Sorenstam wins 71st LPGA title in playoff over Creamer

Sweden's Annika Sorenstam won the 71st title of her career, capturing the LPGA Stanford International Pro-Am on Sunday when Paula Creamer left an eight-foot par putt short on the first playoff hole.

Sorenstam moved 17 triumphs shy of matching Kathy Whitworth's all-time LPGA victory record by taking her 48th victory when at least sharing the lead entering the final round.

It was the second triumph of the season for Sorenstam, who won the LPGA opener in Hawaii. Creamer also won an early season event in Hawaii but missed out on her sixth LPGA title when she came up short in the playoff.

Sorenstam and Creamer finished 72 holes on eight-under par 275 after Creamer fired a final-round 69 and Sorenstam, who began the day with a one-stroke lead, shot 70.

Australian Karrie Webb, playing with a new putter she began using only this week, fired a stunning seven-under par 64 to threaten the leaders but settled for a share of third with South Korean Young Kim on seven-under 276.

Japan's Momoko Ueda was fifth on 278 after a final-round 71.

Creamer birdied the par-five second and par-3 third holes to grab the lead but fell back with a bogey at the par-three seventh while Sorenstam birdied the par-five sixth.

Creamer birdied the ninth to match Sorenstam for the lead. The Swedish star answered by opening the back nine with a birdie but Creamer matched her with a birdie on the following hole.

Sorenstam fell out the lead with a bogey at the par-three 13th but after a bad tee shot, Creamer missed a long par putt at the 17th, leaving her level with the Swedish star for the lead as they approached the par-five 18th tee.

Each missed a long birdie putt to finish 72 holes deadlocked, sending them back to the 18th tee to begin the playoff.

Creamer was just off the green while Sorenstam was near where she had been in regulation, 10 feet from the cup. Creamer rolled the ball eight feet past the cup while Sorenstam just missed and made par.

When Creamer left her comeback putt inches short of the cup, Sorenstam had her second triumph of the season.

Webb made a major charge with five birdies in a row starting at the second hole. She added two more at the 11th and 12th holes and answered a bogey at the 14th with a birdie on the 16th but finished one shot out of the playoff.

"I'm very pleased," Webb said. "I felt like my game is close. I've been trying not to get too frustrated. I've been getting down on myself because my golf is not producing the results like it should have been.

"But the putts went in today."

World number one Lorena Ochoa, who won a week ago, skipped this event. The Mexican star has won five of six events which she has entered this year and 10 of her past 15 starts.

The two million-dollar event, making its LPGA debut with a Pro-Am format the first three days, featured two courses in the opening rounds.