By the time she parred the 18th hole to get into a three-way playoff in the LPGA Tour Championship, Annika Sorenstam had already wrapped up the player of the year and season money titles.
Three holes later, she took care of one last remaining bit of unfinished business.Sorenstam capped her season the way she began it, beating Lorie Kane and Pat Hurst in a playoff Sunday to win the $160,000 first prize in the season-ending tournament.
"I feel like I'm living in a dream and I never want to wake up," Sorenstam said. "It's just an unbelievable feeling."
Sorenstam, who parred the last nine holes in a 2-under 70 final round, made three more routine pars in the playoff, winning when Kane pulled a 5-foot par putt to the left on the 17th hole. Hurst dropped out on the first playoff hole when she put her second shot in the water.
It was the sixth win of the year for Sorenstam, who set an LPGA record with $1,236,789 in season winnings, and had already assured herself of the player of the year and money titles by finishing in a three-way tie after 72 regulation holes.
"She's the best in the world," Kane said.
The player of the year and season money titles combination was the second for Sorenstam, who pulled off the same feat in 1995. This time, however, it was much sweeter for the 27-year-old from Sweden.
"When I won in 95 it felt like it just happened and I didn't feel like I was in control of it," she said. "This time I set it as a goal when I started the year."
Kane, a 32-year-old non-winner in her first full year on the tour, started the day 6-under and bogeyed the first hole. She was flawless from then on, however, making six birdies the rest of the way in.
Kane was aggressive in the playoff, running a putt by three feet on the second playoff hole, then rapping her 20-footer on the final hole five feet past.
"I'm a little disappointed but extremely excited at the same time," Kane said. "I would have never imagined I would be here starting the year."
Tour great Nancy Lopez also was tied for the lead on the back nine, but finished with a bogey and double bogey to fall from contention.
Sorenstam, who started the season by winning the Chrysler-Plymouth tournament, had a one-shot lead to start the day but gave it up quickly when she bogeyed the third hole.
From that time on, it was a three-way fight for the lead, becoming a four-player race when Kane shot 32 on the back nine for a 67 that put her first in the clubhouse at 11-under.
Lopez, enjoying a rebirth of her game in her 21st year on the tour, had a chance to take control of the tournament on the back nine. Tied at 11-under, she had an 8-footer for birdie on 14 but hit a poor put and left it short to the left.
On the par-5 15th, Lopez gambled with a 5-wood from about 210 yards over water and hit it on the green. But she 3-putted for par and remained tied for the lead.
Lopez bogeyed 17 after a poor drive and second shot in a trap and, needing a birdie on the final hole, hit her drive into the water. She finished with a double bogey to end the tournament at 8-under.
"I was embarrassed. I wanted to jump in the water and swim to the bottom," said Lopez, who was seeking her 49th tour victory.
Defending champion Karrie Webb finished two shots back, earning $40,250, which was $12,394 short of making her the first player to ever win $1 million two straight years.
Webb did win the season scoring title, finishing at 70.0 to 70.038 for Sorenstam.
"I think I need to share something," Sorenstam said. "Karrie's had a great year, too."
World Cup of Golf
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, lurking just off the lead most of week, combined to shoot 9-under-par Sunday to win the $1.5 million World Cup of Golf.
Harrington shot a 5-under-par 67 and McGinley had a 68 at the Ocean Course, finishing with a combined total of 31-under 545. That was five strokes better than Scotland and six in front of the United States.
Davis Love III shot a 65 to keep the United States within striking distance in the two-man team event, but Justin Leonard had putting problems and managed only a 70.
"Over the last five or six holes, I kept hitting it within 10 or 15 feet and couldn't hole the putts," Leonard said. "I feel like that's where we lost the tournament, my not being able to make some putts."
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie claimed individual honors with his third consecutive 66, finishing at 22-under 266 to overtake the faltering Alexander Cejka of Germany.
Montgomerie ran off three straight birdies down the stretch, holing out a 20-yard chip at No. 17.
"It's not an official title, but it's nice to be able to win for the first time in America," said Montgomerie, runner-up to South Africa's Ernie Els at the U.S. Open.
Ireland won for the first time in the event since 1958 in Mexico City. Harry Bradshaw and Christy O'Connor captured the trophy when it was known as the Canada Cup.
Germany began the day with a two-stroke lead over the Irish, but Harrington and McGinley scored matching birdies at Nos. 2 and 3 to quickly surge to the front.
Harrington completed the front side in 33, then birdied Nos. 10 and 11 as Ireland began to put some distance between its competition. McGinley notched three consecutive birdies starting at No. 15 to close it out.
McGinley's 272 placed him fourth among individual scores, with Harrington at 273.
Cejka, who tied the tournament's 54-hole record at 20-under 196, was unable to duplicate Sunday's magic. His three birdies were countered by three bogeys, and teammate Sven Struver's 74 sunk the Germans' hopes. Cejka finished with a 268.
Ian Woosnam posted the day's best round with a 64, helping Wales make up 14 shots to finish tied for fourth at 554.
"If I had played better earlier in the week, we could very easily have won this thing," said Woosnam, who opened with a 74. "I had no rhythm at all at the beginning of the week."
Sweden, which stood fourth after 54 holes, was forced to withdraw Sunday after Per-Ulrik Johansson had his second dizzy spell of the week.
Johansson began to feel woozy about 8 p.m. Saturday and was taken to Trident Medical Center, where he was held overnight for observation. He planned to return to Sweden immediately.
"They said if he felt comfortable, he could play," said his agent, Nick Green. "He didn't want to take any chances right now."
Johansson also complained of feeling faint Thursday evening after his opening-round 64 helped Sweden into the lead. Doctors sent him home without determining what ailed him.