THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008
SPORTS13B
PGA
Woods, Ochoa favored to win championships
--she missed the par-3 17th green, whiffed on a wedge, took three putts once she got on the green and took quadruple bogey that effectively knocked her out of the tournament.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. The comparisons between Tiger Woods and Lorena Ochoa are inevitable, and mostly accurate.
Woods gave the PGA Tour a two-week head start in Hawaii, made his debut at the Buick Invitational and won by eight shots. Ochoa also skipped the first two LPGA Tour events in Hawaii, started in Singapore at the HSBC Champions and won by 11.
Woods has won 18 times on the PGA Tour since the start of the 2006 season. Ochoa has 16 victories. They are No. 1 in their respective world ranking by more than double the margin of No. 2.
And over the next two weeks, both are overwhelming favorites to win the first major championship of the year.
But that's where the parallel paths come to a fork in the road.
Woods has four green jackets from the Masters, not to mention a career full of positive vibes at the majors. He captured the career Grand Slam at age 24, before he had completed four years on the PGA Tour.
Despite her dominance, Ochoa arrived at the Kraft Nabisco Championship to face some demons.
She loves Mission Hills, where she first played as a teenager. The affection she gets in the California desert rivals that of her native Mexico, with someone waving a red, white and green flag on just about every fairway. Ochoa sheepishly mentioned that she asked tournament officials for 100 tickets for her family and friends, and she was willing to pay for them.
"I have great memories, and I have a lot of support from people that comes from Mexico and cheer for me," Ochoa said Tuesday. "It's just someplace that feels good. I'm ready to have a good week. I've been close a few times, and hopefully, this is the year."
She is being modest about close calls.
Ochoa should have won this major by now.
Two years ago, she tied an LPGA major record with a 10-under 62 in the opening round and still had a three-shot lead going into Sunday until a meltdown on the back nine. Ochoa recovered with an eagle on the final hole to get into a playoff against Karrie Webb, who won on the first extra hole.
Ochoa was tied for the lead going into the weekend last year and looked poised as ever until
Moments like that are what makes winning even harder.
What might help this year is no longer having to answer questions about winning a major. Even after she replaced Annika Sorenstam at No.1 in the world at the end of the 2006 season, Ochoa had a reputation of being unable to win the big one.
There was the U.S. Women's Open at Cherry Hills in 2005, when she duck-hooked a tee shot into the water on No. 18 and made 8. The two failures at Mission Hills.
Last year at Pine Needles, she again was poised to win the U.S. Women's Open until she couldn't find a fairway over the final five holes.
But she has been a different player since capturing her first major in the Women's British Open at St. Andrews, an historic afternoon in so many ways. That was the start of a stretch in which Ochoa has won seven times in 12 starts, a winning percentage that rivals Woods.
Comparing men's and women's golf is about as practical as comparing generations, but there are similarities worth noting.
Woods can finish a brilliant season and spend the next few months figuring out a way to get better.
Ochoa worked harder than ever during her long offseason, especially on her putting. And she is much longer off the tee, even reaching the 310-yard 14th hole Sunday at the Safeway International, which she won by seven shots.
"You're never there," Woods often says.
And when Ochoa was asked where she could improve, she mentioned everything from learning to rest to communicating with her caddie. She finished at 22 under par last week at Superstition Mountain and was irritated by three or four "dumb bogeys,"
But she was stumped when asked what Woods had that she wanted, besides power off the tee and a $100 million annual income.
"I think we all want to know what he has inside his head," she said. "It would be hard to find. But I'm happy for what I have."
What she could use are a few more majors.
Particularly this one.
League-leading goal ties Southeast
CANADIENS 2,
SENATORS 0
NHL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 63rd goal and got all sorts of help Tuesday night in Washington's 4-1 victory over Carolina, a result that left the teams tied atop the Southeast Division at 90 points with two games to go in the season.
Alexander Semin, Brooks Laich and Matt Cooke scored before Ovechkin's insurance goal, Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green contributed two assists apiece, and Cristobal Huet made 21 saves. Add it all up, and the Capitals were able to celebrate a five-game winning streak for the first time since March 2001. They've also won nine of their past 10 games.
Washington ranked 30th of 30 NHL teams in late November, about a quarter of the way through the season, when minor league coach Bruce Boudreau replaced the fired Glen Hanlon. And Washington still stood only 14th of 15 Eastern Conference clubs at the season's halfway point.
Now, though, the Capitals have a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season, sitting one point out of eighth place in the East. If they can pass the Hurricanes — as of now, Carolina holds the tiebreaker advantage — the Capitals would win their first division championship since 2000-01.
Martin Gerber made his 15th straight start for the Senators, stopping 24 shots.
DEVILS 2,
ISLANDERS 1, OT
The Canadiens have as many points as Pittsburgh, which leads the Eastern Conference by virtue of its 45 wins, one more than Montreal.
Mathieu Dandenault and Andrei Kostitsyn also scored for Montreal, which secured the Northeast Division title with 100 points.
The Devils strengthened their
OTTAWA — Carey Price made 32 saves for his third shutout and Alex Kovalev scored his 35th goal as Montreal claimed its first division title in 16 years.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington Capitals 'Alex Ovechkin, left, of Russia, celebrates after scoring his 63rd goal with goalie Cristobal Hurt of France against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of a NHL basketball game in Washington on Tuesday. The teams are 4-1.
The sixth-place Senators have a one-point lead over Boston and Philadelphia, who currently hold the final two playoff spots in the conference. Ottawa is also only two points ahead of ninth-place Washington.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Zach Parise deflected in Johnny Oduya's shot 29 seconds into overtime for New Jersey, which clinched an Eastern Conference playoff berth.
PREDATORS 4, BLUES 3
ASSOCIATED PRESS e against the
hold on fourth place in the East and stayed alive in the race for the Atlantic Division title. Anything other than a win by New Jersey, would have given the crown to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
New Jersey trails Pittsburgh by five points with three games to play, and has a two-point edge over the New York Rangers in the East.
SABRES 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3
ST. LOUIS - Rich Peverley scored 1:43 into overtime to complete Nashville's comeback from a three-goal deficit.
Parise won it with the Devils' 47th shot at Islanders third-string goalie Joey MacDonald, Oduya also had the primary assist on Patrik Elias' second-period goal that got New Jersey even at 1.
Nashville also got goals from Brandon Bochenski, lordin Toooto,
Vernon Fiddler after falling behind 3-0 early on.
Martin Brodeur stopped 21 shots for his 42nd victory over the season, allowing only a goal to Josef Vasicek in the first period.
HALF-PRICE TICKETS FOR KU STUDENTS!
Gilbert & Sullivan's classic tale
Pinafore
Lied Center of Kansas lied.ku.edu 785-864-2787
Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m.
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