Annika Wins at Women's World Match Play

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Posted 8:21PM on Thursday, June 30, 2005

GLADSTONE, N.J. (AP) - Annika Sorenstam needed a little time to close out Joanne Morley - and adjust to Hamilton Farm's soggy greens. Coming off a disappointing finish in the U.S. Women's Open on Cherry Hills' speedy greens, Sorenstam overcame an early deficit to beat Morley 2 and 1 on Thursday in the first round of the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship. "I had a little difficulty with the speed of the greens," Sorenstam said. "I thought they were quite slow after the rain yesterday. ... Coming from really fast greens to really slow was tough. They are in good shape. I just got to hit the putts a lot harder." After Morley birdied the par-3 seventh to take a one-hole lead, Sorenstam squared the match with a birdie on the par-4 eighth. Sorenstam pulled ahead with a two-putt par on the par-4 13th, increased her margin to two holes with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and parred the 16th and 17th to end the match. "She made some great shots," said Sorenstam, who teamed with Morley on Europe's 1996 Solheim Cup team. "Match play is so different. In match play, you only have 18 holes, and sometimes not that many." The Swedish star will face 32nd-seeded Tina Barrett - a 5-and-3 winner over Young Kim - in the second round. The tournament will then turn into an endurance test in the sweltering conditions, with the third round and quarterfinals set for Saturday and the semifinals and final Sunday on Hamilton Farm's hilly Highlands Course. "It was hot, very steamy," Sorenstam said. Sorenstam has six victories - including major wins in the Nabisco and LPGA Championship - in nine starts this year to push her LPGA Tour total to 62. Last week in Colorado, she finished over par in a 72-hole event for the first time in four years, tying for 23rd at 12 over - nine strokes behind winner Birdie Kim. "I think it's a lot of fun to come here, especially after the Open," Sorenstam said. "It's a totally different mind-set." Second-seeded Cristie Kerr also advanced, beating Lindsey Wright 2 and 1. Kerr, the Michelob Ultra Open winner early last month, will face Liselotte Neumann on Friday. Neumann beat Moira Dunn 4 and 3. "I played very well," Kerr said. "I made six birdies. She played very, very well to kind of stay in it. ... You have to play well to win." Third-seeded Lorena Ochoa dropped out, falling 2 and 1 to No. 62 Laurie Rinker. "I just didn't make any putts," Ochoa said. "It's all about making putts. I just kept hitting the lip of the cup. She made a couple of really good putts for birdie and for par. That was the difference." The 42-year-old Rinker won the last of her two LPGA Tour titles in 1986. "I just kept myself in there all day," Rinker said. "There's some older ladies playing well. Golf is more timeless than some other sports." Fifth-seeded Natalie Gulbis and the sixth-seeded Birdie Kim also were eliminated, with each falling 1-up on the par-4 18th hole after their opponents hit approach shots within short birdie range. European Solheim Cup player Sophie Gustafson holed a 2-footer to beat Kim, and Marisa Baena knocked out Gulbis with a 3-foot putt. "It was a good match," Gulbis said. "It went all the way to 18 and she birdied 18. ... I never got more than 1-up all day. I was surprised I didn't make more birdies." Fourth-seeded Paula Creamer beat Maria Hjorth 4 and 3 to set up a second-round match against slumping Australian star Karrie Webb. Creamer, the 18-year-old Californian who graduated from high school four days after winning the Sybase Classic last month to become the second-youngest winner in LPGA Tour history, will play slumping Australian star Karrie Webb on Thursday. "I love match play," Creamer said. "Anything can happen. That's the beauty of it." Webb beat Soo-Yun Kang 3 and 2. "I'm very happy with the result," Webb said. "It's a pretty solid win." Hall of Famers Beth Daniel and Juli Inkster, the oldest players in the field, opened with victories. The 48-year-old Daniel routed Lorie Kane 5 and 4, and the 45-year-old Inkster birdied her final four holes to beat Sung Ah Yim 3 and 1. Inkster won four of the first five holes, but was 1-down through 13 after losing three straight and four of five. She has thrived in match play, going 4-1 in Solheim Cup singles play and winning 18 straight matches in her 1980-82 U.S. Women's Amateur victories. "Match play is tough," Inkster said. "It's just momentum. I had it going and then I kind of lost it and then I got back on a good roll coming in." Young Japanese players Ai Miyazato and Shinobu Moromizato advanced. The 20-year-old Miyazato beat Laura Diaz 2 and 1, and the 19-year-old Moromizato, the only amateur in the field, edged Emilee Klein 2-up. Miyazato earned a spot in the field as the Japan LPGA money leader, and Moromizato received a sponsor exemption. "I was very nervous at the beginning," Moromizato said. "My goal was to win this first match. I focused on each hole. Step by step I concentrated on each shot." Divots:@ A.J. Eathorne won the longest match, beating Catriona Matthew on the 21st hole. ... The losers Thursday received $5,000 from the $2 million purse. The champion will get $500,000. © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Annika Wins at Women&#39;s World Match Play

Annika Wins at Women's World Match Play