Sorenstam holds of Webb to win

The gallery didn't know. Karrie Webb and Christie Kerr didn't either.

Annika Sorenstam was one of the few people aware that her 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole gave her a one-stroke lead -- and would eventually give her the victory -- in today's final round of the Firstar LPGA Classic. And even she was worried.

"I think you could hear it in Orlando," Sorenstam said of the ground-shaking roar after Webb holed a 131-yard 9-iron shot for eagle on the final hole. The massive crowd sitting on the grassy amphitheater surrounding the final green thought Webb's dramatic shot had pulled her into a tie with Sorenstam and Kerr at 18-under.

"Pity it wasn't on TV this week," Webb said.

The gallery was expecting a playoff because Sorenstam's birdie on the 17th had yet to be posted on the giant scoreboard next to the final green. When a big, red 19 was put up for Sorenstam on the 17th hole, the crowd groaned.

"When they posted Annika at 19-under, they sighed a little bit," said Webb, who had earlier seemingly thrown away the lead with a two-stroke penalty. "I think they got into it and wanted to see more golf."

Instead, all they saw was Sorenstam doing what she does best: Hitting a drive into the fairway, an iron onto the green, then deftly putting for the par that gave her the $97,500 first-place check.

"Annika being Annika, I didn't expect her to bogey it," Webb said.

Sorenstam birdied three of the last four holes in a closing 6-under-par 66 that left her at 19-under 197 -- tying the lowest score in LPGA Tour history for a 54-hole tournament. The Swedish star didn't have a bogey throughout, hitting 50 of 54 greens in regulation.

Kerr and Webb ended up a shot back.

Webb's late heroics made up for a gaffe earlier in the day.

Leading the tournament by a stroke on No. 8, the Australian was penalized two strokes for swinging at and striking the sand after her first bunker shot trickled back into the trap. Rule 13-4 prohibits a player from touching the ground in a hazard while the ball is in play and provides for a two-stroke penalty. Webb left the hole with a triple-bogey 8 and plummeted from first place to a tie for fifth.<

"Most people probably heard it was out of anger," said Webb, denied a shot at her fifth win of the year. "It was partially out of anger but, moreso, I just forgot the ball was still in the bunker and I was practicing. I told my caddie, 'If I had thought about getting a two-shot penalty, I would have taken a bigger cut at it.' "

It was Sorenstam's second victory of the season. Webb has already won four times and came into the tournament with almost a 2-to-1 edge over her closest pursuer on the money list.

Sorenstam's score matched the LPGA record set by Pat Bradley in the 1991 Rail Charity Golf Classic. With rounds of 66, 65, and the closing 66, Sorenstam broke the tournament record by two strokes.

"This is the best I've played in a really long time -- probably since I won in Ohio last year at New Albany," Sorenstam said after her 20th career victory. "I played great. I hit a lot of fairways and hit it close on a lot of greens."

Kerr closed with a career-best 64, but was stunned by what Webb did on the last hole and Sorenstam did down the stretch.

"I thought if I shot 64 I would've blown everybody away," Kerr said.

Webb shot a 65 despite the triple-bogey 8 at No. 8. She won't easily forget the first time she has ever holed a shot on a finishing hole.

"It looked pretty good all the way. It was drawing right to the pin," she said. "I knew it had to go in for me to have a chance at the tournament. It was just one of those things."

Canada's E.J. Eathorne shot a 64 and was alone in fourth at 199, followed by first-round leader Mi Hyun Kim of South Korea at 16-under 200 after a 68. Wendy Ward shot the lowest score of the final round, a 63 that left her at 201.

Sorenstam is second to Webb in wins, money, and scoring average this year, but she isn't conceding anything. The two will likely tangle many more times this year.

"It's only May, although Karrie's got a good head start," Sorenstam said. "But the summer's coming and we've got three majors and some big purses. I'm ready and my game's ready."

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