Golf: Victory brings joy for in-form Swede

RANCHO MIRAGE - Annika Sorenstam finished off a 3-under-par 69 with a 7.5m birdie putt on the final hole to win the Nabisco Championship, capping a remarkable streak of golf with her first major since winning her second-straight US Open title in 1996.

It was the third win in a row for Sorenstam, who only last week became the first woman to shoot 59 in competition. But it was easily her biggest win in a tournament she wanted desperately to win.

"I didn't shoot 59 this week but under the circumstances on this golf course this really ranks up there with the 59. It's a dream come true."

After Sorenstam was showered with champagne she took the traditional celebration dive into the pond circling the 18th. "This is what golfers dream about and I'm the lucky one."

But it takes more than luck to hit 35 of 36 greens on the weekend of a major, including 17 on the final day.

Sorenstam came from a shot behind to emerge from a crowded leaderboard and win the $US225,000 ($545,000) first prize by three shots from Karrie Webb, Dottie Pepper, Janice Moodie, Rachel Teske and Akiko Fukushima.

Sorenstam took all the suspense out of the finishing par-5 by laying up in front of the pond in two and then hitting a wedge shot to 7.5m. She needed just to three-putt to win, but made the downhiller instead.

Sorenstam is the first woman to win a major championship for her third win in a row since Kathy Whitworth in 1971.

In Ponte Vedra, Florida, Tiger Woods roared into the lead in the rain-delayed final round of the $US6 million ($14.53 million) Players Championship yesterday, but had to wait until early today to try to clinch golf's richest prize.

A three-hour rain delay forced play to be carried over, and Woods held a a one-shot lead with nine holes to play when action resumed.

A red-hot Woods, who began the day trailing fellow-American and overnight leader Jerry Kelly by two shots, needed just two holes to erase the deficit as he went birdie, eagle to surge ahead.

Kelly and Masters champion Vijay Singh of Fiji stand just one stroke back heading into the nine-hole shootout.

Lurking two shots back is German veteran and double Masters champion Bernhard Langer. New Zealand's Michael Campbell is just off the pace, seven shots behind Woods with seven holes to play.

- AGENCIES