Tiger Woods' announcement Wednesday to have season-ending knee surgery raises some questions about his long-term future, in particular, whether he's racing the clock in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major wins.

Until Woods' surprise announcement, it was a foregone conclusion that he would break Nicklaus' mark. But a planned third surgery in five years on his left knee, this one to be a reconstruction, has some medical experts wondering if Woods' career will end prematurely, before he tracks down the Golden Bear. Woods, 32, won his 14th major championship on Monday, defeating Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Against the advice of his doctors, Woods played 91 holes with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and two stress fractures in his left tibia. Woods, who was diagnosed with a ruptured ACL last July, but opted against surgery, suffered the double stress fracture in late May.

"The long-term consequence of a delayed repair is that he's at a very high risk of developing arthritis in the knee in the next five to seven years," said Vijay Vad, MD, a sports medicine expert for GolfersMD.com and my co-author on the book  Golf Rx. "The consequences are twofold: One, we don't know how he's going to perform if and when the arthritis develops; and two, we don't know what kind of impact it's going to have on the longevity of his career."

The encouraging news for Woods, however, is that in the next "five to seven years, several new technologies will be coming out to to treat early knee arthritis," says Vad. Woods is also in excellent physical condition, which was evident as he won the U.S. Open despite practicing very little in the past two months. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April to repair a torn meniscus.

"The chances of him playing competitively past 40, given the fact he's extremely fit, are very good," says Vad. "He's so fit going into the surgery that his recovery time is going to be a lot less than the average person."

Vad said Woods' recovery should take about four months. The surgery and resulting rehab will allow both stress fractures to heal, and Woods should be able to begin some sports-specific exercises in about six weeks. That includes putting and chipping. While Woods will miss the remaining two majors in 2008 and the Ryder Cup Matches, he should have no trouble being ready for the start of the 2009 PGA Tour season come January.

"It's not like they're getting him ready to play running back in the NFL," said Vad.

Some critics second-guessed Woods' decision to play in the U.S. Open, saying he put his career in jeopardy. But Vad believes Woods did no irreversible damage to the knee by playing last week. The wincing pain Woods was feeling came from the stress fractures in his leg, not the torn ACL. But the stress fractures Woods suffered were the direct result of delaying reconstructive surgery on the knee, as was the torn meniscus.

"It's like a loose knee, not a tight knee, so the stresses on the knee are greater," says Vad. "Think of it like a handle that's not fully screwed in, and it's rattling around a bit. The biomechanics had to be altered, and that's why he had the fractures."

Like everyone else, Vad is wondering what Woods will be able to accomplish with two healthy legs.

"The scary thing is if he can win a U.S. Open like this, what's going to happen when he comes back fully rehabbed, with no stress fracture and his ACL completely redone," said Vad.

Suzann Pettersen didn't have high expectations heading into last year's McDonald's LPGA Championship, which may explain why she was able to hold off a charging Karrie Webb and win her first major championship.

"I guess when you think less and play more, you probably perform better," said the 27-year-old from Norway, who shot a final-round 67 to win by one stroke over Webb. "That's probably what I did."

Pettersen will have a more difficult challenge winning this week, however, because she fully intends on being in contention come Sunday afternoon at Bulle Rock Golf Course. Expectations are much higher after she won in Switzerland two weeks ago, setting a Ladies European Tour 54-hole scoring record at 22-under-par. The Deutsche Bank Ladies' Swiss Open was halted after 54 holes because of rain, but not before a struggling Pettersen had regained her swagger.

"My game really came together that week," said Pettersen, who followed up her Swiss triumph with a tie for ninth place at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA. "I tried to go as low as I could and 22 under after three rounds, that's going to give you a lot of confidence."

Heading into 2008, it appeared as if Pettersen would be Lorena Ochoa's greatest threat for worldwide supremacy on the LPGA Tour stage. She had broken through in a big way in 2007, collecting five LPGA wins,  including three in October, and catapulting all the way from 53rd to second in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. Suzann, not Annika, was expected to be Lorena's chief rival in '08.

But Pettersen has found the sledding a bit mushy early on in 2008. Her best finish in nine LPGA starts was a tie for second at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and when she tees off Thursday in defense of her title, it is the Big Three of Ochoa, Sorenstam and Paula Creamer (11 wins in 15 events between them in '08) who are grabbing most of the headlines. A repeat in Maryland come Sunday would certainly put Pettersen back in the conversation. And get Ochoa's attention.

"There's a great bunch of players on the LPGA Tour right now," said Pettersen, currently third in the world rankings behind Ochoa and Sorenstam. "It's not just Lorena. She's a human being like everyone else. If you put her under pressure coming down the stretch, she will make mistakes like everyone else. I mean, we just have to put her under pressure more often. Sometimes she gets away with it a little bit too easy, I would say."

Annika Sorenstam's Big Apple retirement party will continue tonight when she reads the nightly Top Ten list on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman (11:30 p.m. EST). The list will feature Annika's "Top Ten Reasons For Stepping Away From Competitive Golf!"

Annika's appearance on Letterman comes one day after announcing her retirement--effective the end of the 2008 season--and throwing out the first pitch (below) at the New York Mets-Washington Senators game. Sorenstam wore a Mets jersey with the No. 59 on it, a tribute to the 59 she shot during the second round of the Standard Register PING in 2001. Sorenstam is the only female professional golfer to shoot a 59 in competition.

UPDATE: Here's the link to the video clip.

Picture by Getty Images.

CLIFTON, N.J.--Annika Sorenstam's caddie of nine years, Terry McNamara, gave some interesting insights into the Sorenstam camp's decision to announce her retirement on Tuesday at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. McNamara said the original plan was to make the announcement at the U.S. Women's Open in late June, but Annika's performance this year (three wins in eight starts) prompted the switch to the Sybase, a tournament Sorenstam has won twice.

"As the year went on, [the U.S. Open] didn't seem very practical because she was going to try and go win it," said McNamara, who's been by Sorenstam's side for eight of her 10 major championships. "As she said in her press conference today, I want a chance to win there, and if she brings that up early in the week, that cuts down on her chances."

McNamara believes that Sorenstam would have retired at the end of last season had it not been for a neck injury which limited her to just 13 starts. Sorenstam went winless on the LPGA Tour for the first time since 1994, but did successfully defend her title at the Dubai Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour in December.

"Last year she played her heart out with one arm because the other arm was hurt, because of the neck," McNamara said. "But her expectations were, 'I should be able to win anyway.' "

It was after Dubai--which is slated to be Sorenstam's final tournament in 2008--that she started thinking about when to announce her retirement. Despite her fierce competitive nature, McNamara doesn't think Sorenstam will have trouble staying retired.

"People think Annika just turns on this button and plays well. It's not like that," said McNamara. "She puts a lot of time into it, whether it's going to the gym or mentally thinking about it. The commitment is unbelievable. It's a grind at times. Once you've done it all, that grind becomes hard. If she's gonna play, she's going to want to practice, because she's not going to go out there and finish 10th and be happy. It takes a lot of time to be that good."

Asked what he thought Annika's legacy would be, McNamara said, "I would hope that it would be class. "I've been lucky to have this time with her, and I'm better off because of it. It takes a good player to make a good caddie."

CLIFTON, N.J.--Lorena Ochoa, the world's No. 1-ranked player, was caught a little off-guard by Annika Sorenstam's announcement Tuesday that she would retire at the end of the 2008 season. Ochoa, who overtook Sorenstam in the Rolex Rankings last April and has held the spot ever since, is expected to take the helm from Annika as the face of women's golf for many years to come.

"It caught me by surprise," Ochoa said shortly after Sorenstam's announcement at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite. "I didn't think it would happen this soon. It's sad, but I'm really happy for her, because I know it's a tough decision to quit playing and have a family, and [pursue] other activities off the golf course."

Ochoa, the defending Sybase champion, won five of her first six events this season and appeared to have a lock on the No. 1 ranking and Player of the Year honors. However, Sorenstam has won her last two starts, including a landslide seven-shot victory at last week's Michelob ULTRA Open, where Ochoa finished tied for 12th. Sorenstam currently trails Ochoa by only $300,000 on the money list and has cut her lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race to 54 points.

"I admire her very much," said Ochoa. "We will miss her for sure, and we will never forget what she has done for us as players, and for the LPGA. So I thank her for every moment, and hopefully she has a great year and great success."

Ochoa wasn't the only player surprised by Sorenstam's decision. Fellow Swede Liselotte Neumann, who teamed with Sorenstam to win the Women's World Cup of Golf in 2006, said: "The timing surprised me, especially being so early in the season. She's going to be missed."

Asked if she thought Sorenstam's competitiveness would make it difficult for her to stay away from the game, Neumann added: "That's always been one of her qualities; when she sets her mind to do something, that's what she's going to do. She would never come out and announce it unless she's going to do it."

CLIFTON, N.J.--Annika Sorenstam compared the anticipation of her big announcement on Tuesday to coming down the stretch, needing a two-putt for victory. The Hall of Famer was nervous, but didn't shed any tears as she announced her retirement from competitive golf--effective the end of the 2008 season--at an overflowing press conference at the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite.

Annika fielded questions from the media in attendance and on a conference call with the same focus and commitment she has displayed throughout her 15 seasons on the LPGA Tour. Here are some of the more pertinent questions asked Tuesday and Annika's responses to them.

Q: WHY THE ANNOUNCEMENT NOW, AND NOT LATER IN THE SEASON?
A: I felt the responsibility to let the LPGA and the fans know. The year goes by so quickly and all of a sudden, it's December. I wanted to have a chance to focus on my game, play some good golf. Therefore, we just thought this was a good time.

Q: WHAT'S NEXT?
A: The reason for this decision is that I have other priorities in my life. I have a lot of dreams that I want to follow. I'm getting married in January. Mike [fiance Mike McGee] and I want to start a family. I want to continue to build the ANNIKA brand of businesses, and this includes my academy, my golf course design projects, my corporate relationships, hosting golf tournaments, etc.

While I'm stepping away from competition, I will be very engaged and very involved in the game of golf, but in a different way. I want to make sure that I can give back to the game that's been great to me, by helping and inspiring young kids to develop and reach their dreams. I know I can do that with the growth of my academy, my foundation, and the commitment of my sponsors that have been there for me all these years and played an instrumental part in my success.

Q: WHAT WILL BE YOUR LAST TOURNAMENT?
A: In Dubai [Dubai Ladies Masters, Dec. 10-13] on the Ladies European Tour. (The ADT Championship, Nov. 20-23 in West Palm Beach, will be her final event on the LPGA Tour.) I'm sticking with the schedule I decided to play earlier in the year, probably a total of 25 events. So I have a lot of events left all around the world.

Q: CAN YOU ENVISION YOURSELF PLAYING COMPETITIVELY AFTER THIS SEASON?
A: December will be my last tournament. If it's forever, I'm not really sure, but it's definitely for now.

Q: YOUR 16 VICTORIES SHY OF KATHY WHITWORTH ON THE ALL-TIME WINS LIST. DID YOU GIVE THAT ANY CONSIDERATION IN YOUR DECISION?
A: Obviously, 88 wins is a huge achievement. I feel like I've achieved so much more than I ever thought I could, and to beat her record doesn't motivate me. I'm very happy in my life. I'm content with what I've achieved, and it just feels right. I still have energy and excitement to finish the year on a strong note, and that's the way I look at it. Right now, I'm second on the [LPGA] Money List (behind Lorena Ochoa). And people who know me know that I don't settle for second. So I have a whole lot of work ahead of myself.

CLIFTON, N.J.--Upon hearing that Annika was going to announce her retirement today—effective at the end of the 2008 season—I couldn’t help but think back to our first meeting in 1999. Annika was a shy Swede in braces who, despite two U.S. Open titles and more than a dozen LPGA Tour wins to her credit, was clearly more comfortable standing over a knee-knocking three-foot putt than she was talking into a microphone. I was a rookie instruction editor for Golf Magazine about to get the biggest break in my journalism career.

I knew who Annika Sorenstam was, but I had no idea who she was about to become. This was before Annika Sorenstam simply came to be known as “Annika.” You know you’re a pretty big deal when you’re simply referred to by one name. But it was hard to imagine at the time that Annika would soon join such elite company as Tiger, Arnie, Jack, Pele, Magic and Babe. 

As we sat in a golf cart just off the 17th green at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Annika’s eyes became fixed on another set of eyes much more threatening than mine. It was an alligator, making its way toward our cart. “Good thing we’re on a bridge,” I said, trying to lighten the moment. Still, for several minutes, Annika carefully watched the gator as I tried to switch the topic to lag putting.

Once we got talking, I was impressed how prepared Annika was—she had the story ideas I sent her as well as a few notes of her own written out—and how eager she was to share her knowledge. We also shot some tips on sidehill lies that day, as well as long bunker shots.  To make sure I clearly understood the message she was delivering, she put her 9-iron into my hands and proceeded to watch me blast the ball out from 30 yards to about eight feet.  “She really knows what she’s talking about,” I thought.

Every year, I’ve had the privilege of writing tips with Annika for the readers of Golf Magazine and, now, Golf for Women magazine. As Annika has become more popular, so have our photo shoots—at one time, it was just Annika, myself and the photographer; now, there’s a hair-and-makeup artist, a stylist, three photographers, a team of photo assistants, a video crew and several editors on sight. The scale is much bigger, but Annika is still the same person--professional, down to earth, and as kind as when I first met her--although I’d say she’s much more comfortable with public attention now.

When GFW’s editor-in-chief, Susan Reed, asked me to share some of my memories of Annika over the years for this story, three came to mind, because I think they best sum up Annika as a competitor and a person. The first occurred in May 2003, when Annika made history by becoming the first woman in 58 years to tee it up on the men’s PGA Tour. The buildup prior to her opening tee shot on the 10th hole at the Bank of America Colonial was like nothing I’d ever seen in golf. She would say later she was so nervous she couldn’t feel her arms, and that her plan was to just hit the ball and find it. Yet, Sorenstam took several deep breaths and entered her little bubble, where she’s hit thousands of 4-woods on the practice range, and somehow proceeded to stripe it down the middle. Her knees buckled in relief. She not only hit that ball flush, she hit everything pure that day in what many witnesses described as one of the best ball-striking rounds ever. The 1-over-par 71 was the highest score she could have posted, but she not only won over her male playing partners that day, she earned the respect of the entire golfing world. 

The second moment occurred later that year, when we were shooting the photographs for her instruction book, “Golf Annika’s Way,” which I co-wrote with her. Annika is a very drill-oriented person, and she was trying to demonstrate one exercise in which she drives a tee into the ground with the face of her wedge. The tee is placed on an angle, and the purpose of the drill is to teach you how to approach the ball on a steep, descending path, so the clubhead bottoms out in front of the ball. Annika tried and tried, but just couldn’t get the tee to cooperate. She started to get frustrated, but wouldn’t quit, being the fierce competitor she is. Finally, after about 10 minutes, we agreed that if she had trouble with the drill, maybe we shouldn’t include it in the book. But it took some cajoling from me and her swing coach, Henri Reis, and we nearly had to pull the club out of her hands.  We finally prevailed, but it gives insight into Annika’s determination to give everything 100 percent, even if it’s a drill she probably hasn’t practiced since she was a junior.

Lastly, there was a shoot with Annika in March 2006 with Golf for Women and Golf Digest. We were demonstrating her favorite distance-control drill, where someone fields golf balls that Annika hits to a target at 10-yard increments. The honor usually bestowed on Annika’s caddie was given to me; I got to put on the baseball glove and act as her target. Standing at approximately 40 yards, I was amazed how she hit one wedge after another directly into my mitt; I didn’t have to budge. I moved back to 60 yards and 80 yards and barely had to move to catch the balls. Soon, my pockets were filled with about 20 golf balls. Then I could hear Annika joke to the photographers, ‘Hey, I’m going to make Dave run a little bit.’ And, next thing I know, I’m retreating as fast as I can to try and run down one of her shots, balls dropping from my pocket. Annika could hit a wedge from 80 yards out into a garbage can, if she had to. Her sense of humor is just as well-timed.

Courageous, competitive, precise. Those three words pretty much sum up Annika Sorenstam. Classy would be another. There hasn’t been a better ambassador for women’s golf than Annika this past decade. I, for one, feel very fortunate to have received that first assignment nine years ago.

Let the debate begin. Tiger Woods' runner-up finish at The Masters and Lorena Ochoa's 11-shot runaway triumph at the Corona Championship in Mexico on Sunday made me wonder: Just who is the most dominant player in golf today? Is it Woods, whose much talked about quest for the Grand Slam was derailed in the season's first major by Trevor Immelman, or Ochoa, whose average margin of victory in her four wins this season is an astounding 8.5 shots?  So I did a little investigating.

Since the start of the 2007 season, Ochoa has competed in 30 LPGA Tour events,  Woods in 21 PGA Tour events, with Ochoa winning 12 titles (40 percent) and Woods claiming 10 wins (48 percent). Woods has the edge there. However, in Ochoa's last 14 LPGA starts, dating back to last year's Ricoh Women's British Open, Ochoa has won nine times (64 percent) and finished outside the Top 10 only once -- a 12th-place finish at last year's Hana Bank KOLON Championship in South Korea. In Woods' last 14 PGA starts, dating back to last year's Memorial Tournament, he has won seven times (50 percent) and finished outside  the top 10 only twice (a T15 at the Memorial and a T12 at the British Open Championship). The edge goes to Ochoa here, although it is worth noting that Woods did capture two non-PGA Tour events during that span: Last December’s Target World Challenge and this year's Dubai Desert Classic.

So which player is more dominant today? Based on her recent play and margin of victory, I'd have to give Ochoa the slight edge. But Woods holds a distinct advantage at the cash register: Since the start of the 2007 season, Ochoa has earned $5,415,544, while Woods has raked in $15,292,052, or a cool $728,193 per start!

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.--Perhaps Dad should have chosen another bag.

Amateur Mallory Blackwelder, a junior at the University of Kentucky whose father, Worth, caddies for Juli Inkster, fired a 1-under-par 71 on Thursday and is only four shots back of clubhouse leader Karen Stupples during first-round play at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Blackwelder, who's Mom Myra is the coach at Kentucky and is also a former LPGA Tour player (her career-best finish was a tie for second at the 1980 Corning Classic), is currently second among amateurs. The top spot belongs to Columbia's Maria Jose Uribe, who shot a 2-under-par 70.

But Mallory was faring better than Dad, who helped carry Inkster to a 2-over-par total through 16 holes.

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA--Reigning Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa reeled off four consecutive birdies to pull into a tie with Karen Stupples atop the leaderboard during first-round action at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season.

Ochoa, teeing off on Hole No. 10 with defending champion Morgan Pressel, stuck her approach on No. 18 to four feet and sunk the birdie putt to move to 2-under par. She then birdied holes 1, 2 and 3 to join Stupples, the clubhouse leader, at 5 under. Stupples, the 2004 Weetabix Women's British Open champion, went out in the first group of the day with Heather Young and proceeded to birdie three of her first five holes en route to a front-nine 33. Stupples, who played in only eight events last season due to the birth of her son, Logan James, had five birdies and no bogeys.  Young was at 3 under par while Japan's Momoko Ueda and Annika Sorenstam were at 2-under par.

Ueda, a rookie playing in her first Kraft Nabisco, followed her lone bogey on the par-4 6th hole with four consecutive birdies and is currently through 17 holes. Sorenstam is through 16.

Other notable scores include Pressel (Even thru 15), Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen (Even thru 5)  and 2006 champion Karrie Webb (+2 thru 5). 

WEST PALM BEACH, FL--It wasn't until this past weekend that Annika Sorenstam clinched a spot in the ADT Championship. That alone speaks to what kind of year it's been for Sorenstam on the golf course.

Plagued by back and neck injuries, Sorenstam needs a victory this weekend to avoid her first winless season on the LPGA Tour since her rookie year in 1994. In 12 starts, she has six top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss to Meaghan Francella at the MasterCard Classic back in March, but has rarely been in contention. Her best finish in the four majors was a tie for 15th at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, which was only her second event back after missing two months of action with a ruptured disk in her neck.

"It is not the kind of year you want to put on a resume," Sorenstam said Tuesday from Trump International Golf Club, site of the LPGA's version of the playoffs. "But having said that, it's been a tough year with the injury. It really kind of set me back. I've only played 12 times, and I would probably say that five of those 12 I've been competitive. I mean, not even to my full potential.

"So in that regard, I'm not so worried about not having a win," she continued. "You cannot win if you're not 100 percent, and it's tough to win even when you are. This year is just a matter of me getting past it and being ready for next year."

Next year can't come soon enough for Sorenstam, who was nearly invincible during a five-year stretch from 2001 through 2005, winning 43 times. In 2006 she slumped to three wins, but one of them was her third U.S. Women's Open title. Now, the world's former No. 1-ranked player is seeking a return to the top spot she lost in April to reigning No. 1 Lorena Ochoa.

"I love the competition. Not being competitive [this year] and not playing is something I missed," said Sorenstam, who owns 69 career LPGA titles. "I would say that it hurts that I couldn't perform  on the level that I know how. It hurts when you cannot practice the way you want, or when you don't hit the shots that you've been hitting for years. So that motivates me, that makes me want to get back on top because that's where I enjoy being."

Off the course, however, it's been a wonderful year for Annika the brand. In addition to getting engaged to her business manager, Mike McGee, she opened a teaching and fitness facility, The ANNIKA Academy, designed golf courses, helped build her own website and became a national ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And on Wednesday, she debuted her own blog.

While her business ventures remain important to her, she's made it clear to everyone involved that golf takes top priority in 2008. If next year indeed turns out to be Sorenstam's last full season on the LPGA Tour, which has been widely speculated, she plans to go out on top.

"I got the team together about four weeks ago, and I told everybody that I'm going to step away early next year and just focus on the golf," Sorenstam said. "So, hopefully, everybody will pick up a little piece of what I'm doing and help me out.

"I do think the hardest part is for me to let go," she added. "I'm kind of a control freak and want to be part of everything and want to know what's going on. It's going to be more of an adjustment for me than for the team to help out. But they are willing to do it, and they know that [getting back on top] is important to me."

Lorena Ochoa clinched her second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year award on Sunday with her win at the Samsung World Championship, her seventh on the LPGA Tour this season.  So what's the big news coming out of the LPGA Tour this Monday? Why, of course, it's Michelle Wie.

No, she didn't withdraw from the Samsung or fail to break 88. Nor, did she get disqualified, as was the case two years ago at the same tournament. Seems her agent, Greg Nared, has had enough of Camp Wie and resigned after less than a year on the job.

So once again, the headlines belong to the Stanford freshman, and not the remarkable Ochoa, who beat Wie by a mere 36 strokes this past week at Bighorn Golf Club (Wie finished 18-over-par overall, one stroke out of last place). It's been like this all year -- Ochoa whupping Wie on the course but not in the headlines -- although, until Nared's resignation today, most of the news about Wie has focused on her train wrecks on the course. In eight LPGA events this season, Wie has made the cut only three times (one being Samsung, where there is no 36-hole cut), has failed to break 70 once, fired four rounds in the 80s and withdrawn twice. Her low moment came at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in South Carolina, where she was 14 over through 16 holes and in danger of invoking the LPGA's "Rule 88" before walking off the course.

For all of Ochoa's successes, they don't seem to draw as much attention as Wie's failures. And that's a shame, because 2007 should be remembered as the year women got to tee it up at St Andrews in a major, and Lorena Ochoa finally won a major -- and just about every other event on the LPGA Tour.

There are still five events remaining on the LPGA Tour schedule in 2007, including the season-ending ADT Championship and it's million-dollar first-place check. Maybe a few more wins and a $5 million dollar season (Ochoa has earned $3,318,421 through Samsung) will gain Ochoa the recognition and headlines she deserves. That, and maybe Wie will prefer to stay in the classroom for the remainder of 2007.

A two-shotgun corporate outing spoiled any chance I had to play the Old Course at St Andrews the day after the RICOH Women's British Open, but I was fortunate enough to play the New Course. "The New" actually isn't so new. It was opened in April of 1895 due to the increasing demand for golf at St Andrews, and was designed by an Edinburgh civil engineer named B Hall Blyth, with the help of "Old" Tom Morris.

The course is sandwiched between the Old Course and the Jubilee Course, and while it doesn't share the history or prestige of the Old Course, or a many greens and fairways, it is quite a formidable challenge. Some Royal and Ancient Golf Club members will tell you it's a more difficult test than the Old Course, but what I enjoyed most about it, besides the fast-paced play (my foursome, which included frequent Golf for Women contributor Tom Mackin, former Golf Magazine Editor-in-Chief George Peper, and author Malcolm Campbell, got around in 3-1/2 hours), were the views I had of the fairways and greens. When I walked the Old Course with Morgan Pressel during her practice round the Tuesday of the Women's Open championship, I was startled by the number of blind tee shots and approaches there were. Nearly every hole on the front nine had them, and if it weren't for the TV towers, the players would have had nothing to aim at. I have to say, I'd probably have a more difficult time with the Old Course simply because of the number of blind shots. I like to see where I'm going, even if all I can see are bunkers and gorse.

I managed to avoid every bunker on the New Course and shot a 95, despite a four-putt on the decisive hole and several topped hybrid shots. (Much easier to hit an iron off those hard, tight fairway lies than a wood or hybrid, I quickly discovered.) I think a lot of it had to do with the pace of play, but I'm also much more comfortable hitting to a flag that I can see.

Granted, I still dream of one day playing the Old Course. Where else can you have a 200-foot putt for birdie or par? And the opening and closing holes are the best in golf.

And, if you're really desperate enough to play the "Old" without a tee time, you can...from the "New." Just aim well left or hit a few big hooks off the first couple of holes and you'll be playing the Old. Too bad I can't hit a hook anymore.

(NOTE: There are six public courses at St Andrews Links, including the "Old" and "New" courses. Go to www.standrews.org.uk/ for more information. A seventh course, The Castle Course, should be ready for play in 2008. Located just two miles from the Old Course, it is being designed by Bandon Dunes creator David McLay Kidd.)

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--When Lorena Ochoa arrived in St Andrews last Sunday night, she and her brother immediately drove to the 18th green of the Old Course. It was midnight, but the 18th green and fairway were fully illuminated by a full moon. The image was as crystal clear as the one she had in her head at that moment, that come a week later, she would be hoisting a trophy at that very same location.

"I wanted to win this tournament so bad," Ochoa said Sunday after cruising to a four-stroke victory at the RICOH Women's British Open for her first major championship. "Any thoughts I had, they were very positive and very clear to me. I saw myself on the 18th green lifting the trophy, and it's almost something that you already believe."

The 25-year-old Mexican can believe it now. Ochoa led wire to wire and closed with a 74 for a 5-under-par 287 total, good for a four-stroke victory over Korea's Jee Young Lee (71) and Sweden's Maria Hjorth (71). Ochoa, whose 67 on Thursday tied for the low round of the week, entered the final round with a six-shot lead and was never threatened. The final four-shot margin was the closest anyone came to Ochoa on a cold, damp day at St Andrews, a sharp contrast to the dry, windy conditions players faced on Saturday.

"Today was tough," said Ochoa, who went out in 34 and went as low as 8 under before posting three bogeys on the back nine. "I like the wind, it's no problem. But when it gets cold, I don't like that. A little rain, the golf club slips. Things just start changing but I was able to have control and I was able to manage myself. It was important to get a few birdies on the front and it made things a lot easier on the back."

The only time Ochoa faced any real danger Sunday came on the par-5 17th Road Hole, which Germany's Martina Eberl took a 10 on earlier in the day. Ochoa's second shot came out low and found a pot bunker short and left of the green. After hitting out sideways, Ochoa got a fortuitous bounce on her fourth shot and pitched the ball on the green to safety. She two-putted for bogey there, a bogey she would later describe as her best ever.

After Ochoa hit her tee shot in the middle of the fairway on the par-4 18th, she knew she had the tournament won.  Ochoa two-putted for a par and was lifted off the ground by her English caddie, David Brooker. Shortly afterward, she was greeted by her father Javier and a lot of champagne.

Ochoa, who now owns four victories this season and 13 for her career, met one goal earlier this year by overtaking Annika Sorenstam for the No. 1 world ranking. Now that she owns a major, there's little doubt that we've entered the Era of Ochoa in women's golf.

"This is my fifth year on tour and my first time ranked No. 1 in the world," said Ochoa. "And there were a lot of people saying that I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't win a major. Or asking when I'm going to win a major. And I understood very well because I hadn't won one. It's a big step forward. I did it and there's no more to say."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--The Road Hole just claimed its first victim. Germany's Martina Eberl just took a 10 on the par-5 17th hole. "Nice double-par," said frequent Golf for Women contributor Tom Mackin.

The pin placement is brutal today, tucked just over the Road Bunker. It will be interesting to see how Lorena Ochoa plays the hole in about an hour or so with the big lead. The smart play is to hit it on the front-right portion of the green and three-putt for par. ABC television commentator Judy Rankin says you can also play your second shot long and left of the green, and chip your third shot on.

LOW AMATEURS: Amateur Sally Watson of Scotland birdied her first four holes on Sunday and shot level par (73) to finish the tournament at 12-over par. The low amateur was England's Melissa Reid, who fired a 1-under-par 72 and finished 4 over for the tournament. "I played with Cristie Kerr yesterday and with Annika Sorenstam in a practice round, so I have had a great chance to see some of the best players up close," said Reid. "I don't hit it any different to these girls. It's just the mental toughness. Cristie wasn't at her best but she grinded it out and got the best score she could. That's the difference. They hold it together a lot better than me. It's a great learning experience."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--Count Judy Rankin as one of the hundreds rooting for a Lorena Ochoa victory today in the RICOH Women's British Open.

"Is there anyone who doesn't want Lorena to win?" the ABC commentator and LPGA legend asked while we were grabbing lunch in the media center dining lounge. "I don't think there's another player at the top of their sport like her. Annika is certainly gracious and a great champion, but she doesn't have the magnetism that Lorena has. She's very special."

Ochoa is inching ever closer to her first major championship. She's 2-under par on the day through nine holes on the Old Course at St Andrews, having just birdied from long range on the par-4 9th hole. Ochoa, who had a six-shot lead at the start of the day, hasn't lost a stroke off her lead. Korea's Jee Young Lee (-2 through nine holes) is in second place, six shots back, while Sweden's Linda Wessberg and Maria Hjorth and American Reilley Rankin are all at 1 under par, seven strokes back.

Scotland's Mhairi McKay and Japan's Miki Saiki share the low round of the day at 5-under-par 67.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--LPGA Founding Member and Hall of Famer Louise Suggs joked that it's the most she's ever heard Betsy King talk. King, the U.S. Solheim Cup captain, met with the media for nearly a half hour Sunday morning at the RICOH Women's British Open, and, among other things, spoke of the difficult task that lies ahead of the U.S. team as it prepares for the biennial trans-Atlantic competition next month in Sweden.

Since its inception in 1990, the U.S. leads Europe 6-3, but the Americans have won only once on foreign soil--a 17-11 victory in Wales in 1996. Europe has never won on U.S. turf, making the visitors 1-8 in this matchplay team competition. This year's Solheim Cup will take place Sept. 14-16 at Halmstad Golfklubb in Halmstad, Sweden.

"It's going to be a great challenge," said King. "The European team will be strong and I think everyone knows about the challenge of playing in Europe. Hopefully, our players will be up to it. We're going to have to play our very best to have an opportunity to win."

King will take a group of seven American players to Halmstad for a practice round tomorrow. The group includes U.S. Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr, Stacy Prammanasudh, Brittany Lincicome, three-time British Open champ Sherri Steinhauer, Brittany Lang, Nicole Castrale and Angela Stanford. King invited the top 12 point-getters in the U.S. team standings after the McDonald's LPGA Championship in June. Of the seven playing Halmstad on Monday, only Kerr, Prammanasudh and Lincicome are virtual locks for the team. Stanford is currently ninth in the standings, Steinhauer 10th, Castrale 11th and Lang 12th.

The top 10 point-getters and two captain's picks will make up the U.S. squad, which is looking to defend the title it reclaimed from Europe with its 15-1/2-12-1/2 win at Crooked Stick in 2005. U.S. players have two more LPGA events to earn points, at the CN Canadian Women's Open in two weeks and the Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi the following week.

"I thought it was better to keep the group smaller," said King of the seven players she'll be taking to Sweden tomorrow. "Just because you don't go to Sweden doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make the team. I don't think it's that way at all."

King, who played in the first five Solheim Cups, posting a mark of 7-6-2, has either had dinner or met individually with most of the players in contention for the 12 spots. King said she expects to have a difficult time making her two captain's choices.

"I think it depends who the final 10 are," King said. "If we have a lot of experience, I might go with someone who has not played before. But if I feel like we need more experience, having played on past Solheims will probably be a factor. Best-case scenario, you'd like it to be a very clean process. But I don't think it's going to work that way."

King told a story about how she was left off the 2000 squad at Loch Lomond in Scotland, despite two  wins on the LPGA Tour that year.

"Maybe I didn't play quite as well toward the end of the year, so I'm not sure that was the reasoning in the selection," said King. "As it turned out, the U.S. didn't play well and the weather was bad, and I was kind of glad I wasn't there."

King is excited about the young, exuberant makeup of the U.S. squad, which figures to feature Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel. Pressel, this year's Kraft Nabisco champion, will be making her first Solheim appearance while Creamer and Gulbis will be appearing in their second. The two made quite the impression in their debut performances two years ago at Crooked Stick: Creamer led the Americans with 3-1/2 points while Gulbis earned 3 points. The two squads were even heading into singles play on Sunday, but the U.S. took control, winning the first five singles matches to pull away. Creamer spearheaded the effort, birdieing six of her first nine holes to set a Solheim Cup nine-hole scoring record of 30.

"I didn't get to see a lot of the Solheim Cup the last time," said King, whose father passed away a week later from cancer. "But Paula obviously did very well. I picture Morgan being kind of like that. She won the U.S. Amateur, and she's done very well in match play. I hope they are all stars.

"You kind of forget when you get older just how excited you were to be part of a Solheim Cup as a player, and that's what these girls are," she continued. "Paula is asking me, 'Have you gotten all the decorations and the USA stuff [for the team locker room]?' They are just so excited to be there, and that's what makes it fun."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--One job I wouldn't want to have, even if it meant living in St Andrews, is that of a weather forecaster. All week I've been writing about projections for isolated showers, scattered showers and periods of rain. But until today, it hasn't rained at all in St Andrews (mind a few drops as I ran on the West Sands Tuesday morning). Six days of zero rain. Well, this morning, some two hours before Lorena Ochoa tees off with a six-shot lead in the final round of the RICOH Women's British Open, we finally have rain.

Today's forecast calls for...um...cloudy skies with periods of rain all afternoon. The good news is there's only a trace of wind, which was the story yesterday when 26 players shot in the 80s and most of the contenders were blown off the leaderboard. Both Wendy Ward and Catriona Matthew, one shot back heading into the third round, shot 80s. Annika Sorenstam fired a 77.

As one reporter here said this morning: "Rain. No wind. Sounds like perfect conditions for a six-shot lead."

Still, Ochoa figures to be nervous. She admitted to as much yesterday after posting her second straight round of even par 73. Ochoa would be more than happy with a similar score this afternoon. That would almost certainly bring a first major championship to the 25-year-old, No. 1-ranked Mexican.

"We're all human and playing at St Andrews, trying to win a [first] major, it puts pressure [on me]," said Ochoa. "But I think in a good way. I think I'm prepared. I don't want to talk too much about it, I just want to go out tomorrow and play my round like any other day. Enjoy every step. I'm ready to do it."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--On a day when the winds blew most of the contenders off the leaderboard at the RICOH Women's British Open, Lorena Ochoa stood firm. Ochoa fired her second consecutive even-par 73 on Saturday, moving ever closer to her first major title. Ochoa holds a six-shot advantage over Sweden's Linda Wessberg (72) heading into Sunday's final round at the Old Course at St Andrews, which is hosting a women's professional event for the first time.

What is of more significance to Ochoa is that it is a major. The world's No. 1-ranked player looks poised to shed the label of "Best Player Yet to Win a Major," and validate her status atop women's golf. It is the second time Ochoa has held the 54-hole lead in a major--she led by three shots over Michelle Wie heading into the final round of the 2006 Kraft Nabisco championship, but eventually lost in a playoff to Karrie Webb. Ochoa shot an even-par 72 that Sunday while Webb fired a 65, which included a holed eagle approach on her 72nd hole, to force the playoff.

Ochoa feels much more confident this time around holding a six-shot cushion.

"I couldn't ask for a better position," said Ochoa, who turned professional in May 2002 and has 12 LPGA Tour wins to her credit. "To be under par in this tournament and have the lead going into tomorrow, I'm really happy. That's where I wanted to be at the beginning of the week, just give myself a chance to win on Sunday. And I have it. So I'm going to take advantage of that."

When Ochoa woke up early Saturday morning in St Andrews, she could see the trees "blowing really hard." The winds, which gusted a bit on Friday afternoon but have been mostly calm (by Scotland's standards) since the players arrived on Monday, decided to get nasty on Saturday. The winds blew hard from the southwest, bending several of the pins in half and equally pushing the players' patience. Only three players in the remaining field of 69 shot below par, including Wessberg, fellow Swede Maria Hjorth and American Stacy Prammanasudh. Ochoa's playing partner, Wendy Ward, shot a 7-over par 80, one of 26 rounds in the 80s on Saturday. Scotland's Catriona Matthew also shot an 80 to fall eight strokes off the pace while Annika Sorenstam shot a 77 and is seven strokes back.

"When I first started hitting balls on the range, I was thinking something around par would be a great round," said Ochoa. "It was a really tough day but I just managed to control my shots and I was actually close to shooting 1 under. It was one of the best rounds in my golf career."

With three birdies and three bogeys, Ochoa managed to add five shots to a lead that was only one (over Ward and Matthew) heading into the third round.

"That is what you get when it's windy," said Sorenstam. "It is real easy to shoot a high score and if you are playing well, if you can shoot around par you can really move [up]."

Although she won't be able to match the feat of Tiger Woods, who didn't hit a single one of the Old Course's 112 bunkers during his British Open triumph in 2000, Ochoa has done a great job of dodging trouble over the first 54 holes.  She's hit only two bunkers, and seems to be in total command on a golf course she saw for the first time ever on Monday.

Tomorrow's forecast is calling for more windy conditions, but Ochoa seems confident her game will hold up under the fiercest of conditions.

"Really, it's just a mental game. It's really tough," Ochoa said of the windy conditions. "You finish pretty tired because it consumes you. And I guess you feel twice as good when you give yourself a birdie opportunity."

If she feels that good having a birdie opportunity, imagine how good she'll feel tomorrow if she finally captures that elusive major championship.

"I have a six-shot lead so tomorrow I'm just going to come and I'm not going to pay attention to the other players," said Ochoa. I'm going to play my own game, try to play aggressive and make some birdies. I think once you try and start doing something different, you get in trouble. I just want to play my own game and hopefully I can win by maybe even more shots."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--One of the most unique features of the Old Course is not only the massive size of the greens, but the company they keep. There are seven double-greens in all--one of which is more than an acre in size--leaving only four holes (Nos. 1, 9, 17 and 18) with their own greens.

The unique sharing of the greens produces some excellent viewing for spectators, none better than the hill overlooking the 11th tee box. From this vantage point, you can see groups putting on holes 10 and 8 to the right of the 11th tee, as well as holes 11 and 7. You can see the approaches to 7 and 10 as well as the tee shots on 8, 11 and 12. And if you have a pair of binoculars, you can also see groups putting out on No. 9.

Sound confusing? It is. I spent more than an hour at this location during Saturday's third round, watching the leaders come through, and it probably took me about a half hour before I figured out which green belonged to which hole, and which group was on which hole. The quirkiest thing about this patch of holes is that the players hitting into the 7th green must play their approach shots over the pin on No. 11. The balls can literally cross paths in the air, which begs the question, is there an air-traffic controller nearby?

The strangest sequence on Saturday on these holes occurred when current leader Lorena Ochoa was putting for par on the par-4 7th. As she lined up her putt, a ball on the 11th green stood no more than 15 paces behind the hole, right on her line. Ochoa missed the attempt, one of three bogeys on her card.

She made a terrific up and down on the par-3 11th hole, pitching the ball over the treacherous Strath bunker and running it down the slope to the front pin location. The 160-yard hole, which played into a strong left-to-right crosswind that was mostly into the face of the players, yielded only two birdies to the field on Saturday (Grace Park, Karen Stupples). It did, however, produce 31 bogeys, one double bogey and two triples.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--The wind isn't the only thing blowing away the field Saturday in the third round of the RICOH Women's British Open, so is Mexico's Lorena Ochoa. The world's No. 1-ranked player, seeking her first major title, stands at 7-under par through 13 holes on the Old Course, six shots clear of her closest challenger, playing partner Wendy Ward (-1).

Ochoa is 1 under on the day, which would match the low score of the third round if she can play even par over her final five holes. Three players, including Sweden's Maria Hjorth and Linda Wessberg and American Stacy Prammanasudh, shot 72s. Wessberg is currently the clubhouse leader after 54 holes at even par.

Scotland's Catriona Matthew, one shot back at the start of the day, is 7-over par through 14 holes and plus-2 overall while playing partner Annika Sorenstam is 4-over and plus-1.

Ochoa has been in complete command from the start of the third round, despite teeing off in the windiest conditions the field has faced all week. She birdied the third and fifth holes to go to 8 under before giving one shot back on the difficult par-4 7th. She moved back to 8 under with a birdie on the par-4 12th before bogeying the 13th.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--The first few scores have trickled in from the third round of the RICOH Women's British Open, and if the numbers are any indication, it figures to be a very difficult scoring day for the leaders, which include Lorena Ochoa (-6), Catriona Matthew (-5), Wendy Ward (-5) and Annika Sorenstam (-3).

No rain is in the forecast today for St Andrews, but the winds are howling. While the forecast calls for winds gusting up to 20 mph, the teflon roof here in the media center is blowing like mad for the first time this week. Further indications that the wind is much stronger are the early scores--of the first six groups to come in today, the low score is a 1-under-par 72, shot by American Stacy Prammanasudh.

Prammanasudh's round looks magnificent when you consider the rest of the scores being posted. There has been an 86, 85, 84, 83, 81 and two 80s. McDonald's LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen shot a 78.

Ochoa and Ward tee off in shortly over an hour, at 1 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. EST. Sorenstam and Matthew, both winners of the St. Rule Trophy here on the Old Course as amateurs, tee off at 12:50.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--Two years ago on the Old Course, Scotland's Colin Montgomerie unsuccessfully tried to chase down the world's No.-1 ranked player, Tiger Woods, in the men's British Open championship, finishing runner-up to Woods by five strokes. This weekend, another Scot will try to slay No. 1, this time in the RICOH Women's British Open...which also happens to be taking place at the venerable Old Course at St Andrews.

Scotland's Catriona Matthew matched Juli Inkster for the low round of the day Friday, shooting a 5-under-par 68 in more difficult afternoon conditions for a two-round total of 141 (-5), only one shot back of leader Lorena Ochoa.

"Hopefully, it will inspire me," said Matthew about contending on the weekend in front of her home fans. "Those last few holes, there were still some big crowds out there cheering me on. It's nice to get some support. Playing in the States all the time, I don't get the same sort of support."

The difference between Matthew's opening-round 73 and yesterday's 68 was a fast start. Matthew holed a 6-footer for birdie on the par-4 second and added birdies on holes 7 and 8 to go out in 33. Matthew then birdied the difficult par-3 11th, hitting a 6-iron to eight feet, before two-putting for birdie on the par-5 17th after hitting the green in two with her rescue club.

Matthew has more playing experience at St Andrews than any other player in the field this week, having won the St Rule Trophy (played on the Old and New courses) twice as an amateur. (Annika Sorenstam won it once.) She's hoping that experience serves her well this weekend as she sets her sights on Ochoa.

"It's amazing how quickly you remember the course even though it was a long time ago," said Matthew, who owns two international victories but is seeking her first LPGA win. "My lag putting has been good from 40 feet, which obviously you need to do well here."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--It was the kind of shot that separates Lorena Ochoa from the rest of the field in the RICOH Women's British Open, and makes you wonder how this talented 25-year-old Mexican has yet to win a major championship. Standing 240 yards away from the pin and facing a blind approach shot on the par-5 14th hole at the famed Old Course, Ochoa sent a 3-wood majestically soaring toward the green. You could tell she hit it flush, as she started to chase the shot down the fairway to get a closer look; shades of Sergio Garcia at the 1999 PGA Championship.

The ball hit just short of the green, nearly rolled in the cup and nestled 15 feet behind the hole, leaving Ochoa with an excellent opportunity for eagle. Unfortunately for Ochoa, she slid her eagle putt by the hole and had to settle for a birdie, one of only two in a round of even-par 73 she described as pleasing, albeit frustrating as it easily could have been a 71 or 70. Ochoa three-putted the 18th green to fall to 6-over par overall after two rounds, one shot clear of American Wendy Ward and Scotland's own Catriona Matthew.

"I'm sorry I didn't make that putt for eagle; it would have been really great," said Ochoa. "But I'm happy with the birdie.

"You know, you hit so many good shots on this course that don't finish where you want them to, and then you hit other ones where you get a couple of good breaks. But that one was perfect, just the line that I wanted. I was hoping to get a good bounce, and I did."

The missed eagle putt and three-putt on 18 aside, Ochoa was "very pleased" with her round and happy to be alone on top after 36 holes. The winds, which were virtually non-existent during her early morning, opening-round 67 on Thursday, were trickier on Friday, changing direction all afternoon.

"The golf course completely changed," said Ochoa. "Different tee shots and different places to aim. I'm very pleased the way my caddie and I worked. I think we are in good shape and I think we underst