ESPN.com - Golf Online - Inkster coasts to Longs Drugs title

Associated Press
Sunday, April 16

LINCOLN, Calif. -- Juli Inkster ran away with the Longs Drugs Challenge for the second straight year.


	Inkster's first win was her fourth top-three finish this season.

The Hall of Famer successfully defended her title Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 in windy conditions for a five-stroke victory over Brandie Burton.

Inkster, playing about 125 miles from her Los Altos home, had a tournament-record 13-under 275 total on the Twelve Bridges Golf Club course. She earned $105,000 for her 23rd career victory.

"I played well on the front side. On the back side I had some bad swings and it cost me," said Inkster, who had a double-bogey and two bogeys on the back nine. "The wind was tough. It was playing havoc with my swing."

Burton closed with a 74. Carin Koch (74) was another stroke back at 281, and Rachel Hetherington (73) finished fourth at 284.

After a relatively calm morning, the weather became a factor on the final nine holes with wind gusts more than 20 mph.

Leading by three strokes, Inkster birdie three of the first four holes and was 3-under on the front side. She struggled over the final nine holes on a day when only eight players broke par.

"Juli hit a few errant shots coming in, but that's inevitable in the wind like this," Burton said. "Whenever she hit a bad shot, she was able to recover. This was her week, she played awesome."

Inkster, who had only three bogeys through three rounds, bogeyed No. 10 and had a double-bogey on the par-5 No. 12. She chipped short from the walnut chips on her third shot, went past the pin on another chip, then three-putted for the double.

Her lead at five strokes, Inkster responded by hitting within 2 feet of the pin on the par-3 13th. She made the birdie putt, moving to 15-under and getting the lead back to six strokes.

"That was huge, it's such a tough hole," Inkster said. "There is not much room for error. It was a great shot in there, then I made the putt."

Burton made her second birdie at No. 14 and Inkster saved a double-bogey with a 4-foot putt as the lead dipped to four strokes. Burton bogeyed the next hole to drop five strokes back.

"It was never over," Burton said. "But every time I made a birdie, I would take a step back. I could never make a charge."

Divots

Inkster successfully defended a title for the fourth time in her career.

Only eight players finished the tournament under par.

Annika Sorenstam shot a 73 to tie for sixth at 2-over.

Sherri Steinhauer, the runner-up last year, never broke par in four rounds, shooting a 73 on Sunday for a 7-over total.