Florida: Paraguayan rookie Julieta Granada captured a women's golf record one million-dollar prize, firing a four-under par 68 to win the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship here yesterday (Nov 19, 2006).


Two days past her 20th birthday, Granada defeated LPGA Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa by two strokes, eclipsing her previous winnings of 633,586 dollars by taking the one-day showdown for the biggest prize in women's golf history.

"This is just unbelievable. I'm so excited," Granada said.


"It went by so fast. I was just trying to concentrate on my shots. I knew it would be a tough field," she said.

The unique 1.5 million-dollar event featured a starting field of 32 that was cut to 16 after Friday and halved again after 54 holes. But using the usual 72-hole format, Granada would have had the lowest score among the last eight.


Second place paid Ochoa only 100,000 dollars but it was enough to clinch the season money crown because the only woman who could catch her, Australian Karrie Webb, settled for third place on 71 to win only 20,000 dollars.
"This was a fantastsic year. I learned a lot," Ochoa said.

"It's going to be a big challenge to be better next year but I want to do it," she said.

Ochoa captured the season money title with 2.592 million dollars and Webb was second with 2.09 million. But both squandered their title chances with bogeys at the 17th after finding the water off the tee.

"I thought I did nothing wrong," Ochoa said.

 "It was just hanging there in the wind and just short. It was a mistake. I missed several birdie chances and I couldn't get my rhythm," she said.

Japan's Ai Miyazato, South Koreans Il Mi Chung and Mi Hyun Kim and American Natalie Gulbis finished at level par 72. American Paula Creamer was last on 75.

Granada, whose mother Rosa is her caddie, became the first golfer to win her first LPGA title at the Tour Championship, overcoming early jitters to jump from 19th to fourth on the final season money list with 1.633 million dollars.
"This morning I was really nervous. I was hitting it bad," Granada said. "My mom said calm down and just hit it," she said.

Granada grabbed the lead with 12-foot birdie putts at the sixth and 10th holes, then kept it with a 20-foot par at the 11th and added a crucial 10-foot birdie putt at the 16th before two concluding pars.

"It was so stressful," Granada said.

 "Those last three holes, what can I tell you?. I was just happy to get done," she said.

Ochoa was one stroke back and Webb was two strokes down as they reached the 17th tee. Forced to be aggressive, Ochoa and Webb each found a water hazard on their way to a bogey.

When Ochoa's eagle bid from the 18th fairway merely found the green, Granada had her historic million-dollar payday.
Retired LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth needed 22 years and 599 events before becoming the first LPGA millionaire.