 somethings are rocking the PGA TOUR at the moment, it seems that last week was the week for 30-something South Africans. Not only did Otto (31) finally find success in Europe, Jean Hugo (32) also went home with a trophy. It was the sixth Sunshine Tour win for Hugo, who garnered a six-point victory -- the tournament used the modified Stableford method of scoring -- after posting a tournament-high 26 points in the second round then hanging on through the weekend to close it with 56 points total.
• Other notable finishes came from Adilson da Silva, who came in seventh with 41 points, Tyrone Ferreira, who came in tied for 11th with 33 points, and Nic Henning who came in tied for 13th with 32 points.

Event: Pine Valley Beijing Open
Sanctioned by: Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour
• Japan's Hiroyuki Fujita played his way to success in China last week, earning a three-shot win over a field that this year also included the Japan Golf Tour. Last year's winner, defending champion Gaurev Ghei of India, failed to make the cut.
• This was Fujita's fifth Asian Tour win.
• Other notable finishes in the field were ties for seventh place from Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng and Thongchai Jaidee as well as a tie for 11th from Australia's Gary Simpson.

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Padraig Harrington missed the cut last week at THE PLAYERS Championship; how will he fare defending in Ireland this week?

NEXT WEEK

Event: Irish Open
Sanctioned by: European Tour
• Padraig Harrington -- current British Open champion -- will return to his native Ireland next week to defend his Irish Open title. The tournament will be contested at Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort, a Robert Trent Jones course in County Limerick on the Emerald Isle's west coast.
• Watch out for big names in the field this week such as Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, David Howell and Colin Montgomerie.

Event: Sybase Classic presented by ShopRite
Sanctioned by: LPGA
• Lorena Ochoa is doing something she has grown accustomed to lately this week in Clifton, N.J. -- defending a title. The tournament will take place at Upper Montclair Country Club.
• Look out, of course, for Ochoa and Sorenstam, but also keep your eyes on Creamer, who has been creeping around in the shadows as of late.

Event: Nashua Golf Challenge
Sanctioned by: Sunshine Tour
• Warren Abery of South Africa gets set to defend this week at the Gary Player course in Sun City. He's definitely one to watch as he came in solo eighth last week at the Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open.
• Also look out for George Coetzee, da Silva (who has been popping up on a lot of leaderboard top 10s this year) and Henning.

Event: Japan PGA Championship
Sanctioned by: Japan Golf Tour
• Toshimitsu Izawa will attempt to defend his title this week against a field that contains a number of past champions.
• Other names to watch this week are David Smail, Hideto Tanihara and Marksaeng.
• After playing with the Japan Golf Tour last week, the Asian Tour will be taking a week off.