She’s Back

ANNIKA SORENSTAM MAKES A MUCH-ANTICIPATED RETURN TO THE AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

BY CRAIG DOLCH

Annika Sorenstam has long been considered among the greatest women golfers of all time. She won 10 majors, 72 LPGA Tour titles and eight Player of the Year awards.

And, oh, yeah, she’s the only woman to shoot 59 in competition.

But the Swede wasn’t content just beating other women. She also liked taking a shot at the guys. She memorably did so at the 2003 Bank of America Colonial, becoming the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Shirley Spork in 1952.

And Sorenstam will do so again at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, competing in the event for the first time since she tied for second place in 2014. Sorenstam isn’t making a gender statement by playing with the boys (and three other women – Today Show meteorologist Dylan Dreyer, Golf Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America Kira K. Dixon and NBC Sports studio anchor Kathryn Tappen); she’s done this since she was a kid.

“I have always enjoyed challenging myself against the guys,” Sorenstam said. “I grew up in Sweden playing ‘open golf’ where they just pair you on the tee and you play. I always played with the guys and never thought much about it. These guys in Tahoe are all superb athletes and fantastic golfers. It’s a great test for me.”

Sorenstam stepped away from the game at the end of the 2008 season when she was 38 and wanted to start raising a family. She has two children with husband Mike McGee.

At 50, she started to get the itch to return to competition this year. She made the cut in this year’s Gainbridge LPGA, played at her primary home in Lake Nona, which was impressive considering she hadn’t played in an official tournament in more than 12 years.

Annika

TOP LEFT: Annika in 2014 enjoying the fans while signing autographs. BOTTOM LEFT: Annika in 2014 with husband and caddie Mike McGee. RIGHT: Annika in 2014 giving high fives to the players from the field.

Ever the perfectionist, Sorenstam knew she could have played better had she been more mentally prepared.

“It felt good to dig deep and play well to make the cut when I needed to, but I didn’t play well at all on the weekend,” she said. “I realize a lot of that was more of a mental letdown after having nothing left to play for, but getting past those mental hurdles is all part of it.”

Playing in the celebrity event in Lake Tahoe, where the Sorenstams also have a family home, won’t be as much of a grind. But she doesn’t tee it up to finish second.

She thought she had a chance to win in 2014 – she had a putt on the 16th hole to take the lead over Mark Rypien before a storm delayed play.

“I thought that would be to my advantage because of playing so much tournament golf,” she said. “We went back out after a couple hours, and it was cold, and all the fans were gone. It was eerie.

“I missed the putt and Mark behind me went eagle, birdie, birdie and I lost by 11 points. It happened quickly and it was a bit of a letdown.”

Despite her layoff, oddsmaker William Hill has Sorenstam as the co-fourth betting choice in the American Century Championship at 8-1 behind past champions Tony Romo (3-2), Mardy Fish (2-1) and Mark Mulder (4-1). She’s the only Hall of Famer in the field for golf, but Sorenstam says the Modified Stableford scoring format – where players earn points for scores -- works to her disadvantage instead of traditional stroke play.

“I think it’s fun, especially with all these athletes and celebrities,” she said. “They can make lots of birdies and eagles and their bad holes don’t penalize them as much.

“They hit it so much farther than I do, and I tend to make less birdies but less mistakes, so I’m not sure the format plays to my advantage at all. It’s certainly more fun for the fans, though.”

Winning is no longer what drives Sorenstam as it did for 25 years. She wants to play well in Lake Tahoe, but she knows the family will have a blast no matter where she finishes.

“It means so much to me to have my children there,” Sorenstam said. “Not only to watch me play, but to see all the other players. They love sports, especially Will, so for him to see Patrick Mahomes and Charles Barkley and all these amazing stars interacting with Mama, it’s really cool for all of us. It’s fun having Mike on the bag, as well.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Craig Dolch has covered professional golf in Palm Beach County for more than 40 years and spent one week as a PGA Tour caddie. That was long enough.”