Jim McCabe

In all the fitting tributes heaped upon Annika Sorenstam in the aftermath of her surprising retirement announcement, one aspect seemed to receive unwarranted attention.

The LPGA Tour is not losing a rivalry, because there isn’t one between Lorena Ochoa and the Swede.

Two dominating players, for sure, but they have merely crossed paths. They have not gone head-to-head enough times to form a rivalry, not in the sense of Ali and Frazier, Magic and Larry, Arnie and Jack, McEnroe and Borg.

Consider that Sorenstam won six times in 1997 to ignite a nine-year stretch in which the Swede captured 60 tournaments, including seven of her 10 majors. Ochoa was only on the scene for the last three years of that Sorenstam run and the young Mexican won just three times.

No, the Sorenstam rivalry was with Aussie Karrie Webb as they combined to win all nine Player of the Year honors in that stretch (seven for Sorenstam, two for Webb) and seven of the nine Vare Trophy honors for low scoring average (four for Sorenstam, three for Webb).

(From 1997-2005, Webb won 25 times, including six of her majors.)

But if you count 2006 as the year in which Sorenstam began to lose her grip on the top spot in the women’s world order, it is also clear that Ochoa’s ascent began similarly. That season, the dynamic young lady from Mexico triumphed six times, Sorenstam just three, and since the start of '06, Ochoa has outplayed the Swede by a whopping margin — 20 wins and two majors to six and one.

The fact that Sorenstam has erased memories of a winless 2007 with three triumphs already in '08 is nice, but it doesn’t change reality. She very much is a competitor with whom Ochoa must compete, but this is not a rivalry the LPGA Tour needs to promote. For starters, Ochoa is much younger and much better right now. For another thing, Sorenstam has indicated a desire to leave the game, not elevate it.

Thus would the LPGA Tour be wiser to promote a more compelling rivalry, that between Ochoa and the brash and talented Paula Creamer. Just 21 years old and already in possession of six wins in a mere 87 tournaments, Creamer offers the age and overall package to bring years of head-to-head battles with Ochoa, 26.

Nowhere would it be better to showcase this potential rivalry than this week's McDonald’s LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock in Havre De Grace, Md. Going for her third consecutive major win and trying to keep alive a bid for the Grand Slam, Ochoa faces a formidable task, but while Sorenstam has contrived a reason to keep the spotlight attached to her, it would be a better storyline for the LPGA Tour if it was Creamer, searching for her first major, who made a run and took on the role of prime challenger to the game’s top player.

And who knows, it just may happen. Ochoa, after all, has played well at Bulle Rock, with three straight top-10 finishes, and Creamer was tied for sixth a year ago, after having been tied for third two years earlier.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

Nordqvist wins LPGA Tour Championship Out of Bounds: Tiger booed ... at Stanford? Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Special section: Golf on NBC Discuss: Sound off on golf at Newsvine.com Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: