Sorenstam Simply Too Good

Annika Sorenstam shot a three-under-par 69 Saturday at Evian-Les-Bains, France, to win her second Evian Masters championship and sixth title of the season.

Sorenstam finished with a four-round total of 19-under 269, four strokes ahead of Maria Hjorth and Mi Hyun Kim, who tied for second place at 273.

Sorenstam had four birdies and one bogey in the final round and won $315,000 for her fifth LPGA Tour victory of the season.

Sorenstam, the 2000 Evian Masters winner, has earned $1,354,054 in 11 starts this year. She also won a season-opening event in Australia.

“I couldn’t feel better,” Sorenstam said. “This is the second-biggest purse on the tour. A beautiful setting, a top-class field and a first-class event. It was my goal to come over and win the Evian and I’ve done it.”

Sorenstam also collected 80 Solheim Cup points to clinch a berth on the 12-woman European squad, which will defend the trophy against the United States at Interlaken in Minneapolis, Sept. 20-22.

Laura Diaz shot a 65 and Se Ri Pak had a 69 to share fourth place at 14-under 274.

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Local history favors Jay Sigel. Now if he can only figure out the speed of the greens.

Sigel shot a two-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead over Fuzzy Zoeller and Gil Morgan after two rounds of the BellSouth Senior Classic at Nashville as he tries to become the eighth second-round leader to win the event in its nine-year history.

Sigel, who opened with a 64, might have a bigger lead if he hadn’t struggled with his speed on the greens.

The two-time U.S. Amateur champion had four birdies and two bogeys for a 10-under 134 total.

“They were a little slow for me,” he said. “I hit a lot of good putts, had good lies, but I didn’t have the right speed. I’ve got to try to figure that out.”

Zoeller, coming off a victory last week in the Senior PGA Championship in Akron, Ohio, matched Morgan with a 68.