GOLF

Grand Plan

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Ochoa had lots of company when she took the plunge at the year's first major, but she's alone at the top in the race for the Grand Slam.

There's still one golfer on tour with a chance to make history
By Jason Sobel

Tiger Woods was right. Prior to the season, the 13-time major champion said the 2008 Grand Slam was "easily within reason." Despite his second-place finish at the Masters, the possibility of one golfer's claiming all four majors this year remains very much intact. For Lorena Ochoa.

Comparisons between the top-ranked players on the men's and women's tours come easily these days. But while Woods recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery, it's Ochoa who continues chasing history. Her victory at last month's Kraft Nabisco Championship was her second straight major win (after last year's Women's British Open, the first major title of her career), and the 26-year-old has her sights set on the next three.

"For sure I'm thinking of that," says Ochoa, who secured her spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame with an 11-stroke win at the recent Corona Championship. "That would be something to achieve."

She's also keeping her eyes fixed on her top-ranked male counterpart. Through six starts this season, Ochoa owns five wins to Woods' three (not including his title at the Euro Tour's Dubai Desert Classic). Since the beginning of 2006, each player has 19 W's, with Ochoa competing in 15 more events.

But is the idea of winning all four majors in one season too far-fetched?

"I think it's possible," says 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam, who got halfway to the 2005 Slam before falling short at the U.S. Open. "You need to peak at a certain time, and you need a little luck, but I certainly do think it's possible. Lorena is playing great."

What makes Ochoa's Slam such a distinct possibility is the numbers: She led the LPGA in driving distance (279.6 yards) and greens in regulation (80.6%) and was T7 in putting heading into her fourth consecutive win, at the Ginn Open. Not even Woods can boast such commanding stats. And LoCho never takes a day off, playing 22 of her first 23 rounds this year under par.

As for winning the elusive Grand Slam before a certain guy named Eldrick? "Tiger is someone I admire," Ochoa says. "It's a great motivation for me to try to beat him."

Sounds reasonable.

Re-Masters

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Snedeker should be a fixture at Augusta for years to come.

Augusta is a tough ticket for pros and patrons alike. But these Masters rooks guaranteed a return invite with top-16 finishes.
By Wright Thompson

Brandt Snedeker
First-timers to Augusta try to remember everything: the drive up Magnolia Lane, the first look at Amen Corner, the final walk up 18. Luckily for Snedeker, those memories are intact—from his 2004 bid as an amateur. That's because the 27-year-old's Masters pro debut went off the rails Sunday, when nine bogeys resulted in a disappointing T3 finish. (Even-par would have earned him the Green Jacket.) But the affable Southerner won plenty of fans with his smile and refreshingly speedy pace of play.

Andrés Romero
All week, the Argentine had patrons ogling his tee shots. He finished second in driving distance and, during Sunday's swirling wind, led the field in accuracy; he was the only player to hit every fairway. But thanks to inexperience on the greens, he missed makeable birdies all tourney and finished T8. The 26-year-old is no stranger to drama: Third place at the 2007 British Open got him into Augusta this year. If a few more putts drop in '09, Romero could be eyeing a lifetime of Masters invites.

Nick Watney
The Nationwide and Q-school grad has just one PGA Tour win on his résumé (the 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans). But he was one of only four players to post a red number on Sunday, when, thanks to solid iron play, he led the field in greens in regulation. One iron in particular proved invaluable: a sand wedge into the hole for an eagle on 14. Those two strokes were the difference between T11 and T17, between playing the '09 Masters and watching it on TV.

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