Sorenstam In Commanding Lead With Three Holes to Play

Annika Sorenstam was in a seemingly-insurmountable lead on the 16^th tee at Newport Country Club in her 18-hole playoff with Pat Hurst for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship.

Hurst narrowly missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15^th hole to match Sorenstam’s par and remained five strokes behind with just three holes to play.

Sorenstam Still Five Strokes Ahead In Women’s Open Playoff

Annika Sorenstam birdied the par-4 12^th hole at Newport Country Club to move into a 6-stroke lead in the 18-hole playoff with Pat Hurst for the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open title.  Both players fired at the flagstick on their second shots to the 340-yard hole.  Then she gave one back at the par-3 13^th.

Sorenstam’s ball settled at 13 feet from the hole, while Hurst’s ball spun back to within 15 feet at the 12^th.  Sorenstam made her birdie putt, while Hurst missed.

With a six-stroke advantage, Sorenstam missed the green at the 204-yard, par-3 13^th.  Her ball nestled in a hanging lie in the rough near a bunker and she managed only to chip to within 12 feet of the hole.  Hurst also missed the green but chipped to within 2 feet.  Sorenstam missed, Hurst made, and the margin was again five strokes with five holes to play.   

Sorenstam Takes Five-Stroke Lead In Playoff

Annika Sorenstam took a five-stroke lead over Pat Hurst after 11 holes of the 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship at Newport Country Club.  Sorenstam’s par on the par-4 9^th hole gave her a front-nine total of 1-under-par 34.  Hurst had a 4-over-par 39.  The two players matched par on the 10^th and 11^th holes, with Hurst barely missing a 14-foot birdie putt on the 11^th.

Hurst, looking fatigued, carded a bogey on the ninth hole to fall to 4 over par at the turn.

If Sorenstam should win, it would be her third Women’s Open title and 10^th major overall. Patty Berg holds the record for most majors among women, with 15.

Sorenstam Keeps Four-Stroke Lead

Pat Hurst failed to gain any ground on the 7^th or 8^th holes of the U.S. Women’s Open 18-hole playoff against Annika Sorenstam.  While Hurst hit the green on the par-4 7^th, her birdie putt was inches short and Sorenstam matched her par.  On the 440-yard 8^th, the longest par-4 on the course, both players drove into the rough.  Hurst hit the green some 25 feet from the hole, and again left a birdie putt inches short.  Sorenstam missed the green but chose to putt from the fringe. She putted to within 4 feet, then made her par.  She retains a four-stroke lead heading into the par-4 9^th hole.

Sorenstam Picks Up Another Stroke

Annika Sorenstam pulled four strokes ahead of Pat Hurst after six holes of their 18-hole playoff for the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open title.  Both players made routine pars on the 192-yard par-3 fifth, then ran into trouble on the par-4 sixth.  Sorenstam drove into the left rough, then hit her second shot into a greenside bunker.  She blasted well short of the hole and was left with a 35-foot putt for par.  She safely two-putted, knocking in a 3-footer for a bogey.

Hurst, however, made a mess of the hole.  Driving into the right fairway bunker, she could only play a short shot out but her ball flew into the left rough.  From there, Hurst hit a short iron to within 25 feet of the hole, then three-putted, missing her second putt from less than 3 feet.  The double bogey meant the loss of another stroke and Sorenstam was four strokes ahead after six holes.

Sorenstam Three Ahead After Four Holes

A determined Annika Sorenstam holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 405-yard third hole to take a three-stroke advantage over Pat Hurst.  Hurst was 30 feet from the hole after her second shot, but didn’t come close on her birdie bid and tapped in a 3-footer for par.

At the short, 137-yard par-3 fourth, both players stayed well away from the hole on their tee shots. Sorenstam missed her birdie try from 25 feet. Hurst also missed from 18 feet and tapped in for par. Sorenstam followed with a 2 ½-foot par putt and took a 3-stroke advantage to the fifth tee.

Sorenstam Takes Early Lead

Annika Sorenstam birdied the 532-yard, par-5 first hole with an 8-foot putt to take a two-stroke lead in the U.S. Women’s Open playoff at Newport Country Club.  Her opponent, Pat Hurst, missed the green and failed to make a par.

On the 298-yard, par-4 second, both players had pars after Hurst missed a 5-foot birdie putt and Sorenstam missed from 30 feet.