Former MLB pitcher pours in a long putt on the first playoff hole to win.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions kicked off the LPGA’s 2022 season and alongside the 29 winners on the circuit from a year ago were 50 celebrities, including Annika Sorenstam, who lives on the 16th hole at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando.
The former World No. 1 knows the course and even in cold, rainy conditions, she still knows how to play the game.
With a 34-point final round under the modified stableford scoring format, including the final clutch points coming on the 18th hole, Sorenstam tied former Major League Baseball pitcher Derek Lowe at the top of the leaderboard. Lowe closed with 36 points in his final round and each finished the four-round event with 138 points in regulation.
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Sorenstam kept on Lowe’s heels throughout the day on Sunday. She made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to reclaim a share of the lead. After falling back again, she made another birdie on 15 to tie Lowe once again. On 16, she missed a par putt to fall two points back with two to go. On the final hole, she made a clutch up-and-down to tie Lowe.
On the first playoff hole, Lowe closed it out with a long putt.
Derek Lowe makes a long par putt on the first extra hole to defeat Annika Sorenstam and win the celebrity event at the #HGVLPGApic.twitter.com/4UoGthzhnQ
Another former MLB pitcher, Mark Mulder, finished third at 129 points. Chad Pfeifer, who survived an IED explosion in Iraq and plays on a prosthetic leg, posted 128 points to finish in a tie for fourth with former NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick.
Danielle Kang wins for the sixth time on the LPGA.
Sunday featured a pair of aces in the LPGA season opener.
Nelly Korda, ranked No. 1 in the world and playing with Annika Sorenstam, the first-ever World No. 1 when the Rolex Rankings debuted in 2006, led by a shot heading into the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
But in yet another day of drizzly conditions, Korda slid backwards down the leaderboard as she carded a couple of bogeys to go with a bunch of pars before finally managing a birdie on the 15th hole.
In her place stepped Danielle Kang and Gaby Lopez, who made their moves at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
Lopez won the 2020 Tournament of Champions at Tranquilo and midway through Sunday’s round, she led by three shots. Undeterred, Kang came on strong late. She birdied the ninth to shoot a 1-under 35, then birdied the 11th and 13th holes.
On No. 14, a fan yelled ‘Get in the hole!’ as Kang was rolling in an 8-foot putt for birdie, her second straight and third in four holes. She punctuated that putt with a fist pump and walked off the green up two shots on Lopez. On No. 15, Kang made a third straight birdie to get to 17 under and go up by three shots. She was up four shots with three to go after Lopez bogeyed the 15th.
Kang gave one back on 16 but parred the final two holes for a 68 to grab her sixth career win and first since winning twice during the 2020 season.
The first LPGA Sunday of the season will feature – gasp! – Sorenstam and Korda in the final group.
The first LPGA Sunday of the season will feature – gasp! – leaders Annika Sorenstam and Nelly Korda in the final group. Sorenstam, who leads the celebrity division at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, became the first player to reach No. 1 in the world when the Rolex Rankings debuted in 2006 and Nelly Korda, of course, is the current No. 1. They’ll be joined by 2020 TOC winner Gaby Lopez.
While in some ways it’s a beautiful blend of past and present, both did just win a major last year. Korda broke through with her first at the KPMG Women’s PGA, and Sorenstam won in her debut at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
“She still has so much game,” said Nelly. “Think she shot 1- or 2-under on the back nine. She’s not hitting it as far off the tee, but, gosh, her woods and her iron game into the greens is so good.
“Like on 18, that was an amazing shot.”
Korda leads the LPGA field of 29 by one shot over Danielle Kang and Lopez. At 13 under par for the tournament, Korda carded her 11th consecutive round in the 60s, dating back to last season, when she posted 69 on a cold, windy and rainy day at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
“Yeah, felt like I was at British,” said Korda.
Nelly Korda of the United States plays her shot from the 16th tee during the third round of the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 22, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Sorenstam lives off the 16th hole at Lake Nona and normally wouldn’t leave the house on such a dreary day, but she took a champion’s mindset into battle.
“It’s one of those days that normally I wouldn’t be outside,” said Sorenstam, “but because of the tournament you get a little extra fired up and you go out there and try to hit one shot at a time.”
Sorenstam tops the celebrity field of 50 by two with 104 points in the modified Stableford scoring format. Former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe is solo third and U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish sits in solo third at 100 points.
“I am super excited that I’m leading by two,” said Sorenstam. “I wasn’t really paying too much attention. I know I was kind of going head-to-head there with Derek a little bit, but I didn’t know what the guys in front were doing.”
Frustrated by the length of her drives on Saturday, Sorenstam got friendly with her 5-wood and hybrids and hit several beauties.
“If you start thinking about how long it is and how difficult, then it gets really tiring,” said Sorenstam. “I try to be positive. (Husband/caddie) Mike was really positive, too. He was like, ‘Hang in there. If you can have a good attitude, right there is one or two shots.
‘So just do what you can and then think about the fireplace, and this evening you’ll be warm and cozy.’ ”
There’s plenty of firepower behind Korda, with Brooke Henderson two back in solo fourth and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso three back at 10 under.
Saso became the first Filipino person to ever win a major last summer at Olympic. This season Saso, who lives in Tokyo, is competing under the Japanese flag.
“I’m very proud of my dual citizenship,” said Saso. “Whatever I represent, I’m Filipino. So it was just for passport more, because if I have Japanese passport then I can travel mostly everywhere with no visa, and that will be very helpful for my game, for my career.”
