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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, November 20, 2006

Granada wins LPGA's first $1 million purse

Associated Press

Julieta Granada

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Shortly after Julieta Granada came to the United States at 14 to hone her golf game at David Leadbetter's academy in Florida, she grew concerned over how much money her family was spending.

So she and her mother stopped renting cars, relying instead on a bicycle to get around town.

"We rode the bike around for a year," Granada said. "We only rented cars for tournaments."

Money no longer is a concern for the Granada clan — especially after yesterday.

Two days after turning 20, the LPGA Tour rookie from Paraguay got her first victory, taking home the first $1 million prize in women's golf. Granada shot a bogey-free round of 68, topping an eight-player final-round field to win the ADT Championship at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla., and claim most of the $1.55 million purse.

The win pushed her season's earnings to $1,633,586 — not bad for someone who finished outside the top-10 finishers in 23 of 30 events this year.

"It's just been incredible, this whole week," Granada said. "It was my birthday on Friday and today I was really happy just to be playing."

Player of the year Lorena Ochoa (70) was second, earning $100,000 and securing the top place on the season-ending money list. She finished with $2,592,872, about $300,000 shy of Annika Sorenstam's record total in 2002.

"I tried my best," Ochoa said. "I have nothing to regret. It's been a great season and a great way to finish the year."

Karrie Webb (71) was the only player who could have passed Ochoa in that department, needing a win to do so. But Webb went home with $20,500 — meaning she and Granada were separated, essentially, by $326,500 per shot.

TIGER LOSES TO HARRINGTON IN PLAYOFF

Tiger Woods squandered a three-stroke lead with six holes left, then lost to Padraig Harrington on the second hole of a playoff yesterday at the Dunlop Phoenix in Miyazaki, Japan.

Harrington capped a remarkable comeback with a tap-in birdie to prevent Woods from winning the $1.69 million tournament for the third straight year.

"I was struggling all day with my swing," Woods said. "It wasn't just my tee shots, it was everything."

Woods' playoff record is 14-2 in official tournaments worldwide. The other defeat was to Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open. Woods also lost a playoff to Nick Price in the 1998 Million Dollar Challenge, an unofficial event in South Africa.

BOHN HOLDS OFF SIMPSON BY ONE SHOT

Jason Bohn sank a 25-foot putt on the 17th hole to edge former Kailua resident Scott Simpson by one stroke to win the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach (Calif.) Invitational yesterday.

Bohn, whose lone win in three years on the PGA Tour came at the 2005 B.C. Open, shot a 1-under 71 and finished at 14-under 274.

He earned $60,000 of the $300,000 purse in the unofficial tournament that featured 81 players from the four major tours, plus mini-tour players, club pros and amateurs.

Parker McLachlin, a Punahou alum who played on the Nationwide Tour this year, shot 71 yesterday and finished at 276.