Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce

10/1/2007 - Hjorth wins Navistar LPGA Classic

Swede gets 1st win in 8 years

October 1, 2007PRATTVILLE --

Sweden's Maria Hjorth sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the 71st hole of the 72-hole Navistar LPGA Classic to complete a Sunday charge to victory and end Lorena Ochoa's bid to tie a record for consecutive victories.

Hjorth, who won her first LPGA tournament in eight years with a 14-under-par 274, picked up a check for $195,000 as well as a $90,000 candy-apple red Navistar MXT truck parked just off the 18th green at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail course in Prattville.

Stacy Prammanasudh, who had swapped the lead with Ochoa during the first three days of the tournament, finished alone in second place, a stroke back of the winner. She received $118,722.Ochoa tied for third with a surprising Angela Park, who dashed up the leader board with a 9-under Sunday round. Both finished at 12 under for the tournament and will receive $76,000.

After taking a month off in September, Ochoa returned to the tour for the Alabama tournament. For the first three days it appeared that she hadn't accumulated much rust, if any, during her extended stay back home in Mexico.The fourth round was her downfall, as her once-hot putter let her down.

"For some reason I couldn't feel comfortable," said Ochoa after the round. "It was just a rough day, and I guess not to be."If she had been able to maintain her one-stroke lead from Saturday, Ochoa would have won her fourth straight tournament. Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez hold the LPGA record of five straight tourney wins.

Hjorth started the day at 9 under par, four strokes behind Ochoa at The Senator course at Capitol Hill. She felt she would need at least a 15-under-par final score to have a chance to beat the world's No. 1 woman golfer.The key to her victory was a putt from the fringe of the green on No. 17 after her fairway shot nearly rolled into the rough. Using a belly putter that served her well throughout the four-day tournament, Hjorth rolled her ball into the cup to roars of approval from the large crowd.

Tournament officials had hoped to attract up to 50,000 people to the event and, while attendance fell 20,000 short of that, sponsors were pleased with the turnout."It's been a good River Region event," said Prattville Mayor Jim Byard, who was joined by Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright at the final round. "It was dramatic to the end, and that's the kind of finish you want and not somebody running away with it."Hjorth, 33, was ranked 20th in the world going into the tournament with $556,289 in winnings this year. Her victory added to her 2007 purses that have pushed her career earnings beyond $3 million since she turned pro in 1998.

Now living in Florida, Hjorth (pronounced Yort), established herself as a contender for the tournament title early in the final round.Asked how she felt when her birdie dropped on No. 17 Sunday afternoon, Hjorth said it gave her a lift, but she also knew that her two playing companions, especially Ochoa, easily could erase her one stroke lead."Stacy still had to putt, but I kind of felt that I had a chance to have a one-shot lead coming down the last (fairway)," Hjorth said. "It's a great feeling, even though you know with Lorena's capacity and Stacy's as well, they can still birdie."But neither Ochoa nor Prammanasudh found a way to tie Hjorth and force a playoff."She is obviously a great player," Prammanasudh said of Hjorth. "She's been out here a few more years than I have. Since I (turned pro), she's always been a top 30 player.

"Ochoa, Prammanasudh and Hjorth stayed close throughout the front nine, but it was apparent to the large gallery following them that Ochoa had lost her putting touch.Time and again, Ochoa came close, but couldn't sink her birdie putts, which stopped several inches from the cup."Oh, no!" exclaimed one of her female fans at No. 4 when Ochoa's putt just missed.

Hjorth was pleased with her new vehicle, which Navistar officials proudly proclaimed can top anything on the road in its class."This one isn't for her, but she can have her pick later," said D.L. Kapur, president of Navistar's International Truck and Engine Corp. "She can even pick her own color.

"Hjorth hopped into the truck, turned the key and beamed as it roared to life -- sounding a lot like a Sherman tank. She said red would do just fine.

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