MORELIA, Mexico — Lorena Ochoa left no doubt about the importance of her breakthrough victory yesterday in her home country.

"Definitely this is the most important day of my professional career," Ochoa said. "For me, this was the most important tournament. I enjoyed it so much."

The 24-year-old Guadalajara native won for the first time in four LPGA Tour starts in Mexico, closing with a 4-under 69 to easily hold off Julieta Granada and Paula Creamer in the Corona Morelia Championship.

Ochoa, who never trailed after shooting a course-record 64 in the second round Friday, won for the fourth time this season to tie Karrie Webb for the tour lead. Ochoa finished at 20-under 272 on the hilly, Jack Nicklaus-designed Tres Marias course, five strokes better than Granada.

Granada, the 19-year-old up-and-comer from Paraguay, shot a 71. Creamer, 20, had yesterday's best round, a 65 that left her third at 14 under.

Ochoa began the round three strokes ahead of Granada, but things got a bit tense after Ochoa bogeyed the 161-yard, par-3 third hole. She recovered with a birdie on the par-4 fourth, only to watch Granada birdie the hole and add another on the 134-yard, par-3 sixth to move within a stroke.

"Julieta started really good, made a couple of birdies at the beginning and kept me under pressure," Ochoa said. "She just kind of really pushed me."

But Ochoa responded, pushing her advantage back to two strokes with a birdie on the par-5 eighth and adding three more birdies on the back nine.

With her seventh victory in the last three seasons, Ochoa earned $150,000 to stay atop the LPGA Tour money list and raise her season total to $2,124,122.

CC OF GREENSBORO

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Davis Love III is finally getting over the disappointment of failing to qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team and being passed over as one of Tom Lehman's two captain's picks.

Love snapped out of a three-year slump and shook off those lingering Ryder Cup blues yesterday by winning on the course he redesigned, shooting a 6-under 66 for his second victory in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

"I told Tom Lehman about a month before the PGA that I was going to play good before the end of the year," said Love. "I just couldn't promise him when it was going to be."

The 42-year-old Love had three straight birdies late in the round to seal his 19th PGA Tour victory and first since 2003. He finished at 16-under 272 at the Forest Oaks Country Club — redesigned and lengthened three years ago — and earned $900,000.

Jason Bohn (66) finished two strokes back at 14 under, and Eric Axley (67) and Steve Flesch (68) were another shot behind.

ELSEWHERE

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Ireland's Padraig Harrington won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for the second time, closing with a 4-under 68 on the Old Course for 271 total and a five-stroke victory over Bradley Dredge, Anthony Wall and Edward Loar at St. Andrews, Scotland.

SAS Championship: Tom Jenkins won the SAS Championship for his seventh career Champions Tour title when soggy conditions forced the cancellation of yesterday's final round at Cary, N.C.

The 58-year-old Jenkins had rounds of 68 and 66 for a 10-under 134 total on the Prestonwood Country Club course. He earned $300,000. Champions Tour money leader Loren Roberts and tour newcomer Chip Beck tied for second, a stroke back.