Ochoa wins Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi, records third-consecutive victory

August 26 , 2007, Portland, Oregon

Lorena Ochoa used consistent play and a bit of intimidation to win her third-consecutive tournament at the Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi on Sunday. Ochoa, the number one player in the Rolex Rankings, earned a five-stroke victory at 12-under-par 204 over four other players to claim the $255,000 first-place check.

“I'm really happy with my three wins (in a row),” said Ochoa, who moved into fifth place on the LPGA Official Career Earnings List with nearly $9 million since her 2003 rookie year. “And the three of them are very special in different ways; for sure this is a place that I will always remember. I just love the golf course, and it was my third win, so it was a special one.”

In the last 25 years, only Annika Sorenstam has won three consecutive events on the LPGA Tour. Sorenstam most recently won three in a row in 2005. In 2001, she won four consecutive events and in 2002, three straight. Ochoa claimed her first major title at the RICOH Women's British Open earlier this month, followed by the CN Canadian Women's Open two weeks later, before winning in Portland.

While winning is nothing new for the 25-year old, three-in-a-row solidifies her place among the best to ever play the game.

“I think it's hard to realize right now, you know, but every week I play, I play to win, that's why I'm here. And I knew I could do it,” said Ochoa, who now has six victories in 2007.

After Friday's first-round 67, Ochoa found herself one stroke off the lead held by LPGA Tour rookie Ji-Young Oh (66-71-73=210, -6) and Sweden's Sophie Gustafson (66-68-75=209, -7). A 66 on Saturday helped Ochoa inch into first place, but the competition did not bend. Gustafson went shot-for-shot with Ochoa through the second round, finishing one back of Ochoa through 36 holes. But Ochoa proved on the final 18 holes that she is the rightful owner of the top spot in the Rolex Rankings.

After posting bogeys on two of the first three holes, Ochoa quickly rebounded with birdies on three of her next four. She then became the model of consistency, carding a final-round 1-under par 71, while the rest of her group succumbed to the pressure.

Gustafson notched an even-par front-nine, but struggled as the pressure mounted. After bogies on holes 14 and 16, Gustafson hooked a drive short on 17, leading to a double bogey and an eventual second place tie.

“I'm disappointed. That sums it up,” said Gustafson, despite logging her best finish of the season.

Scotland's Mhairi McKay (70-67-72=209, -7), whose previous best finish of the year was a tie for 11th on her home turf at the RICOH Women's British Open in Scotland, used an even-par final round to finish in the four-way tie for second place. But she, too, carded a double bogey on the 17th hole, allowing Ochoa a comfortable walk to the championship.

McKay, who tied her career-best finish this week, used a sand save from the greenside bunker on 18 to preserve her 7-under par tally.

“It has been a while since I've played in the final group so it was nice to get back in there again,” McKay said. “I had a couple of near misses and a couple of holes that were frustrating with my double on 17, so I was delighted to see that putt go in on 18.

Earlier in the day, LPGA Tour rookie In-Bee Park (73-72-64=209) used a final-round, tournament-low 64 to get to 7-under par. After recording five birdies on holes two through six, Park birdied eight, 14, 17 and 18, with her only bogey coming on hole 12.

Christina Kim (69-71-69=209) used six birdies and three bogies to join the tie for second.

“I was there just playing golf trying to make as many birdies as I can,” said Kim, who logged her fourth top-10 finish of the season.

Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi champion Ochoa will not make a run for her fourth-consecutive victory next week, opting, instead, to return to her native Mexico for her brother's wedding. She will return to LPGA action at the Navistar LPGA Classic in late September.