Sorenstam falters after three-year run

A proud addition at the Turnberry Hotel and Golf Club a couple of years ago was the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy. Normally such establishments are named after celebrated instructors with some expertise in subject matter so it was nice of them to name it after one of their more needy pupils instead. Monty, whose experiences in the Open Championship are beginning to resemble the sort of humiliations suffered by victims of Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link, could soon be joined for remedial lessons by Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam.

Woods was forced to say goodbye to the Grand Slam at Muirfield while yesterday Sorenstam made an early exit from the Weetabix Women's British Open. Woods, incredibly, has only missed one cut in his career but the 31-year-old Swede is not far behind. This was the first time she had failed to qualify for the last two rounds since the US Women's Open three years ago.

Sorenstam's 77 left her at six over par and ended her run of 74 successive cuts made on the LPGA Tour. It was also only her second ever missed cut in Europe, the first coming nine years ago in the same tournament.

Sorenstam, usually highly accurate and consistent, dominates the women's game week-in, week-out but, unlike Woods, fails to maintain her winning percentage in the majors. Her form arriving here was outstanding. In 15 events this year she had won seven times and finished in the top-three on all but two occasions.

"I am disappointed," she said. "I didn't play well at all. It is a bummer because I came here feeling good about my game and had prepared exactly the way I wanted. Normally I am a straight hitter but I didn't hit it very straight this week. I had two unplayables and a triple in two days. I love the course. I love the weather. This was not meant to be."

It was cold and breezy on the Ailsa course yesterday, with those playing dead into the wind between the fourth and the 11th in the morning having the worst of it, but that does not entirely explain some of the poor scoring. The conditions did not approach what would be described as a bad day on the Ayrshire coast and certainly was not a patch on the Saturday storm at Muirfield during the Open.

Also missing the cut were Laura Davies, who had two eagles and three double bogeys in a 75 to be five over, and the US Open champion Juli Inkster, who finished at nine over. "It's a massive disappointment," said Davies.

Karrie Webb, who hails from Ayr in Queensland, moved into a challenging position at seven under with a 71. The Australian described the eight holes from the fourth, which she played in three over, as "probably the toughest stretch I have ever played."

Carin Koch, who secured the winning point for Europe in the Solheim Cup at Loch Lomond two years ago, got to eight under with her second 68. Koch, whose husband and three-year-old son remained in Sweden this week, declined to pose for Playboy after she topped an internet poll of which women golfers the readers wanted to see in the magazine. Or, as The Sun put it: "You can watch me chip but you can't watch me strip."

"I am getting a little more attention now," Koch said, "but I am enjoying it. It's all positive media." The Swede, who birdied four of the last six holes, did not think the conditions were too bad. "I would love to come back on vacation and play all these courses," she said. "Links golf is fun." Taiwan's Candie Kung, who broke the course record on Thursday, retained her lead by moving one ahead of Koch with three holes still to play.