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Whoa, Nelly! Korda makes it 2 straight wins for her family
Nelly Korda followed in big sister's footsteps with a three-shot victory that looked easier than it felt. “Yeah, Jess' win, I was like, ‘OK, I got to get one now,’" Korda said. But it's nice to get back-to-back Korda wins now.”More than just matching her sister, Korda won for the first time on American soil. Sorenstam finished 29 shots behind Korda, who won by three over Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko. Korda made sure of that with a steady diet of pars and picking up enough birdies when she needed them.
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Nelly Korda leads LPGA as Sorenstam falls to bottom of pack
Sorenstam, playing for the first time in more than 12 years after retiring, had no expectations and no excuses. That put her in last place by four shots, 22 shots behind Korda. “Any time you can get ahead of the pack going into Sunday is a positive,” Korda said. Not going to lie, coming down the stretch, those putts were a little shaky.”But she made them, and she's in great position going for her first LPGA Tour victory. “Normally, I hit the ball straight, and today was everything but straight,” Sorenstam said.
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Back after 12 years, Sorenstam gets 2 more days on LPGA Tour
Annika Sorenstam chips a shot to the ninth green during the first round of the Gainbridge LPGA golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. – Annika Sorenstam went more than 12 years without playing on the LPGA Tour. Sorenstam, making a one-time appearance because the LPGA Tour is at her home course, finally got some putts to drop and ran off three birdies on her second nine. She wanted a little competition as she contemplates playing he U.S. Senior Women's Open this summer, and she said she wouldn't have played an LPGA tour event if it wasn't on her home course. But for someone out of competition for nearly as long as her career on the LPGA Tour, she still has ample game. 1 in the world who won her first LPGA Tour event at 15.
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Sorenstam returns with a lot more stress and fewer birdies
Annika Sorenstam chips a shot to the ninth green during the first round of the Gainbridge LPGA golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. – Annika Sorenstam doesn't remember golf being this difficult. With one birdie and one bad hole, Sorenstam had a 3-over 75 in the LPGA Gainbridge on her home course at Lake Nona. Sorenstam was 10 shots behind another Lake Nona member, Lydia Ko, who opened with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot lead. But then, this week isn't about Sorenstam adding to her 72 career victories or even starting a comeback at age 50. After a penalty drop, she hit it back toward the fairway to about 70 yards, hit an ordinary wedge and three-putted from about 18 feet for a triple bogey.
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Annika is back on LPGA Tour, just not for very long
Diamond Resorts supports her foundation, so she played in the celebrity division of the LPGA Tour season opener last month. AdAnd then the Gainbridge LPGA moved from South Florida to Lake Nona, and Sorenstam already was contemplating a return to competition at the U.S. Senior Women's Open. The members at Lake Nona mostly see her at pickleball or in the clubhouse for Easter brunch or a Thanksgiving feast. Lake Nona, home to several PGA and LPGA players, hosted the Solheim Cup in 1990 and previously had the Tavistock Cup, matches between tour members from Lake Nona and Isleworth. “If it wasn't Lake Nona, I wouldn't be here,” she said.
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Column: Back in time on LPGA for Sorenstam and Yani Tseng
The surprise decision was still fresh three weeks later when 19-year-old Yani Tseng won her first major. Sorenstam turned 50 in October and has not competed on the LPGA Tour since the final event of 2008. She also played the LPGA Tour season opener last month, although Sorenstam was part of the celebrity division. When she won the Kia Classic in March 2012 for her 15th LPGA Tour title, she was four points short of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Tseng played five times over the second half of 2020 on the Taiwan LPGA, missing one cut and failing to finish in the top 25.
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Trump honors golfing greats with award in private ceremony
The award is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. President Donald Trump has generally held public ceremonies when presenting the honor, but Thursday’s event was closed to the media. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany released a statement on the awards, which for Sorenstam and Player had been previously announced last March. She was an all-around athlete nicknamed “Babe,” after Babe Ruth. Zaharias was still a top-ranked professional golfer when she died from cancer in 1956.
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Masters field at 84 players heading into the final 3 months
55 after closing with a 77 in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to drop to a tie for 23rd. That he accumulated the most world ranking points (463.54) was no surprise. Johnson received credit for the victory with the staggered start based on the FedEx Cup (he tied for third in world ranking points). DIVOTSDustin Johnson earned an average of 25.75 world ranking points in his 18 starts worldwide in 2020. That's more than the total ranking points Tiger Woods earned (19.08) in the nine tournaments he played.