Off form Webb still holds on to win

At times today, Karrie Webb looked like a race car driver running the last lap with a flat tire.

Still, she won.

It's just that instead of making LPGA history, the Australian star settled instead for winning another tournament.

"I didn't have that adrenaline today,'' said Webb, who held on to win the Oldsmobile Classic by two strokes over Meg Mallon. "It was hard to kick-start myself and get going.

"I was just a little flat.''

Webb, who started the day with a commanding eight-stroke lead over Mallon and Cristie Kerr, shot an even-par 72 for a four-round total of 265, tying the tournament record of 23-under par by Lisa Walters in 1998 at Walnut Hills Country Club.

"I didn't think anybody had a chance with Karrie today,'' said Mallon, whose closing 66 was almost good enough for the 10th comeback win of her career. "Maybe a bit of complacency held her down.''

When the day started at the 6,241-yard layout, it seemed like Webb's biggest task would be breaking her own LPGA record of 26-under, set last year in the Australian Ladies Masters.

But she never could get her game in gear.

"I just didn't hit my irons with a lot of confidence,'' said Webb, who has six wins this year, including two majors, and leads the LPGA money list. "It was one of those days. I just had to keep remembering I was in the lead.''

In Saturday's third round Webb birdied three of the first four holes. Today, she was never got into that kind of rhythm.

"It was a struggle from the word go,'' Webb said. "I'm just glad I held Meg off and made some pars coming in.''

Trouble came on the third hole where Webb drove into the left rough, to a lie that left the ball below her feet. Her second shot rolled over the green, into some rough on the back side. A chip and two putts later, she had her first bogey.

In the early rounds, whenever Webb made a bogey, she responded with a birdie on the very next hole. Not this time.

Webb did birdie No. 6 with a chip within 4 feet, only to give it back with a three-putt bogey at 9 to make the turn at 1-over 37.

Webb's frustration continued on the back side. She was splitting the fairways with powerful drives of 280 yards, but the rest of her game was just so-so.

At the 13th, an uphill par-3, Webb went with a 4-iron off the tee. But she hit it so fat the ball just barely cleared the pond full of ducks fronting the green. Her chip from a mushy lie landed 20 feet from the pin, and Webb needed two putts to get down.

Now she was back to 22-under, and her lead was reduced to just three strokes over Mallon who was playing in the twosome just ahead of Webb and Kerr. And her frustration was beginning to show.

"Swing at it," Webb yelled to herself after leaving her second shot at No. 15 about 35 feet below the pin.

A roar from the crowd up ahead told Webb that Mallon had birdied No. 16 to go 20-under, cutting her lead to two strokes. This time, Webb was up to the challenge.

A 5-iron on the 175-yard 16th left Webb 15 feet from the pin. As she marked her ball, Webb could see clearly on a greenside leaderboard how close Mallon had drawn. She responded by draining the putt for her last -- and most important -- birdie of the day.

"That was the biggest key there,'' Webb said. "If I didn't make birdie there, it was going to be really tight. That gave me a three-shot lead with two to play -- which is no guarantee. But it at least made me feel a little more comfortable."

That putt looked even bigger after Mallon hit a wedge inside 3 feet for another birdie at No. 17.

Webb won $112,500, giving her $1.68 million so far this season.

And even though she couldn't break 26-under, it wasn't as though Webb didn't make any history. In the process of earning this victory, Webb had a round of 11-under, setting a tournament record and matching the LPGA record by Annika Sorenstam in 1999. Webb's 23-under after 54 holes also was a record, breaking her own mark by one stroke.

"I did my fair share,'' she said.

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