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World number one Annika Sorenstam will try to move past Mexico's Lorena Ochoa and Australian Karrie Webb for the season money crown by taking the richest prize in LPGA history.
Two-time defending champion Sorenstam seeks her fourth title in five years at this 1.55 million-dollar tournament, a season-ending showdown of 32 top players with a one million-dollar top prize, the highest in LPGA history.
A playoff-style format added to the event to boost interest features a cut to 16 players after 36 holes and another drop to eight final players after 54 holes.
After that, all scores are wiped out and the event becomes an eight-woman, 18-hole shootout with the low scorer on Sunday claiming the biggest jackpot in LPGA history.
"I think it's going to be exciting for the fans and it will be interesting to see how it works out," Sorenstam said.
"I don't yet know if I'm going to like it. For instance, it will be hard if someone has a big lead on Saturday night and then they have to start again on Sunday.
"This championship is usually based on four rounds, but this time the million dollars will all be down to one round on Sunday. But it will be interesting to see how it works out."
Sorenstam, 36, has three LPGA titles this year, including her 10th career major crown at the US Women's Open. She had won at least eight events in three of the past four seasons and can win this title for the fifth time in 10 years.
"It has been a pretty up-and-down season," said Sorenstam. "The US Open was definitely the highlight and a win this week would be a great way to end the year."
Ochoa, a six-time winner this season, clinched LPGA Player of the Year honors by winning last week's Tournament of Champions and is the woman to catch for the money title with almost 2.5 million dollars in earnings.
Webb ranks next with 2.069 million dollars and Sorenstam is third on 1.96 million dollars.
Webb was less than unhappy at the new format, saying some of the top players did not reach the event because the point system was done in half seasons and players who qualified in the first half didn't score in the next.
"It's going to be an exciting format," Webb said. "I'm not necessarily thrilled with the qualifying. I don't think we have the best 32 players here, but I think the format is something different and has created lots of interest.
"If you had the point system throughout the whole year you would be closer to getting the top 32."
Everyone is in the same boat, Webb noted.
"Golf is normally decided over four rounds and this year it's decided really over one. It will make for an exciting finish. No one in this field has ever played for a first-place million-dollar check. Everyone's going to be nervous.
"If you are the person who is eighth and you win Sunday, you are probably not too worried about it... The person who wins won't be complaining at all about how the format was formed."
Webb and Ochoa will play alongside each other Thursday and Friday while Sorenstam is paired for the first two rounds with American Cristie Kerr, who is fourth on the money list.
Ochoa was not thrilled that the season money title comes down to a one-day winner-take-all prize.
"It's a great opportunity being able to play for a million dollars. It brings a lot of excitement," Ochoa said. "At the same time, I think it's unfair that one million dollars for the winner to go straight to the top of the money list.
"That's a little bit unfair. Just being consistent all year and playing good all year, you can get a second-place finish this week and your money title is gone. That's the only thing I don't agree with.
"The importance of the money list title is now gone."
js06
Golf-USLPGA
AFP 152234 GMT 11 06
COPYRIGHT 2006 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.
