OTSU, Japan (AFP) - World number-one Annika Sorenstam shot into the history books with a solid nine-stroke victory in the Mizuno Classic, becoming only the second player to win an LPGA event four years in a row.
The 34-year-old super Swede sank an eagle and five birdies in the final round after leading the first two rounds to finish with a total of 194, 22 under par.
She becomes only the second woman after Laura Davies of Britain, who won the Standard Register PING tournament from 1994-1997, to claim a "four-peat".
"It has been a wonderful week. I thought I played some great golf, so I am very happy to be the winner today," said Sorenstam after her 55th career win, the seventh this year.
She has already become the LPGA top prize earner for the fourth straight year with two more events left to play.
South Korean Grace Park, the number-two LPGA prize earner behind Sorenstam who won the CJ Nine Bridges Classic last week, was tied with two Japanese at 203 to finish second in the same one million-dollar tournament for the third straight year.
Park was caught up by Ai Miyazato and Michie Ohba, both of whom surged ahead by firing a 63 in the final round to tie the course record on the par-72, 6,450-yard Seta Golf Course.
Sorenstam, after a birdie on the short fifth hole, caught the green with a 232-yard second shot and rolled in an eight-foot eagle putt on the 483-yard sixth hole.
"I was very happy to get off to a nice start there and I felt comfortable the rest of the day," she said.
But, after her fifth birdie of the day on the 16th, she could not keep up the momentum to improve her LPGA all-time record -- the lowest 54-hole score of 192, or 24 under par, she set here last year.
"On 17, I missed a four-footer and on 18, I missed a nine-footer. So I had a chance," she said. "It was unfortunate it did not go in. But then again, I made a lot of putts this week. I am very happy the way things turned out."
Davies, 41, was tied in 11th place at 206 with two other players.
Another Briton, Janice Moodie, fired a hole-in-one on the 180-yard ninth hole but ended up in a 39th-place tie at 213.

11/07/2004 - 10:20 GMT - AFP