Annika one of the best
Annika Sorenstam left the LPGA when she was on top, but she’s enjoying life off the tour
Ten years ago this month, Annika Sorenstam announced that she was walking away from the game she loves.
The game she so dominated, the sport that she helped grow. She is still sorely missed. Oh, the LPGA Tour has continued to improve, and there are more talented players on the tour from all over the world, than ever, but the tour is still searching for the next Annika. (Yes, one name is enough.)
Lorena Ochoa held the No. 1 ranking for a ridiculous 158 weeks, but she never reached the heights Sorenstam did in her prime. Michelle Wie has the name recognition, but her game and on-the-course accomplishments never came close to that of Sorenstam.
Sorenstam is still the fierce competitor who is the only woman to post a 59 in competition. It is just that her drive no longer involves a draw or fade.
It’s all family and business for the mother of two, who has a thriving foundation and a wide range of business interests under the ANNIKA brand — including ANNIKA Course Design and the ANNIKA Collection of apparel with Cutter & Buck.
Sorenstam, a highly sought spokesperson because of her recognizability, was in town this weekend to participate in the 3M Greats of Golf exhibition during the PGA Tour Champions Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands Country Club.
That relaxed competition is a far cry from the pay-for-play pressure of the LPGA Tour, which Sorenstam stepped away from after the 2008 season, but anytime Sorenstam is near a golf club, fans should be excited.
She is one of the greats to ever play the game. (No gender qualifier required.)
Interestingly, not everyone knows the LPGA’s all-time leading money winner is no longer active on the tour.
Sorenstam laughed that when she makes an appearance at a tournament, fans shower her with love and inevitably the eight-time player of the year is asked an odd question.
“I feel the love, but then they say, ‘When is your next event,’ ” Sorenstam said. “I have to tell them, ‘You know, I haven’t competed in 10 years?’ It is a little funny that way.
“I think it’s because I’m still involved, whether it’s TV (as a commentator) or my events or some of my (corporate) partners, people might think I’m still out there touring every week.”
Retains her popularity
That is an indicator of the large footprint she left on the game and a sign of her popularity. Sorenstam remains one of the top names on the tour, though she isn’t on the tour.
Of course, the biggest clue that she isn’t teeing it up every week is she isn’t on the leader board. If she were playing, she would be winning.
Sorenstam, 47, won an event in her second year on the tour, then missed just five cuts in 285 events before she retired. Without question, she could play with the youngsters.
Juli Inkster, who turned pro a full decade before Sorenstam, posted four top-10 finishes in 2011, the year she turned 51. Just this March, 54-year-old Laura Davies finished in a secondplace tie at the Bank of Hope Founders Classic.
Jack Nicklaus, who was on Sorenstam’s team on Saturday, won the Masters at 46. Gary Player, Sorenstam’s other playing partner, won three tournaments in a row, including the Masters and the Houston Open on the Tournament Course at The Woodlands, his last victory on the PGA Tour, when he was 42. The trio finished tied for second at 10-under par Saturday, when Sorenstam became the first woman to tee it up in the 18-hole scramble.
Sorenstam left plenty of outstanding golf in her bag by leaving when she did.
Now, she says, her time on the course is limited to charity events or as a caddie for her daughter and son, 8-year-old Ava and 7-year-old William.
She just isn’t the type to take in a fun round of golf with friends.
‘I’m not a social golfer’
Throughout her career — from the time the native of Sweden moved to the U.S. for college at Arizona and became the first freshman to win the NCAA championship — Sorenstam has proven to be a winner.
“I’m not a social golfer, never have been, I’m extremely competitive,” said Sorenstam, who racked up a record 89 career victories worldwide (72 on the LPGA Tour).
That’s why many thought her decision to leave the tour competition would be temporary.
As was the case with Tiger Woods for a stretch, Sorenstam’s game was so strong — an unmatched combination of power, touch, poise and fearlessness — that when she was on, there wasn’t a female player on the planet who could keep up.
Having witnessed her nearperfect swing up close, like many I wondered what could she find to replace the satisfaction of being the best in the world at something and the challenge of maintaining that status?
“I don’t know if that’s replaceable,” Sorenstam said. “I’m still very competitive. Whether it’s in (golf course) design, I want to be the best at that in creating inspiration experiences, I want to be the No. 1 clothing line, I want my foundation to continue to have great success. But the thrill of hitting a 7-iron on the 18th hole, that I don’t get.
“Life changes. I wanted to focus on family.”
While fans have certainly missed her greatness, Sorenstam says the life of a retired professional golfer has been fun, and more active and adventurous than it could be when she was competing in tournaments 30 weeks a year.
Besides chasing her kids and success in business, she ran a half-marathon earlier this year and last weekend competed in her second triathlon.
“It’s fun to do something different, and who doesn’t want to live to be 100?” she said.
If Sorenstam is treating longevity as a competition, don’t bet against her.