Eagle, fans ease Sorenstam's pain

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Annika Sorenstam waved to crowd after making eagle on 18.

An unforgettable shot capped a frustrating week for the three-time champion.

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Last update: June 29, 2008 - 10:03 PM

Now that's an ending.

Already guaranteed to receive a loud ovation as she walked up the 18th fairway Sunday in her final U.S. Women's Open, Annika Sorenstam provided a whopper that shook Interlachen Country Club and will be remembered and retold by fans for years to come.

Sorenstam holed out a 6-iron from 199 yards for eagle on her final shot in her final major championship on American soil. It was an unforgettable, jaw-dropping, can-you-believe-that way to close the book for the three-time U.S. Open champion.

"I'm leaving with a great memory," Sorenstam said. "Maybe not the one I had in mind, but I'll take it."

Sorenstam's spectacular finish overshadowed a nightmare final round that required at least a birdie on No. 18 to avoid an 80. Her 78 was her third-worst score in 15 U.S. Open appearances and her worst round since shooting a 79 in 1998.

Sorenstam's putting the first three rounds nearly brought her to tears. The wheels came completely off her game on Sunday.

Sorenstam made bogey on three of the first six holes, a double bogey on No. 9 and a bogey on No. 10. She hit only four of 14 fairways and eight of 18 greens.

It was that bad.

"My tank is empty," she said afterward. "You need adrenaline. You need energy. I've tried so hard the last three days. It's just very, very hard to run on fumes. You can only take it so far."

But rather than limp to the finish line, Sorenstam floated down the 18th fairway with the help of raucous cheers after a remarkable shot.

Sorenstam had an inauspicious start to her final hole, a par-5. She hit her driver and immediately yelled "Fore" as her ball drifted way right. The ball nestled in the rough below several trees, forcing her to punch out onto the fairway.

That set up her final shot, a perfect 6-iron that hit on the front of the green and rolled in. Sorenstam jumped in the air, her arms spread wide. Playing partner Cristie Kerr, the defending U.S. Open champion, ran over and hugged Sorenstam.

"I said, 'That's the best shot I've ever seen,'" Kerr said. "She said, 'That's the only way I was going to break 80.'"

The roars reached a crescendo as Sorenstam walked onto the green and bent over to retrieve her ball from the cup. She kissed the ball and tossed it into the grandstand. A buzz engulfed the area around the green and clubhouse as fans soaked in the significance of that shot and moment.

Asked afterward if she thinks that shot will become the signature moment in her retirement year, Sorenstam hedged, saying she still has about 10 tournaments left to play.

"I hope to win a few more times, and I hope those times will be the signature moments," she said. "This is definitely a signature shot. To break 80, you know."

She smiled. The tournament didn't go as planned largely because of her shaky putting. She finished 3 over-par for the tournament, 12 shots behind winner Inbee Park.

But Sorenstam was undeniably the sentimental favorite among fans this week, and she rewarded them with a memorable shot to end an otherwise disappointing tournament.

"I have never, never seen crowds like this," Sorenstam said. "It was amazing. I was out there dragging, and everybody just tried to keep me going. It's just a wonderful memory. I didn't walk away with the trophy, but to feel so supported and feel so loved with everybody here, it's just something that I'll never forget."