Pak Doesn’t Give Sorenstam a Break

The final round of the Longs Drugs Challenge may have offered more thrills than the fans here could have expected, but the result Sunday was anticlimactic.

Se Ri Pak, a stroke out of the lead with three holes to play, made two birdies on the final three holes and won by two strokes over hard-charging Laura Diaz.

Despite the frenzied finish, the tournament may well be remembered for what didn’t happen at Twelve Bridges Golf Club.

The miracle didn’t come. History didn’t happen. Annika Sorenstam’s four-tournament winning streak ended with a 43rd-place finish.

Sorenstam, bidding to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth consecutive victory, shot 75 and was not a factor. She began the day eight shots off the lead, three-putted for bogey on the third hole and was unable to muster a charge.

“It didn’t happen at all today,” Sorenstam said. “I was never close all week, and it wasn’t meant to be so I’m just going to deal with that and come out fresh next time and get another chance.”

Not only did Sorenstam’s winning streak end, but so did a streak of six consecutive tournaments with top-two finishes. Her round Sunday was the worst she has shot this season and her 73-72-75--220 tournament total was her first this year that did not include a round in the 60s.

“It’s been incredible,” Sorenstam said. “I’ve enjoyed the ride. I could never dream about winning four in a row. I’ve won four tournaments in a season . . . and now I’ve done it in a couple of months. After a round like today I feel more motivated than ever just to keep working and see how far I can go.”

Sorenstam will take next week off before resuming at the tour stop in Georgia in two weeks. She plans to play three in a row, then take another week off before the U.S. Open.

She said missed opportunities were to blame Sunday more than anything.

“If you’re chasing somebody, you’ve got to take every opportunity,” she said. “And I did not have good breaks this week. The shots that I’ve hit the past few months that have gone my way, this week just didn’t.”

For Pak, who earned $120,000 for her eight-under 208 finish, it was a sweet revenge of sorts. Pak was the runner-up twice during Sorenstam’s streak, including at Phoenix when Sorenstam shot a second-round 59.

“I promised myself I’m not going to give up the trophy this week because [I’ve done] it too many times already--to Annika,” Pak said. “I really worked hard this week and after that, happy ending.”

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Up Next

The schedule for golf’s major tours:

PGA

* Thursday-Sunday--Greater Greensboro Classic, Greensboro, N.C.

SENIOR

* Friday-Sunday--Bruno’s Memorial Classic, Birmingham, Ala.

LPGA

* Friday-Sunday--Harvey Penick Invitational, Austin, Texas