RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Lorena Ochoa set the silver trophy on a table, clasped hands with her parents and sprinted to the edge of the lake surrounding the 18th green at Mission Hills, raising both arms as she plunged into the water.
Whether she is playing or celebrating, the Mexican star is unstoppable.
Ochoa buried her competition Sunday at the Kraft Nabisco Championship with back-to-back birdies at the turn to build a five-shot lead, then closed with eight pars for a 5-under 67 and another romp in a major that once gave her fits.
Even more inspiring were the festivities that followed.
She joined hands with her parents and sister-in-law and raced into the water. Her brother, Alejandro, swing coach Rafael Alarcon and caddie Dave Brooker leapt from the bridge. Before long, two dozen friends and family members were bobbing in the water to the rhythm of a mariachi band, a celebration unlike any other at this major.
“I thought for a moment, ‘Maybe I should try to do something funny, like a flip or something,”’ Ochoa said. “No, no, no. Too dangerous. So I did the regular jump. You always worry about the jump, but once you win, I don’t care.”
The ripple effect is frightening.
Ochoa became the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 2005 to win two straight majors, having captured her first major in the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews last summer by four shots.
In four starts this year, she has won three tournaments by a combined 23 shots.
“Nothing can stop her,” said Se Ri Pak, who became the youngest player inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last year, a record that certainly will be broken by the 26-year-old Ochoa.
Sorenstam and Suzann Pettersen each closed with a 68 and tied for second, although they were never close.
Ochoa, who finished at 11-under 277, never trailed under the blazing desert sun, and was threatened only briefly. She answered with two straight birdies to make the turn in 32, and the rout was on.
Houston Open: At Humble Texas, Johnson Wagner’s first PGA Tour victory came with the ultimate bonus prize — a trip to the Masters. Wagner controlled his nerves and held off several late challenges to win the Houston Open and earn a last-minute invitation to Augusta National. The 28-year-old Wagner shot a 1-under 71 to finish at 16 under, two shots ahead of Chad Campbell (72) and Geoff Ogilvy (68).
Cap Cana Championship: At Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Mark Wiebe completed a wire-to-wire victory in the inaugural Cap Cana Championship, closing with a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory over Vicente Fernandez. Wiebe finished at 14-under 202 and earned $300,000 for his second victory in 12 career starts on the Champions Tour. Masters: Davis Love III’s streak of major championship starts will end at 70. Love had to win the Houston Open to qualify for next week’s Masters and stretch the longest active run of major appearances. He shot a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish at 5 under, 11 shots behind champion Johnson Wagner. The 43-year-old Love will sit out a major for the first time since the 1990 U.S. Open. He tore ligaments in his left ankle last September, spent more than four months rehabbing and has struggled to recapture his old form, missing three cuts in seven starts in 2008.
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