Sorenstam Scores Fourth Win Of ‘97

Golf

Annika Sorenstam beat Hiromi Kobayashi in a final-round duel Sunday and won the Michelob Light Classic in St. Louis by three strokes, her fourth victory of the year.

The LPGA’s leading money-winner, who took home $90,000 to increase her earnings to $696,079, won the event by 10 strokes two years ago. Entering the final round this year, Kobayashi, who hasn’t won in four years, was a stroke back with the next-closest player six behind.

Sorenstam played steady, conservative golf with 16 pars, a birdie and a bogey for an even-par 72, a total of 11-under 277 and her 10th victory in less than four years on the tour. Her total was one stroke off the tournament record set last year by Vicki Fergon.

Kobayashi, who led the tournament after two rounds, matched Sorenstam’s performance for awhile but had three bogeys on the back nine and finished at 2-over 74.

Karrie Webb, the LPGA’s second-leading money-winner, shot a 2-under 70 to finish third, seven strokes back.

PGA

The Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, was washed away once again, pushing the finish back a day.

With the course saturated, the leaders with eight holes to go and more rain forecast, it’s uncertain play can be completed when it resumes at 9 this morning. The tournament will be reduced to 54 holes.

When play was suspended with the final group through 10 holes of the third round, Scott Hoch and Vijay Singh were tied for the lead at 12-under-par. Greg Norman, who birdied the last four holes he played, was a stroke back as he tried to win on the PGA Tour for the first time since his Masters collapse last year.

Jack Nicklaus was 7-under through 12 holes, just five strokes off the lead. Tiger Woods, who rallied with a 34 on his first nine Sunday, made a quintuple-bogey 9 on his 12th hole.

If play in the third round isn’t resumed, the tournament will revert to the 36-hole leaderboard and Hoch would be the winner by two strokes over Tommy Tolles with Singh another stroke back.

Senior PGA

Gil Morgan survived a poor finish to win the Ameritech Senior Open in Long Grove, Ill., by one stroke over Hale Irwin.

Morgan shot a closing-round 74, including two bogeys and a double-bogey on the last three holes. He finished with a three-round total of 210, 6-under par, earning $180,000 for the third senior tour win of his career and second of the season.