No one in the field of the Samsung World Championship could stop Annika Sorenstam yesterday, and Mother Nature could only slow Sorenstam down.

Ninety-five minutes after a bolt of lightning sent Sorenstam and the rest of the 20-player field scrambling for shelter in a rare desert weather delay in Palm Desert, Calif., Sorenstam returned to the course and began a methodical march to one of the most dominant victories in her already dominant career of 64 wins.

Even two more weather delays in her round didn't slow Sorenstam, who ran away to a soggy nine-shot win over Paula Creamer at the Canyon Course at Bighorn Golf Club. Sorenstam shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 19-under 269, one shot better than her winning score on the course last year.

Honolulu's Michelle Wie, making her pro debut, found clouds of a different kind yesterday.

Wie finished fourth but was later disqualified when rules officials determined she improperly dropped a ball from an unplayable lie in Saturday's round.

More than an hour before the announcement of Wie's disqualification, Sorenstam stayed firm in saying she wasn't trying to send a message to the world or to Wie, considered women's golf's next sensation. But Sorenstam did say others could extract a statement from the week.

"I'm here and I can play and I can play against anyone," Sorenstam said. "I've proved that to myself over and over again. To me, I love having the opportunity to do it when I need to."

The victory, the eighth of the 2005 season for Sorenstam, strengthened her substantial grip on the LPGA record book.

An eighth Rolex Player of the Year award, breaking a tie with Kathy Whitworth, adds to the argument that Sorenstam may be the best LPGA player ever. While she didn't downplay the achievement, she did say it was never a specific goal.

"It's something that comes throughout the season," said Sorenstam, who won $212,500 to boost her season's winnings to $2,205,104. "The first time I obviously wanted to be player of the year, then I said let's see if I can do it again. This year I was totally focused on majors, thinking if I won all four majors, I could become player of the year."

ELSEWHERE

Michelin Championship: Wes Short Jr., who joined the tour last year as a 40-year-old rookie, hit his bunker shot within a foot of the pin, then tapped in for a par on the second hole of a playoff with Jim Furyk to win his first PGA Tour title. Short closed with a 6-under 66 for a 21-under 266 total in Las Vegas.

Administaff Small Business Classic: Mark McNulty won his second Champions Tour title of the year, closing with a 6-under 66 for a 16-under 200 total and a one-stroke victory over Gil Morgan at Spring, Texas.

Madrid Open: France's Raphael Jacquelin won his first European tour title, closing with a 2-under 69 for a 23-under 261 total and a three-shot victory over 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie at Madrid, Spain.