Golf across the globe: Ochoa on the road to Tiger town

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Lorena Ochoa doesn't even come close to Tiger Woods when it comes to majors in her name, but she's certainly on her way there. Before golf fans everywhere get focused on the Masters, here's a look back at last week in the world of golf.

Lorena Ochoa celebrates with her friends and family in the pond off the 18th green after winning her second major. (Cannon/Getty Images)

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LAST WEEK

Event: Kraft Nabisco Championship
Sanctioned by: LPGA Tour
• The TOUR heads to Augusta, Ga., this week for its first major of 2008, but the LPGA already crossed that hurdle last week with its first major, which took place in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Whether Tiger Woods will get his 14th major this week at the Masters remains to be seen, but Lorena Ochoa secured another major in her name with an 11-under-par 277, five shots ahead of chasers Suzann Pettersen and Annika Sorenstam.
• Ochoa's bogey-free final-round 67 kept her well out of the reach of the charging Pettersen and Sorenstam, who both shot 68 on Sunday. This was Ochoa's third win in just four events so far this season, and next week she will compete in her home of Mexico for the Corona Championship, which she won in 2006.
• Other notable names towards the top of the leaderboard were Se Ri Pak in a tie for 10th, Natalie Gulbis in a tie for 13th and a tie for 15th from Angela Stanford. Three over-par rounds from Paula Creamer left her in a tie for 21st.

Event: Estoril Open de Portugal
Sanctioned by: European Tour
• Portugal was looking good again for Scotland's Alastair Forsyth, who won the Madeira Islands Open BPI -- Portugal just two weeks ago, but Sunday eventually was not to go his way. A final-round 66 from Forsyth and a 64 from England's David Howell forced a playoff with Frenchman Grégory Bourdy (70) when all three finished at 18 under for the tournament.
• Bourdy, playing in the final group of the day with Forsyth, began the final round with a four-shot lead over his partner but was 3-over par by the time he reached the back nine. The Frenchman dug deep, however, and picked up four birdies on the back nine to make it into the playoff.
• No easy playoff, it took three holes for the threesome to determine a winner. While Forsyth fell out of contention after two holes, Bourdy and Howell went on to battle a third. As Howell missed a 20-foot putt to save par, Bourdy tapped in his 18-inch putt for the win in his first playoff experience.
• Other notable finishes at Oitavos Dunes Golf Course came from Ireland's Paul McGinley in a tie for seventh, Sweden's Johan Edfors in a tie for ninth and Spain's Pablo Martin, who is an Oklahoma State Cowboy and has been playing on the PGA TOUR in recent weeks, with a tie for 15th.

Event: Philippine Open
Sanctioned by: Asian Tour
• Fresh off the excitement of earning a spot in the British Open, Angelo Que -- a native of the Philippines -- followed up his fine qualifier performance with a victory in Manila. Que finished with a total score of 5-under 283, just one shot of fellow Open Championships qualifier Danny Chia of Malaysia.
• Que's success at Wack Wack Golf Club was his second Asian Tour win and moved the 29-year-old up to 20th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• Another Filipino, Antonio Lascuna, played well at home to finish tied for fourth place, while Filipino favorite for the event (and defending champion) Frankie Minoza finished tied for 13th.

Event: Vodacom Origins of Golf Free State
Sanctioned by: Sunshine Tour
• The champion at Bloemfontein Golf Course this week isn't just good with a little white ball. Dion Fourie also has former South African Motor Cross Champion title on his sporting resumé. Fourie, who in his past built, owned and raced the fastest Uno Turbo in South Africa, cruised to his second Sunshine Tour win Sunday with a three-round score of 15-under 201.
• Fighting Jean Hugo and Chris Swanepoel -- both of South Africa and both with final-round 70s -- down the stretch, Fourie shot a Sunday 69 to squeak past his chasers with a two-shot margin.
• Other notable finishes in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Free State came from John Bele, who was the overnight leader but fell apart with a final-round 73 and finished tied for fourth, and Albert Pistorius, whose final round of 67 moved him into a tie for seventh at 11 under.

Will Tiger Woods take the all-important first step towards a Grand Slam this year? (Redington/Getty Images)

THIS WEEK

Event: The Masters
Sanctioned by: PGA TOUR, European Tour, Asian Tour
• As if this tournament needs an introduction. The first major of the year, and the only major to be played always at the same course, the Masters takes place this week at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
• First-time winner Zach Johnson won the Green Jacket last year and will be defending against a top-notch field that includes big names such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and K.J. Choi from the PGA TOUR, as well as Paul Casey, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson of the European Tour and Jeev Milkha Singh and Prayad Marksaeng of the Asian Tour.

Event: Corona Championship
Sanctioned by: LPGA Tour
• Italy's Silvia Cavalleri will be defending her title this week in Mexico for the Corona Championship at Tres Marias Residential Golf Club. Last year, Cavalleri came in two strokes ahead of 2006 defending champion Lorena Ochoa who tied at a total of 5-under 274 with Julieta Granada.
• Look for Ochoa to regain that title from Cavalleri this week as she goes back to her home nation of Mexico to compete in her fifth tournament of the season -- three of which she has already won. Coming off her second major win last week, Ochoa will be pumped up to play at home.