GOLF ROUNDUP : Mochrie Starts With Eagle, Ends With Win

Dottie Mochrie eagled the first hole and soared from there to win the inaugural LPGA Tournament of Champions by two strokes Saturday at Orlando, Fla.

The winner’s two-hop, 122-yard shot wiped out Nancy Lopez’s third-round lead, and Mochrie took over first-place for good with a five-foot birdie putt on No. 8.

She bogeyed the last two holes, but managed to stay ahead because Lopez, who began the day with a one-shot lead over Betsy King, did the same to fall into a tie for second with Lauri Merten.

Mochrie finished with a four-day total of one-under-par 287 and earned $115,000. Lopez shot 73 and Merten, the only player to post three sub-par scores in the tournament, shot a 70 for a a 289.

It was the eighth victory for Mochrie, the 1992 LPGA player of the year.

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An eagle on the first hole, a par five, was also the key score in the third round of the Doral-Ryder Open at Miami.

It helped propel Billy Andrade to a six-under-par 66 and a two-stroke lead.

“I’ve been putting good, playing good,” Andrade said. “I just went out, real relaxed, no fear, and tried to put a good score on the board.”

He did just that, completing three trips over Doral’s Blue Monster course in 204, 12 under par.

Andrade’s chief challenger is Larry Nelson, who shot a 69.