By Kitrina Douglas BBC Sport Online golf columnist

There is a certain amount of d�j� vu in Karrie Webb winning the Weetabix Women's British Open at the weekend.

Webb wins British Open

By her standards, she has had a quiet year.

She has only had one win so far, whereas at this stage of the season last year she had won two majors.

In 2000, she won seven tournaments and in 1999 she won six times.

Webb usually shuns media attention

But this year all eyes had been turned to Annika Sorenstam and her phenomenal early-season six-win stretch.

No-one was really talking about Webb before the event, rather it was how could Sorenstam be overhauled or even would this be the year for the home winner?

Rather strange because Webb was also seemingly overlooked the last time she won the Open.

And with her list of achievements, how could we ever discount her?

As soon as a big name in any sport has even the glint of a mediocre year, there is lots of speculation from the media and the public that their career is on an irreversible downward slide.

Why is it so many people appear to relish writing off the big stars?

Webb has been quietly enduring the knocks.

She is a player many journalists say does not do herself any favours.

She has had a reputation for easily losing her patience with the "media firing squad".

Many a journalist has been annoyed at being given only a curt reply when they wanted in-depth information.

Demands of modern sport

Many have not taken kindly to a megastar who wishes to remain in the shadows rather than divulge every aspect of her life.

Webb is not alone in this regard - it is a problem many sportsmen and sportswomen face.

Some children begin their sporting career "just enjoying playing" - the next minute they become a household name and the whole world wants to know how they did it.

Webb has had her own agenda as far as her golf career is concerned - and she does not feel the need to share it too much with the rest of the golfing world.

The "experts" have been speculating and doing a fair amount of probing.

I think we should just accept the woman for who she is and enjoy her golf.

And the next time a major comes along, perhaps we should expect her to win, regardless of recent form.