A closing 71 left Sorenstam (left) T-11 after a busy week on and off course. Gustafson was T-2 with four others.
Among those impacted was Rachel Hetherington, who was one under par through seven holes in the cold and rain and then shot 77 in the replayed round Saturday. Michele Redman was two under through eight holes Friday and shot 73 Saturday. Matthew was two under through seven holes, then shot 72. Ochoa, who hadn't started her round Friday before the postponement, shot 67 Saturday to take the 36-hole lead at 135, two strokes clear of Teresa Lu and Gustafson.
Pressel made the biggest move Sunday with a 66 despite missing a ton of birdie putts. She stayed by the 18th green to watch the final group finish, knowing a bogey by Ochoa would create a six-way playoff. When Ochoa hit her approach shot to 10 feet Pressel said, "That's it. Not even I can three-putt from there."
Ochoa's previous five wins this year were by margins of 11, seven, five, 11 and three strokes. "Today it was a different win," Ochoa said about the closeness. "But I enjoyed it a lot. I love that. I love the feeling of adrenaline and just trying to be good and be smart and win at the end." The key shot Sunday was Ochoa's 15-foot par putt on No. 13, one of the few putts she made all day -- two of her three birdies were two-putt jobs on eagle tries inside 25 feet.
Eleven of the 12 LPGA events this year have now been won by Ochoa (6), Sorenstam (3) and Paula Creamer (2). Certainly, Ochoa and Creamer, who has six wins at the age of 21, are among those to whom Sorenstam is entrusting guardianship of the LPGA. But there are more.
While Gustafson and Matthew are veterans, the other second-place finishers at Sybase were 19 years old (Pressel), 20 (Na Yeon Choi) and 22 (Lang). The 20-year-old Lu finished T-11 and Yani Tseng, 19, was T-15. Certainly, part of Sorenstam's legacy will be the generation of young talent she inspired that is now coming of age, and coming from all corners of the world. And, as Ochoa notes, she inspired in other ways as well.
"I think to find the love of doing something different outside the golf course is something that I admire, so I congratulate her," Ochoa said. Then, in explaining her own generous nature, Ochoa said: "You don't need to be mean, you don't need to be rude to play good golf." Sorenstam is right: She is leaving the LPGA is very good hands.
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