Ochoa swims to ‘sweet’ major win

From combined dispatches

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Lorena Ochoa, the Mexican star who once struggled in the majors, now is making them look easy.

Ochoa continued her dominance of women’s golf yesterday with a five-shot victory in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, giving her the last two majors by a combined nine shots. She was the only player without a bogey in the final round on a tough Mission Hills course, closing with a 5-under 67 and taking the greatest swim of her life.

She won by five shots over Suzann Pettersen and Annika Sorenstam, among many major champions being left behind in the massive wake of Ochoa, who has won three out of four tournaments this year by a combined 23 shots.

“Nothing can stop her,” said Se Ri Pak, who became the youngest player inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last year, a record that certainly will be broken by the 26-year-old Ochoa.

Ochoa, who finished at 11-under 277, never trailed under the blazing desert sun and was threatened only briefly. But she fired off three straight birdies around the turn to build a five-shot lead and kept it simple with pars the rest of the way.

This was the 20th anniversary of when Amy Alcott began the Nabisco tradition of the winner jumping into the lake surrounding the 18th green, but there has rarely been such a festive moment.

A mariachi band serenaded Ochoa with “Canta y no llores,” which translates to “Sing and don’t cry.” Ochoa grabbed hands with her parents and sister-in-law, sprinted toward the water and jumped with both arms in the air. Her brother, Alejandro, coach Rafael Alarcon and caddie Dave Brooker leapt from the bridge. Before long, there were two dozen friends and family in the water, bobbing to the rhythm of the mariachi band and celebrating another major championship.

Lorena is pronounced similar to “la reina,” Spanish for the queen, and there’s no doubt who rules women’s golf.

Ochoa became the first player since Sorenstam in 2005 to win consecutive majors, and with as much dominance as Tiger Woods enjoys on the PGA Tour, she also has raised possibilities of winning all four majors.

“They’re all sweet,” Ochoa said.

Wagner earns invite

HUMBLE, Texas — Johnson Wagner’s first PGA Tour victory came with the ultimate bonus prize — a trip to the Masters.

Wagner controlled his nerves and held off several late challenges to win the Houston Open and earn a last-minute invitation to Augusta National.

The 28-year-old Wagner shot a 1-under 71 to finish at 16 under, two shots ahead of Chad Campbell (72) and Geoff Ogilvy (68). Billy Mayfair and Fred Couples shot 66s and finished three shots back at 13 under. Bob Estes and Charley Hoffman, three behind Wagner at the start of the round, shot 72s and finished four behind.

While Wagner will play in his first Masters, Davis Love III will miss a major for the first time since 1990. Love had to win to qualify for next week’s Masters, but he finished 5 under, ending the longest active streak of major appearances at 70.

Wiebe dominates

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Mark Wiebe completed a wire-to-wire victory in the inaugural Cap Cana Championship, closing with a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory over Vicente Fernandez.

Wiebe finished at 14-under 202 and earned $300,000 for his second victory in 12 career starts on the Champions Tour. The two-time PGA Tour winner won his first Champions Tour title in his tour debut last fall in the SAS Championship.

Bourdy wins in playoff

CASCAIS, Portugal — France’s Gregory Bourdy won the Estorial Open for his second European tour victory, beating England’s David Howell with a par on the third hole of a playoff.

Bourdy closed with a 1-under 70 to match Howell (64) and Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth (66) at 18-under 266 on the Oitavos Dunes course.