Golf roundup: Sorenstam’s career comes to abrupt end when she misses cut at ADT Championship
Associated Press
Standing in the center of a sun-drenched 18th green, as waves of cheers rippled from a packed gallery, Annika Sorenstam hugged caddie Terry McNamara and took the flag from his hand.
She held it high, like a conquering hero, then slammed it into the hole.
“It’s over,” she said.
Sorenstam’s tour career presumably ended Friday afternoon, when she failed to qualify for the third round of the ADT Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla. She shot a 3-over 75, putting her at 5 over for the week — two shots away from surviving the cut from 32 down to 16 today, after which the field will be pared in half again before the final round battle for
$1 million.
“All of a sudden, the time is here,” Sorenstam said. “You’re standing there on the 18th fairway and it’s your last approach shot in an LPGA event. A lot of thoughts go through your head … and what’s been the coolest thing this week is all these people who showed up that I don’t know, my fans.”
They showed up in droves Friday. When Sorenstam was on the 16th tee, hundreds crowded around her and playing partner Laura Diaz. At the same moment, about 100 feet away on the 11th tee, a gallery of exactly nine people watched a South Korean twosome.
Everyone wanted to see history, in case it really was the final round of Sorenstam’s
72-win, Hall of Fame LPGA career.
Even Lorena Ochoa — the defending ADT champion, who also didn’t advance to the weekend — showed up at the 18th green to give her friend and rival a farewell hug.
“I can’t imagine how she’s doing right now,” Ochoa said. “But I guess it will come for all of us at one point. So we can only say that we enjoyed having her and thank you for everything.”
Sorenstam won the ADT four times, but never reached the weekend in the unusual double-cut, erase-the-scores format, and knew she’d have to make up some ground Friday. She just never got it going.
“I was hoping to shoot par or better today,” Sorenstam said.
Par would have been good enough.
But before you go, how about one final drug test?
Even in the first few minutes of a presumed retirement, Sorenstam was subject to drug testing.
An LPGA official told her shortly after her second and final round at the ADT Championship that she needed to submit to a random test, which Sorenstam said was her second in recent weeks.
“I really don’t know what’s going on,” Sorenstam said. “They’re not going to let me go (away).”
The LPGA started a random testing plan at the start of this season. Earlier this week, LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens said she could not discuss how many players were tested, or the events where testing took place.
In Sorenstam’s case, the LPGA said it followed its protocol.
Thompson victorious
Robert Thompson shot a 2-under 70 to win the Champions Tour qualifying tournament, rallying on the back nine in the final round to finish one stroke better than third-round leader John Morse.
Thompson was one back of Morse entering the final round and two behind at the turn. But he birdied Nos. 11, 15 and 16 and went in front for good when Morse bogeyed No. 17 at TPC Eagle Trace.
“There are some difficult holes on this course and I just tried to keep it in good places,” the
51-year-old Thompson said. “Some of those water holes are tough and I think I just hit it into the water once all week. It was a good week and I was pleased with how I played.”
Teen makes cut
A 14-year-old Hong Kong golfer became the youngest player to make the cut in an European Tour event, breaking the record set by Sergio Garcia.
Jason Hak shot 70 in each of the first two rounds at his home tournament, the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open, just making the par 140 cut.
Two share lead
Defending champion Tommy Armour III eagled the 18th hole at Spyglass Hill en route to a
1-under 71, joining Arron Oberholser in a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach (Calif.) Invitational.
Oberholser shot a 6-under 66 with seven birdies and one bogey — the day’s low round — at Spyglass Hill. He and Armour were at 7-under 137.
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Filed by Associated Press November 22nd, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 2% |
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