LAS VEGAS — Lorena Ochoa was the center of jubilant bedlam on the 18th green, where relatives and friends wearing red shirts — like hers — gleefully sprayed her with champagne and beer and took turns hugging her.
It was quite a different scene from the last tournament, when Ochoa fought back tears after losing to Karrie Webb in a playoff at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
"What happened a couple of weeks ago just made me a better player, and made me want to win so bad that I came out really strong this week," Ochoa said Saturday after her wire-to-wire victory in the Takefuji Classic.
"I think those playoffs really taught me when you are under pressure, how to just focus and how to really be aggressive when you need to be aggressive."
Ochoa, a former Wildcat who also lost in a playoff at the season-opening event in Hawaii, nailed down her first victory of the year with a closing 6-under 66 at Las Vegas Country Club. She finished the 54-hole tournament at 19-under 197, three shots ahead of rookie Seon Hwa Lee (66) and five in front of Brittany Lincicome (69).
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Asked if it was a relief to win after her near-misses, Ochoa said she did not want to put it that way.
"It's just a lot of joy. A lot of good things happened this week. I have a lot of friends — my sister and my cousin are here from Mexico. There are more than 30 from Mexico," said the 24-year-old Ochoa, a native of Guadalajara.
Ochoa, who finished second to Wendy Ward at Las Vegas a year ago, opened this time with a 63, stayed two shots in front with a wind-blown 68 in the second day, then clinched the title with her fine closing round of six birdies.
Ochoa smiled as she walked to the 18th tee with a three-shot lead. After she hit her second shot on the 495-yard par-5 over the water and to the back fringe on the final hole, she broke into a big grin. She chipped within 5 feet, then rolled the ball firmly into the center of the cup to punctuate the victory.
"I was very calm, very relaxed," she said. "It was a special round, and making that birdie on 18, that was a plus."
PGA Tour
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Aaron Baddeley said Saturday he is hoping to cap a big weekend with his first PGA Tour victory.
Baddeley shot a 66 and was tied for the lead at 14 under with former Wildcat Jim Furyk (68) after three rounds of the Verizon Heritage.
First, the 25-year-old Australian and wife Richelle will celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and he will be the featured speaker at an Easter Sunrise Service at Harbour Town Golf Links.
"It's something I definitely cherish," Baddeley said. "I think it's a perfect way to set the day."
The final round could be one to remember at Harbour Town. Billy Mayfair (68) was three shots behind at 11 under. Lurking at 10 under are Jerry Kelly (66) and Ernie Els, the only one of golf's "Big Five" who is playing this week.
Els shot a 65, tying for the lowest score of the round, to get back in contention.
While Furyk saw that he and Baddeley had separated themselves a bit from the pack, he will not sleep easy.
"There's quite a few guys not that far back, some good players," Furyk said.
Furyk started the round ahead by two over Baddeley, lost that lead on the front nine, then rallied to move one stroke in front with three straight birdies on Nos. 15-17.
But Furyk was long with his 8-iron from the 18th fairway, his ball rolling in a bunker behind the lighthouse hole's green. Furyk had an awkward stance and said he tried to guide the ball onto the green. As most duffers can tell you, that rarely works. Furyk's shot came up short of the putting surface. He settled for bogey and a tie for the lead.
Furyk said he played the approach the way he wanted, so "it's pretty easy just to say, 'Oh well,' " and forget it.
Furyk is trying for his first victory since last year's Western Open.
Mayfair, who lost to Jose Coceres in a playoff in the 2001 tournament, had birdies on two of his final four holes.
European Tour
BEIJING — David Lynn shot an even-par 72 in gale-force winds to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the China Open.
Lynn had a 9-under 207 total on the Beijing Honghua International Golf Club course. He needed five birdies to offset three bogeys and a double bogey.
Prayad Marksaeng (72) and Jeev Milkha Singh (67) were tied for second.
Defending champion Paul Casey (70) and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (68) were two shots behind the leader, while Marcus Fraser (69), Peter Fowler (69) and Simon Wakefield (70) were another stroke back.
The players contended with shots being redirected by winds of up to 35 mph.
"It was like a twister or a mini tornado," Singh said. "I thought the players behind us would get flown into the water (and they) were just holding their hats and pushing themselves down."
