Ochoa wraps up player of the year award with record win

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MOBILE, Ala. -- Lorena Ochoa wrapped up the LPGA Tour's player of the year award with a record-setting finish in the Tournament of Champions.

The 24-year-old Mexican star shot a 7-under 65 for a 10-stroke victory and a tournament-record 21-under 267 total. She ran her winning streak to three with her sixth victory of the year and earned $150,000 to push her season total to $2,492,872.

Ochoa closed with a 13-foot par putt to break the previous tournament record of 20 under set by Se Ri Pak in 2002. Ochoa took a five-stroke lead Saturday with a 63 after opening the second round with a quadruple-bogey 8 en route to a 73.

The former University of Arizona player won the player of the year award for the first time, ending Annika Sorenstam's five-year reign. Ochoa is the first player other than Sorenstam and Karrie Webb to earn the award since 1996.

Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster tied for second at 11 under. Inkster closed with a 68 and Creamer finished with a 70.

"She played great," Inkster said about Ochoa. "To do what she did yesterday and come right back and do it again today, she is just that type of player. She plays her own game. She doesn't really worry about anybody else. She just tries to go as low as she can. That is a great mentality to have. A lot of people get in that zone and they start freaking, but she keeps plugging away and I don't know if you can teach that."

Ochoa started the day with a five-stroke advantage over Creamer. Creamer managed to pull within four strokes of Ochoa twice in the final round after a birdie on the third hole and after Ochoa bogeyed the eighth hole.

That's when Ochoa began to methodically pull away with birdies on four of the next five holes. When Creamer bogeyed the 14th, Ochoa's lead grew to nine strokes and the only drama remaining would be whether she would break the tournament record.

On the par-4 15th, the toughest hole on the course, Ochoa hit her approach shot within 2 feet for a tap-in birdie and a 10-shot edge.

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