PRATTVILLE, Ala., -- Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa earned her seventh victory of 2008 in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce on Sunday . The 26-year-old outlasted 10-time LPGA Tour winner Cristie Kerr (66-71-70-66=273) and three-time winner Candie Kung (69-72-65-67=273) to earn her 24th career victory.

“It wasn't easy,” Ochoa said after accepting the $210,000 first-place check. “If you look at the leaderboard, a lot of players were up there one and two shots behind. I'm happy that I won the playoff because I need to improve in my playoff results.”

On a day when numerous players carded low rounds, Ochoa snuck into the playoff with a final-round 2-under-par 70, which included an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole where she knocked it inside five feet. Kerr and Kung each sank 25-foot birdie putts on the 72nd hole of regulation to get into the playoff, but Kerr dropped out on the first playoff hole after three-putting from 40 feet. Ochoa and Kung each made par and replayed the 18th hole. Ochoa hit her second shot to the back fringe and two-putted, while Kung three-putted from 40 feet.

“I had a few chances to win tournaments before, and it's been a little slow in the last few months,” Ochoa said. “I'm glad I did it this week and hopefully get in a good rhythm to keep it going and finish strong here.”

Ochoa increased her season earnings to $2,591,048 and now has a $1 million lead on Annika Sorenstam ($1,588,937). She has now won all seven times she has entered the final round with a lead in 2008. Ochoa will look to successfully defend her title at the Samsung World Championship next week in California.



Kung cards season-best finish. Candie Kung’s runner-up finish at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce was a season-best for the 27-year-old from Taiwan. The three-time LPGA Tour winner finished the week at 15-under-par (69-72-65-67=273), but fell short in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff at The Senator Course at the RTJ Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill venue. Kung was bogey-free on Sunday with five birdies including a chip-in on the par-3 second hole. She sank a 25-foot putt on the 18th hole to move to 5-under-par 67 for the day and gain entry into the playoff. She is now 0-1 in playoffs in her seven-year LPGA Tour career.



Another top finish for Feng. China’s Shanshan Feng finished one shot off the lead in a tie for fourth place at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce. The 21-year-old was 5-under-par through seven holes on Sunday and finished the day with a bogey-free 6-under-par 66, one shot out of the three-way playoff.

Feng missed nine of her first 10 cuts this year, but turned her season around four top-4 finishes in her last seven events (Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic – 4, LPGA State Farm Classic – T4, Bell Micro LPGA Classic – 2, Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce – T4). The 21-year-old is the first-ever exempt Chinese player on the LPGA Tour.



Tseng increases rookie lead. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng increased her lead in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race to 191 points following a tie for sixth at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce. Tseng, winner of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, continued her steady play on Sunday with 2-under-par 70 to finish the week at 13-under-par (71-66-68-70=275).

Tseng currently leads the Rookie of the Year race with 1,248 points, 191 more than South Korean Na Yeon Choi (1,057 points) who was not active this week. The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year will be crowned following the ADT Championship, Nov. 20-23, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.



Kenyon posts career-best finish. Australia’s Sarah-Jane Kenyon earned a career-best tied for sixth at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce. Her four-day total of 13-under-par (70-69-67-69=275) was enough to earn $34,624, her largest LPGA Tour paycheck. Kenyon’s previous career-best finish was a tie for 16th at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic. The 24-year-old held non-exempt status on the LPGA Tour in 2006, playing in just six events. Throughout the last three years she has also played on the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) Tour as well as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, where she finished fifth on the 2008 money list to earn playing privileges on the 2009 LPGA Tour.



Aces are wild in Prattville. Australian Wendy Doolan carded her second career LPGA hole-in-one on Thursday at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Maxxforce. The 39-year-old aced the 153-yard second hole with a nine-iron. Her first career LPGA hole-in-one came during the third round of the 1997 Welch’s Championship. Doolan finished the week tied for sixth.

37-year-old Carri Wood carded her third career ace on Friday on the 16th hole of The Senator Course at the RTJ Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill venue. Hill used an 8-iron from 131 yards. She finished the week



DNS/WD. Birdie Kim and Angela Stanford did not start on Thursday at the Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by MaxxForce. Young Kim withdrew during the second round.

Courtesy: Navistar LPGA Classic