Pak seals Alabama win

Pak's superb Saturday performance was the platform

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A final round one-under-par was enough for Korean Se Ri Pak to secure a five-shot victory at the LPGA Champions tournament in Alabama.

Pak had virtually secured the title having gone into the fourth day with a seven-shot lead.

She eventually finished with a tournament total of of 16-under 272.

Pak had taken five weeks off and was stunned by her form following the lengthy break.

"I wasn't really sure after taking five weeks off if I was going to be a top player," said Pak.

"I've never not played like that for five weeks in a row. So I just kind of surprised myself, too."

The Korean, the 1998 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, has her eyes on the 2001 Player of the Year honours, an award all but given to Annika Sorenstam midseason.

"It's getting close," Pak said.

"I think we have four or five tournaments left, so I think I still have a chance, at least. I feel great right now and I'm about to get pretty close to Annika, so at the end of the year we'll know who's going to be on top."

Canada's Lorie Kane shot a 69 to finish second at 11-under 277.

Pak had a course record-tying 64 on Saturday and began the final round with a seven-shot lead over Kane.

The Korean birdied the third and again the fourth from 40 feet to build a nine-shot lead.

Pak also birdied the eighth before her first back-nine bogey since Thursday at 12. A double-bogey at the 15th allowed Kane to get within five.

The Korean then two-putted for a birdie at the par-five 16. She finished with a couple of pars.

Grace Park of Korea was third at nine-under 279, one ahead of Emilee Klein and two better than Meg Mallon and Sweden's Carin Koch.

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Collated scores after the final round of the LPGA AFLAC Championship in Alabama (USA unless stated, Par 72):

272 S R Pak (SKo) 70 67 64 71

277 L Kane (Can) 72 69 67 69

279 Grace Park (SKo) 69 69 71 70

280 E Klein 70 69 73 68

281 C Koch (Swe) 70 73 71 67, M Mallon 71 69 72 69

282 K Golden 71 72 70 69

283 D Pepper 67 73 69 74, K Webb (Aus) 69 74 69 71

284 M Hjorth (Swe) 73 73 69 69, B King 73 71 70 70

285 W Doolan (Aus) 71 73 68 73, M H Kim (SKo) 65 71 78 71, N Scranton 73 69 71 72

286 J Inkster 71 76 71 68, C Matthew (Gbr) 72 70 75 69, M Redman 73 70 72 71, K Robbins 69 72 73 72, S Steinhauer 71 70 72 73

287 W Ward 76 72 73 66

288 R Jones 73 72 69 74, Gloria Park (SKo) 77 71 72 68

289 J Moodie (Gbr) 73 70 73 73

290 D Delasin 72 74 71 73, C Sorenstam (Swe) 69 78 71 72, R Teske (Aus) 70 74 70 76

293 M Lunn (Aus) 74 72 71 76

295 K Kuehne 75 74 74 72

296 B Daniel 72 76 75 73

298 J Gallagher-Smith 74 79 74 71

299 L Davies (Gbr) 74 70 79 76

300 T Fischer (Ger) 73 78 75 74, L Kean 75 71 77 77, A Nicholas (Gbr) 77 70 81 72

302 A Alcott 80 75 77 70

303 S Gustafson (Swe) 73 79 76 75

306 JA Carner 74 80 79 73, N Lopez 79 74 76 77

308 H Daly-Donofrio 76 77 76 79

317 C Nilsmark (Swe) 74 78 82 83
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