Rancho Mirage, Calif. — Annika Sorenstam didn't need to be spectacular, just steady. It wasn't as exciting as shooting a 59, but in the end it felt just as good.
Sorenstam finished off a 3-under-par 69 with a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Nabisco Championship, capping a remarkable streak of golf with her first major since winning her second straight U.S. 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," Sorenstam said. "It's a dream come true."
Sorenstam was showered with champagne by her sister, Charlotta, and husband, David Esch, then took the traditional celebration dive into the pond circling the 18th before donning a white robe with "Nabisco champion" written on the back.
"I don't know why all this is happening to me, but I'm very, very thankful," an emotional Sorenstam said. "This is what golfers dream about and I'm the lucky one."
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