Associated Press
Sunday, May 21

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio -- Annika Sorenstam birdied three of the final four holes to win the Firstar LPGA Classic on Sunday, but it was Karrie Webb who provided the biggest highlight and the biggest lowlight.

	Webb came up short despite an eagle celebration at the finishing hole.

Sorenstam's 19-under 197 total matched the lowest score in tour history for a 54-hole tournament. She didn't have a bogey throughout, hitting 13 fairways and 17 greens in regulation in a closing 6-under 66.

She hit 50 of 54 greens for the tournament, including 35 of the last 36.

One shot back were Christie Kerr and Webb.

Leading the tournament by a stroke on No. 8, Webb was penalized two strokes for swinging at and striking the sand after her first bunker shot trickled back into the trap. She later said she swung partially in anger and partially to practice the shot.

Webb more than made up for that gaffe on the closing hole. Her 9-iron from 131 yards spun into the side of the cup for an eagle. She leaped into the air with her hands raised while the large gallery surrounding the green roared.

Sorenstam was walking between the 17th green and 18th tee when she heard the crowd.

"I think you could hear it in Orlando," Sorenstam said. "It was so loud I said to my caddie, 'It can't be a birdie. It must be an eagle.' Then I saw Karrie pick up the ball and I said, 'Oh, this is not happening.' "

The crowd roared again when Webb's red 18-under par score was put up on the scoreboard near the final green -- putting her in what was thought to be a potential three-way playoff with Sorenstam and Kerr.

"I think that got the crowd going," Webb said. "I think they were looking forward to a playoff."

But seconds after Webb tossed her ball into the gallery, Sorenstam had the last laugh. Seconds before Webb's eagle, she had rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.

The crowd groaned when Sorenstam's score was posted.

"When they posted Annika at 19-under, they sighed a little bit," Webb said. "I think they got into it and wanted to see some 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.

It was Sorenstam's second victory of the season. Webb has already won four times and came into the tournament with almost double the total of her closest pursuer on the money list.

Sorenstam's score matched the LPGA records 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."

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

Rookie Jen Hanna came from back in the pack to post a low round early, making five straight birdies and seven in a an eight-hole span while shooting a 64 that put her at 13-under 203. She lipped out a par putt on the closing hole.

LaRee Sugg aced the 122-yard 13th with a 6-iron, finishing with a 72 and a 54-hole total of 212.

Sorenstam is second to Webb in wins, money and scoring average but 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."