Annika Sorenstam is, by far, the hottest golfer on the LPGA Tour.

The 31-year-old Swede has won six times and finished in the top 10 in 11 of her 12 starts this season.

“Annika is playing unbelievable golf, and consistently great golf every week, and obviously you can’t overlook her,” said two-time defending U.S. Women’s Open champ Karrie Webb.

Sorenstam has won in three of her last five starts  including last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey  and placed third in two others.

She leads the tour in scoring average (68.74), rounds under par (81 percent), top 10 finishes (11), birdies (185), greens in regulation (79.5 percent), earnings ($1,534,054). She also leads the player of the year standings by more than 140 points.

The fitness fanatic credits her workout program.

“I’ve worked out the last few years, and seriously the last two, so I’m seeing the results,” she said. “I’m feeling better and hitting it farther.”

But Sorenstam knows her statistics won’t guarantee her anything when the Open starts today at Prairie Dunes Country Club.

Last year’s Open was played at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Course in Southern Pines, N.C. Â the same course where she won her second consecutive Open title in 1996. She had won five tournaments in 2001 heading into that tourney but tied for 16th.

“I’m happy with the way I’m playing,” she said. “I don’t think I could prepare any better, and I don’t think my game could be any better coming into this event.”

Sorenstam has dominated the LPGA in the last eight years with 37 victories and a record $9.8 million in earnings.

But success has eluded her in the Open since her second title in 1996. She missed the cut in 1997 and again in 1999. In between, she tied for 41st in 1998. Her third-best finish was ninth place in 2000.

Sorenstam would like to add her name to the Semple Cup for a third time.

“Knowing I won it, and can win it but I haven’t the last few years, means a lot,” she said, “and it’s something I look forward to every year. This is a special trophy you get to keep at home for a year and there’s some great names on the trophy, so this is definitely one of the ones I would love to win.”

Â

Wild kingdom: Spotted at Prairie Dunes on Wednesday: a deer running from the 17th fairway to No. 18, wild turkeys flushed from the rough by an errant shot on No. 11 and a dead snake trapped in the netting on the driving range.

Snakes aren’t uncommon in the Dunes’ 31â2- to 4-inch rough.

“I guess the bad news is there are snakes in the rough,” Prairie Dunes superintendent Stan George said. “The good news is that I have not found a poisonous one or one that would do much damage. The one that looks like a rattlesnake is actually a bull snake. It’s very beneficial in controlling rodents. We try not to disturb them or kill them or anything else.”

Â

Hardest holes: George picked holes five and 16 as the most difficult on his course. Both are long par-4s that play into the wind. He said the toughest shot was the 100-yard, third shot on No. 17, which is a 500-yard par-5.

Â

Now and then: The first U.S. Open in 1946, played at Spokane, Wash., had a purse of $19,700, which a men’s fraternal organization contributed from its slot-machine proceeds. This year’s purse is $3 million.

In 1992, the LPGA had three purses in excess of $1 million. This year there are 24 and the average purse is $1,190,000. Total prize money this year is $38.8 million, up from $20.7 million 1992.

The Open made its first national TV appearance in 1965 when the final round was aired. ESPN will broadcast the first two rounds today and Friday, and NBC will air the final two rounds.

An attendance record was set in 1959 when the Open drew 7,198 fans in Pittsburgh. Wednesday’s practice round drew 11,155. About 100,000 spectators are expected for four days of competition. The four-day record of 110,000 was set in 1998 at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis.