Lorena Ochoa Invitational - Epilogue

Catriona Matthew's victory was the fourth of her 17-year LPGA career and her first since the 2009 British Open.  Partly because of her constant presence on Europe's Solheim team, I always get a little underwhelmed when I start looking at Matthew's career numbers.  At second glance however, when you notice that she's only once failed to clear a quarter-million dollars earned since 1998 (and that was 2006, the year she missed time giving birth to her first child) and that she's collected 87 Top 10 finishes, you realize she's carved out one fine career.

Catriona was never really pushed on Sunday.  She started the final round three shots ahead of Suzann Pettersen, which is not-at-all a secure position.  But Matthew birdied the first two holes to take a five-shot lead and Pettersen went on to bogey 5, falling six back.  Suzann birdied not a single hole on the day and finished in solo seventh.  In-Kyung Kim and Anna Nordqvist started four shots back but neither was able to birdie on the front nine.  After birdies at 6 and 9, Matthew was -15 and leading by eight shots.  She played the back nine in 39 (three bogeys and no birdies), allowing Nordqvist to draw within three but Anna bogeyed the last two and Catriona won by four.

Sophia Sheridan one-upped herself this year.  She finished T25 +5, ahead of such luminaries as Stacy Lewis, Amy Yang, Angela Stanford and Hee Young Park and one shot better than her usual Ochoa Invitational finish of 27-28.

None of the lesser players in this elite field stood out so I'll pass on awarding a Big Surprise.  I will give a Shout-Out to Juli Inkster (T4 and co-leader after each of the first two rounds), who once again reminded us she could still possibly win on this Tour.  I'm going to award this week's Big Disappointment to Yani Tseng - not because I'm that disappointed in her T19 finish (but +3?  Really, Yani?), but because she had convinced me that her recent great play was plenty enough to override her prior lesser results on a given course.  For that breach of my newly-rewarded confidence, I'm very disappointed.