Sorenstam Wins 10th Title This Season

Annika Sorenstam didn’t let a cold affect her bid to become the LPGA Tour’s first 10-time winner in 34 years. In fact, she used her weakened condition as a swing aid.

“There’s an expression, ‘Watch out for the sick player,’ ” said Sorenstam. “In my case, sometimes it’s good because I don’t swing too hard, and swing smoothly. When I don’t play well, it’s when I’m trying to swing too hard. When I play like this, I don’t swing hard.”

The Swedish star birdied the last two par-five holes Sunday at Otsu, Japan, for a five-under-par 67 and a 15-under 201, giving her a two-stroke victory over South Korea’s Grace Park in the Mizuno Classic.

“I feel better than I sound,” Sorenstam said. “I told my caddie, Terry McNamara, today that I’m in the position that I want to be in and that this is what I’ve been waiting for -- to win my 10th.”

She’s the first player to win 10 times in a season since Kathy Whitworth and Carol Mann in 1968. Mickey Wright reached double figures four times, setting the record with 13 victories in 1963 and winning 11 times in 1964.

Sorenstam, 32, earned $169,500 for her 41st LPGA Tour victory to push her record total to $2,648,904. She also won events in Australia and Sweden, giving her 12 worldwide victories in 24 starts this year.

Park, the winner last week in the World Ladies Match Play Championship in Narita, Japan, shot a 68. See Re Pak, a five-time winner this year, finished third at 12 under.

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Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer shared the Volvo Masters title when darkness halted play after two playoff holes at Sotogrande, Spain.

Langer shot a four-under 67 and Montgomerie had a one-under 70. They finished tied at three-under 281, and each made par on the two playoff holes, Nos. 18 and 10.

Montgomerie birdied Nos. 16 and 17, but missed an eight-foot putt for par on the last hole of regulation. He offset four bogeys with five birdies in the final round. Langer had an eagle, three birdies and a bogey in the final round.

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Fuzzy Zoeller took the Senior Slam lead on the 15th hole and held on to win by one stroke at Superstition Mountain, Ariz.

Zoeller edged Don Pooley to win $300,000 in the tournament, which featured this year’s Senior PGA Tour major championship winners. Stewart Ginn finished three strokes back and Jim Thorpe was seven behind.

College Basketball

Cheryl Ford, the daughter of NBA star Karl Malone, had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 16 Louisiana Tech to an 85-76 victory over No. 7 Texas Tech in the first game of the State Farm Classic at Knoxville, Tenn.

The game marked the debut of Kurt Budke as Louisiana Tech’s coach. He succeeded Leon Barmore, who retired in August after 17 seasons.

The Lady Techsters, who improved to 25-4 in season openers, did not trail after taking the lead four minutes into the game. Plenette Pierson led Texas Tech with 25 points.

In the second game, Gwen Jackson scored 22 of her 29 points in the second half to help No. 2 Tennessee to a 94-68 victory over No. 22 Oklahoma.

Theresa Schuknecht led the Sooners with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Baseball

Alex Cabrera homered and drove in three runs to lead the Japanese All-Stars to an 8-4 victory over the major league All-Stars in the first game of a seven-game exhibition series at Tokyo.

Barry Bonds struck out three times for the major league All-Stars. The last time he struck out three times in a game was Aug. 8, 2001.

Cabrera, formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks and now with the Seibu Lions, homered in the top of the seventh against Randy Wolf.

Cabrera tied Japan’s season home run record with 55 this year.

Miscellany

The USTA will supervise and run grass-roots tennis programs and other USTA events at the complex under construction in Carson as an element of its partnership with the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).

There will be a 13,000-seat stadium at the facility, which is scheduled to open in June 2003, and 36 other courts.