Lorena Ochoa found a new way to win, grinding it out instead of running away from the field.
A day after leaving the retiring Annika Sorenstam in her wake, Ochoa overcame a balky putter to shoot a 1-under 71 and post a one-stroke victory over five players Sunday for her third straight victory in the rain-shortened Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J.
“It was a tough day, but I did it,” Ochoa said. “I think that was what was important. It doesn’t matter how you do it sometimes; you play really good, other players struggle, sometimes you just keep yourself in a good position. Today it was different; it was a different win, but I enjoyed it a lot.”
The victory was the 22nd for Ochoa since April 2006, and the $300,000 prize pushed her career earnings past the $12 million mark, making her the fastest player on the LPGA Tour to reach that plateau.
Ochoa accomplished it in just over five years, more than four years faster than the old mark set by Sorenstam, who played herself out of contention with a second-round 73.
The win ended the 26-year-old Mexican’s two-tournament victory drought and reaffirmed her status as the best player in women’s golf.
———–
EDITED BY BOB FOLTMAN FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
