She’s Using the Perfect Approach

You hear about what Annika Sorenstam is trying to accomplish and you expect to find a nerve-racked golfer fidgeting in her chair, biting her fingernails or twirling her hair.

What you get is a relaxed and confident Sorenstam--smiling, upbeat, fresh and showing no signs that she is making another run at history.

That eerie calmness is what Sorenstam has shown during the last six weeks, a stretch in which she seems to have history within reach every time she steps on the golf course.

Sorenstam has won four consecutive tournaments and has set or equaled 12 LPGA Tour records during that streak. But golfers care most about winning, which makes the record Sorenstam is chasing this week that much more desirable.

A victory in the Longs Drug Challenge, which begins today at Twelve Bridges Golf Club, would match the tour record of five in a row held by Nancy Lopez.

For Sorenstam to do it, she’ll need to retain that peaceful, easy feeling while blocking out the buzz surrounding a tournament not used to the attention it is receiving this week.

Her demeanor Wednesday indicates it shouldn’t be a problem.

“I’m walking on clouds,” she said. “I feel like every shot I hit is going to go my way. I wake up in the mornings and I can’t wait to go practice. When I come to the tournaments I can’t wait to go play.”

Lopez, who established her record as a rookie in 1978, said those feelings bring back memories of her streak.

“When you [have] that kind of momentum, you just feel so confident,” Lopez said. “When you look at Annika, you see confidence. You don’t see anything bothering her, which I remember during [my] streak. Everything was easy.”

Sorenstam, who has finished first or second in all six tournaments she has entered this year, began her remarkable winning streak March 11 with a victory at Tucson. It reached historic status in the next three.

She became the first LPGA player to break 60 when she shot a second-round 59 en route to winning at Phoenix. She won the year’s first major, the Nabisco Championship, the next week, then overcame a 10-stroke deficit in the final round to win in a playoff Saturday at Wilshire Country Club.

Lopez acknowledged that she would like to see her record remain intact but suspects it will be broken because of Sorenstam’s proven track record under pressure.

“She’s been there when the pressure was on,” Lopez said. “She feels comfortable there. You can see it.”

Sorenstam is well aware of the record, but said she can’t afford to let the streak impede her ability to focus.

“I’ve had time to think about this, I know what this means and I probably want it more than anybody,” she said. “But there are a lot of hungry players out there and I know I need to play some good golf.”

She has done that before in this city north of Sacramento. In five previous appearances in this tournament, Sorenstam has won once and has not finished out of the top six.

But Juli Inkster is also trying to extend a streak. Inkster is gunning for her third consecutive victory in the event. Se Ri Pak, Pat Hurst and Mi Hyun Kim are also playing well.

And there are outside influences, such as what happened to Lopez when her streak ended with a 13th-place finish in her bid for a sixth consecutive victory.

“My concentration was totally gone,” Lopez said. “I’d be standing over a three-footer thinking about eating a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder with cheese at McDonald’s because I could not concentrate. I was so tired mentally.”

Sorenstam doesn’t anticipate that happening to her this week.

“I’m not tired and I’m as excited as ever,” she said. “So we’ll see what happens.”