Sorenstam Wins 10th Tour Title of Season

Annika Sorenstam closed another outstanding year with her 10th LPGA Tour victory Sunday, holding off a charge from Liselotte Neumann with a 12-foot birdie on the 16th hole in the ADT Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Sorenstam finished with two pars for a three-under-par 69 and a two-stroke victory over Neumann, who three-putted from off the green on the last hole while trying for birdie to force a playoff. Neumann shot a 70.

Sorenstam became the first player to successfully defend her title in the LPGA Tour version of the Tour Championship, and has won the event four times.

She finished at six-under 282 and earned $215,000, taking her season total to more than $2.5 million. She also won her sixth Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, finishing at 69.33, the fourth-best in LPGA history. It was the second time Sorenstam has won at least 10 times in one LPGA season.

The 35-year-old Swede also won a European tour event in Sweden this year. She has 66 LPGA Tour victories, 22 short of Kathy Whitworth’s record.

*

Tiger Woods birdied the fourth hole of a playoff with Kaname Yokoo of Japan to successfully defend his Dunlop Phoenix title at Miyazaki, Japan.

Woods, playing with an ankle injury that could force him to withdraw from the PGA Grand Slam this week in Hawaii, reached the green at the par-five 18th in two shots and two-putted for birdie for his seventh victory of the year. Yokoo missed a 12-foot birdie putt.

Woods, who had a one-stroke lead over Jim Furyk going into the final round, shot a two-over 72 to match Yokoo (69) at eight-under 272 on the Phoenix Country Club course.

Woods won six times on the PGA Tour this year, including the Masters and British Open.

*

Massy Kuramoto of Japan, a 30-time Japanese tour winner, shot a two-under 70 in a strong wind for a share of the fifth-round lead with Scott Masingill in the six-round Champions Tour qualifying tournament at Beaumont.

Masingill, from Payette, Idaho, shot a 73 to match Kuramoto at one-under 359 on the PGA of Southern California Golf Club course.

Bill Longmuir (72) of England was a stroke back, and Joe Ozaki (73) of Japan and fourth-round leader Kirk Hanefeld (76) were two shots behind at one over.

*

Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge of Wales won the World Cup when the final round was called off because of heavy rain and wind at Vilamoura, Portugal.

Dodd and Dredge shot an 11-under 61 on Saturday in better-ball play for a two-stroke lead over Henrik Stenson and Niclas Fasth of Sweden and David Howell and Luke Donald of England.

Dodd and Dredge each earned $700,000.