Hitting 50 Is No Minor Matter

Annika Sorenstam has made no secret about her goal of adding major championship victories to her already impressive resume, but the pursuit of a milestone served as a refreshing reminder that regular tour victories still matter.

Sorenstam was gunning for career victory No. 50 Sunday in the Office Depot Championship, which is not a major, but sure felt like one to Sorenstam when she arrived at the first tee.

“I told my caddie, ‘I feel uptight today, I feel a little nervous,’ ” Sorenstam said. “And he said, ‘You know, I feel the same way.’ ”

Just like that, the Office Depot took on new meaning for Sorenstam, and that was all the inspiration she needed.

She birdied three of the last five holes at El Caballero Country Club, shot three-under 69, finished with a three-day total of nine-under 207 and won by three shots over tour veteran Meg Mallon and upstart Ashli Bunch. She became the sixth player in the 54-year LPGA Tour history to reach the 50-win plateau.

“Even though I’ve done it 49 times before and [Terry McNamara] has been there for 20-something, we both felt it today,” Sorenstam said. “He said, ‘You know what? That just shows we care.’ And I said, ‘You got that right.’ ”

Sorenstam, 33, already has cemented her status as the best women’s player of the modern era, and this most recent milestone is yet another piece of evidence in her case for best of all time.

She is sixth on the career victory list, five behind Betsy Rawls for fourth, and the $262,500 first prize Sunday extended her career earnings to $13,668,794 -- more than $4 million ahead of Karrie Webb, who is second on the list.

She has played against the men on the PGA Tour, is the only LPGA player to shoot 59 and once came from 10 strokes behind on the final day to win. Still, Sorenstam says the 50-victory plateau means as much as any of her career achievements.

“I still have a hard time believing it,” she said. “Fifty is kind of a magical number. I guess I try not to think about it too much because it gets me a little sentimental.”

The kitchen staff at El Caballero baked a cake to celebrate Sorenstam’s milestone, but while that cake was in the oven, Bunch was cooking up quite a round. A fifth-year tour player who has struggled to keep her exemption every year, Bunch began the day seven shots behind Sorenstam.

She made the turn in two under, then birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 12 to get within two shots. On No. 17, a par-five, she hit a seven-wood second shot from 202 yards to within three feet, and tied for the lead when she made the eagle putt. Her 65 was a course record, equaled Sunday by rookie Isabelle Beisiegel.

“It was really easy for me today,” Bunch said. “I didn’t really tee it up on the first hole thinking I could win. [Annika] had seven shots. She is going to be tough to beat when you are even with her much less seven shots.”

Sorenstam was on the 12th fairway, adjacent to the 17th, when Bunch made the eagle. She was even for the day at that point and figured she’d need some birdies coming in.

“That’s when I felt the heat and I had to do something,” Sorenstam said. “I was telling myself to just be patient, trust yourself. You have been here so many times, take advantage of it.”

She responded with a nine-iron to within nine feet at No. 14, made the birdie putt, and hit another nine-iron on the par-three 16th to within 12 feet. She made that birdie putt, too, and took a two-shot lead. On the par-five 17th, she hit a perfect drive, hit the green with a six-iron from 192 yards and two-putted for birdie to get to nine under.

Mallon began the day at four under and faltered early with a double bogey and two bogeys in the first four holes, but made a late charge. She played in the final group with Sorenstam, but couldn’t make up any ground despite four birdies in the last five holes. She shot 70.

“She turned it on at the end,” Mallon said. “She did what she had to do. [Winning 50] is very impressive. Obviously, it’s fun watching a player ride a wave like this.”

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Top Finishers

OFFICE DEPOT CHAMPIONSHIP

El Caballero Country Club, Par: 72

Annika Sorenstam...68-70-69 207 -9

Ashli Bunch...70-75-65 210 -6

Meg Mallon...69-71-70 210 -6