Ochoa steamrolls rivals to win in Singapore

By Peter Rutherford

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - World number one Lorena Ochoa cruised to an 11-stroke win at the $2 million HSBC Women's Champions tournament on Sunday on her season debut.

Sweden's Annika Sorenstam finished second on nine under with American Paula Creamer in third place two shots further back.

On a day when monsoon-like storms sent spectators sprinting for cover and left others cowering under umbrellas, the Mexican produced a solid 68 for a combined 20 under par at the Tanah Merah Country Club.

Play was suspended several times due to the torrential downpours that submerged greens, left puddles on the fairways and had players kicking their heels in the clubhouse. The final group took eight hours to complete their round.

"I came here prepared to win and I did it," Ochoa said.

"I practised really hard in the offseason and I knew I could do it. I have faith in my game and hopefully this will be a great year.

"I'll be back next year to defend my title."

The 26-year-old Ochoa, the only player to shoot four rounds under 70, was simply on a different level from playing partners Sorenstam and Creamer, who won the opening two LPGA events of the year in Hawaii while the Mexican fine-tuned her game.