Sorenstam wraps up eighth victory of season

Karrie Webb and Carin Koch each shot 69 and finished third at 280.

Jennifer Rosales, who played in the final group with Sorenstam, took a double bogey on No. 9 that knocked her out of contention. She holed out a long bunker shot on the 18th for a 74 to finish fifth.

Grace Park closed with a 75 to finish 15th at 2-over 290 and won the Vare Trophy for having the lowest season scoring average. Park came into the final event narrowly ahead of Lorena Ochoa, but the Mexican also shot 75 and finished at 292.

"I knew because her name wasn't on the board that she was higher than what was on the board," Park said. "The Vare Trophy was on my mind, but I wanted to finish the season well."

Sorenstam had the lowest average for the fourth straight season, but has been ineligible because she didn't play the minimum 70 rounds required to win the award.

The only contest that was close came from the last two groups.

Kerr holed a short birdie putt on the second hole to get to 10 under, then rolled in an 8-footer on the next hole. Rosales hit her approach into 3 feet on No. 2 to reach 10 under.

Sorenstam had no such luck.

She missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, then missed three straight birdie putts inside 15. When Sorenstam three-putted from about 60 feet over a ridge on the par-3 fifth, she fell two shots behind.

Two unlikely birdies finally got her on track.

Sorenstam's approach on No. 6 barely climbed a steep ridge, and she made a 20-footer for her first birdie. She followed that with a 45-foot birdie on the next hole to catch Kerr, and they matched short birdies on the par-5 ninth.

It became a back-nine duel when Rosales made an ungraceful exit on No. 9 by badly pulling her tee shot into the water and making double bogey.

Kerr pulled ahead with a wedge into a foot for a tap-in birdie on the par-5 15th. Sorenstam went for the green in two, barely clearing a creek, but then three-putted from 40 feet and had to settle for par. But she made up for it on the next hole, making an 8-footer for birdie from about the same spot where Kerr had missed.

Kerr won in Las Vegas earlier this year in a seven-hole playoff. One swing with a 7-wood assured that this playoff wasn't going to last more than one hole.

Divots: Sorenstam was questioned for hitting a 4-iron off the tee on the 384-yard first hole Saturday, which left her a 7-wood into the green and led to a bogey. After calling it a "stupid" mistake, Sorenstam hit driver in the final round and split the fairway. Then she looked at a group of reporters, smiled and showed them her driver head cover for emphasis. ... Sorenstam and Kerr tied the 72-hole record at Trump International at 13-under 275, which Sorenstam set two years ago. ... Sorenstam improved to 13-5 in playoffs, and her record with at least a share of the 54-hole lead is now 22-16.

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