Publish date:: Nov 13, 2006

Plot Thickener

Karrie Webb makes a play for POY

Author:: Jim Gorant

As the PGA Tourseason ground to a superstarless halt in Atlanta, the LPGA and its establishednames accelerated into that tour's final two events of the year. Karrie Webbwon the Mizuno Classic in Mie, Japan, with a 14-under-par 202, setting up anintriguing matrix of rivalries and player of the year scenarios for this week'sLPGA Tournament of Champions and the Nov. 16-19 ADT Championship. Webb's windenied Annika Sorenstam (tied for third at nine-under 207) in her bid to winthe Mizuno for a record-setting sixth straight time and vaulted Webb overSorenstam on the money list and in player of the year points. The triumph wasWebb's fifth of the year and pushed her to $2,069,613 in earnings, tying herwith money leader Lorena Ochoa ($2,342,872) for victories and making the themthe first two women to each earn more than $2 million in the same season on theLPGA tour. If Sorenstam wins this week's Tournament of Champions, it will pushher over $2 million as well, and it will be the 70th victory of her LPGAcareer. After getting her 69th, at the State Farm Classic in early September,Sorenstam logged three-straight runner-up finishes. Looming is the ADTChampionship, in which the winner gets $1 million, putting the money title upfor grabs and meaning that another half-dozen players have a chance to jumpinto the $2 million club.

Scoring Drive

Tiger Woods ledthe Tour in scoring average at 68.11, but when he skipped both the FunaiClassic and the Tour Championship, he forfeited his chance to win the VardonTrophy because he didn't have enough official rounds. (He had 55 and needed60.) That left Jim Furyk on top at 68.94 going into the event, with only oneperson capable of catching him--Adam Scott (69.10). Scott went on to win with ascore of 11-under 269, while Furyk came in at eight-under 272 to take second.So Furyk lost the tournament but at least won the award, finishing with a 68.86stroke average to Scott's 68.95.

ALSO ...

• On Monday,Woods officially jumped into the course-design business, announcing thefounding of Tiger Woods Design. The company has not yet named an inauguralproject.
• Scott became one of only seven players to have won the Players Championshipand the Tour Championship. The others: David Duval, Tom Kite, Mark McCumber,Jodie Mudd, Hal Sutton and Woods.

For Sale

Big-name proscompeted on this tough track in the Midwest

WHAT TanglewoodCountry Club

WHERE ChagrinFalls, Ohio

COST $3.9million

HOOK This7,029-yarder outside Cleveland has the second highest slope rating (144) of anycourse in Northern Ohio, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a fitness center and a27,500-square-foot clubhouse.

FRINGE BENEFITTanglewood hosted the PGA Tour's 1972 Cleveland Open, won by David Graham, andthe LPGA's 1976 Babe Zaharias Invitational, won by Judy Rankin.

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Survey Says ...

When it comes toa PGA Tour pros' equipment, what a difference a decade makes. Here's what theplayers used at the 1996 and the 2006 Tour Championships.