Annika Sorenstam beat Paul Creamer in a playoff to secure victory at the Stanford International yesterday.
Both players finished on eight under par at the LPGA Tour event in Florida, but Sorenstam clinched the title by hitting a par on the first extra hole.
The win represents the 71st title of the 37-year-old Swede''s career and she is now within 17 wins of the LPGA tournament victory record, currently held by Kathy Whitworth.
"I''m very relieved and happy and excited at the same time," Sorenstam said afterwards.
She also paid tribute to her beaten rival Creamer, stating: "She played excellent. It took 19 holes to separate us. Fortunately, this time it was my turn and I''m going to cherish this moment."
The Australian player Karrie Webb shared third place with South Korea''s Young Kim after both finished on seven under par.
Sorenstam won the LPGA''s season opener at Hawaii''s Turtle Bay Resort in February but has since struggled to match Lorena Ochoa''s dominant form. The Mexican world number one recently won four tournaments in successive weeks but did not play in Florida.
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