Ochoa, Sorentstam return to islands for Kapalua Classic

LAHAINA — The world’s top women’s golfer Lorena Ochoa and second-ramked Annika Sorenstam highlight a field of 132 players competing this week at the inaugural $1.5 million Kapalua LPGA Classic at the Kapalua Resort’s Bay Course. The Kapalua LPGA Classic marks the fourth of six inaugural tournaments on the 2008 LPGA Tour schedule.

Ochoa, who finished fourth at last week’s Longs Drugs Challenge to earn her 17th top-10 finish in 19 starts this season, is joined by seven of the top-10 players from the LPGA Official Money List. A 24-time LPGA Tour winner, Ochoa is still in search of her first victory in the Hawaiian Islands.

Sorenstam, who announced earlier this season that she will be stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the season, will be looking for her fourth victory of 2008 this week. The 72-time LPGA Tour winner won the first event of 2008 at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, where she defeated three players by two strokes to earn the 70th title of her career.

As Kapalua Resorts’ touring professional, it will be a mini homecoming for third-year Tour member Morgan Pressel. In Hawaiian LPGA Tour events, Pressel has finished in the top 15 five out of six appearances, which could bode well for the 33rd-ranked player on the 2008 LPGA Official Money List as she continues her quest for her second career LPGA Tour victory.

Rookie Yani Tseng will have an opportunity to extend her Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year lead in Maui this week as her closest challenger — South Korean Na Yeon Choi — is absent from the field. Tseng contended last week at the Longs Drugs Challenge before finishing tied for third. The 2008 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race continues through the ADT Championship, which may be needed given Tseng’s 269-point edge (1,367 to 1,098 points) with six events remaining and a 150-point boost to a rookie winning an event.