Rosales 2nd behind Annika, nets $90,691

Jennifer Rosales fell short of her bid to topple the best player in the world in the Mizuno Classic despite firing an eagle-aided, bogey-free six-under par 66 but the ace Filipina shotmaker still came up with a solid second place finish to Annika Sorenstam in Otsu, Japan yesterday.

The 27-year-old Rosales chipped in for an eagle-3 on the par-5 sixth while sinking four other birdies in another flawless round for that 66 and a 54-hole total of 198, three strokes behind Sorenstam.

Rosales, winner of the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in February for her second LPGA title, finished a bogey-free tournament for the first time in six years as a pro. She won $90,691 (roughly P4.9 million).

Her strong finish also assured her stint in the elite $1 million ADT Championship, slated Nov. 15-20 in Florida, exclusively for the top 30 players in the LPGA money rankings.

The Swede ace became the first player in LPGA Tour history to win a tournament five straight times, shooting an 8-under 64. She copped the top $150,000 purse.

"Obviously I’m very, very happy to get a chance to do something today that nobody has ever done before," Sorenstam said.

"I felt pressure all week, but I was able to control my nerves and make some birdies when I needed to. To come here and do something like this is very gratifying."

Sorenstam, 95 under in 15 rounds on the Seta course during her winning streak, broke a tie with Laura Davies for the LPGA Tour record for consecutive victories in an event. Davies won the Standard Register Ping from 1994-97.

"I like this golf course," Sorenstam said. "I shoot under par here because I’m making my putts. I feel confident when I come here and I think that’s important."

The PGA Tour record for consecutive victories in an event is four, a mark shared by Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen and Tiger Woods.

"This is one of the biggest things I’ve done in my career," Sorenstam said. "It shows a lot of consistency. ... It’s tough to rate this against some of my other accomplishments because they’re all so different. But to do something nobody has ever done is going to rank right up there."

Sorenstam pulled away from playing partners Rosales and Young Kim with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and also birdied the final two holes — both par 5s — for the second straight day. After opening with five straight pars, Sorenstam made an eagle on the sixth hole — draining a 15-foot putt after a 4-wood approach from 218-meters (240 yards) — and added birdies on Nos. 8 and 11 to tie Rosales and Kim for the lead.

"That eagle putt got me going on the front and I think my solid back nine was the key," Sorenstam said.