What makes Annika Sörenstam one of the greatest players in Golfing history? The answer is evident in her success in the sport. She has a recorded 90 professional tournament wins under her name which is the first for a female golfer. She has won the Player of the Year award eight times and has won the Vare Trophies six times. Sorenstam was also the first female golfer to ever play in the male PGA Tour ever since 1945.
Nobody ever expected Annika to become one of the successful players in Golf, most especially her family. Annika started off skiing and was very good at it in fact. Another sport she was also good at was football where she played in a team in her hometown. It was only when she was 12 years old that she started playing Golf, quite old compared to other golfers who started playing as little tots. Annika played extremely well in a collegiate golf tournament in Tokyo where an American coach spotted her. Annika was then asked to move to America and from there, her career soared. As a collegiate, she won several NCAA titles and was the first freshman to win an individual NCAA Championship.
Annika Sorenstam turned pro in the year 1992. Unlike most well-known players of today, Annika was not able to make it to the LPGA Tour in her debut year. Instead, she started off playing in the Ladies European Tour. A year later, Annika was able to join the LPGA Tour and managed to play in three events. However, it was the year 1995 that was memorable for Annika. It was in this year that she won her first LPGA title and it was on the US Women’s Open. In the year 1997, Annika lost her focus for the game and Karrie Webb snagged the title of best LPGA Tour player. This did not stop Annika from reaching the top spot once more. She changed her routine and exercise and later on, both players, Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam, were declared the best female players in golf. From the year 2000 to 2007, Annika experienced some ups and downs in the sport. She won several more tournaments and garnered many firsts in female golfing history while still losing a few titles.
Now, in 2008, Annika announced her official retirement once her 2008 season is over. With 72 LPGA tour wins including 10 major championships and 13 LET wins, Annika will surely be missed once she finally retires.
