Sheehan Qualifies for Hall of Fame : Golf: Her five-shot victory in Phoenix is No. 30 for her LPGA career.

Patty Sheehan vowed that she wouldn’t think about the LPGA Hall of Fame after shooting her way into position to qualify for it.

But, the closer she got to making it at the Standard Register Ping Golf Championship, the more the milestone felt like a millstone.

“I’m happy to get it over with. I’m happy to get into the Hall of Fame, and I’m happy now that I don’t have to think about it anymore,” Sheehan said after winning the tournament Sunday for her 30th victory and automatic induction into the hall.

“It was not a very good ball-striking day,” Sheehan said after shooting a three-under-par 70 in the final round to beat Dawn Coe-Jones and Kris Tschetter by five strokes. “I was pretty nervous all day. I didn’t feel comfortable until the 18th hole.”

Sheehan, 36, and Coe-Jones began the round tied at 14-under and went head-to-head all day.

Sheehan sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole to break a tie for the lead with Coe-Jones.

“All of us basically on the front nine were stale,” said Coe Jones, who shot 69-69-67 before Sunday’s 75. “The first seven holes, nothing happened. It finally started happening for her, I think, with that birdie she made on nine, and if I could have made mine, it may have changed the tune of the back nine.”

On the back nine, Sheehan pulled away with birdies at Nos. 11 and 13. She gave back a stroke when she bogeyed the 15th hole, but Coe-Jones was three shots back.

Sheehan finished with a flourish, sinking a three-foot putt on No. 18 for her fifth birdie.

Sheehan, the 13th member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, began her professional career in 1980 and won for the first time in 1981. Pat Bradley was the last to qualify, winning her 30th event in 1991.

The $105,000 first prize vaulted Sheehan into first on the 1993 money list with $115,668 and raised her two spots to third on the all-time LPGA earnings list with $3,706,958, ahead of Beth Daniel and Nancy Lopez.