Annika The Great!
As we put fingers to keyboard, Annika Sorenstam was the leader of the US Women’s Senior Open.
With the Olympic Games taking golf’s center stage, let’s not be remiss to celebrate the return of one of golf’s messiahs.
The last time Annika competed at a major was the 2008 US Women’s Open
- Finished +3 and T-24
- Walked off in style with a hole-out eagle on 18
After staying away competitively for 13 years, she is making her return to the major stage this week at the US Senior Women’s Open.
Most casual golf fans just forget how good Annika was in her heyday. She retired at the relatively young age of 38, however, that didn’t stop her from running up one impressive resume:
- LPGA Rookie of the Year (1994)
- 94 professional wins (72 LPGA wins, 3rd place all-time)
- 10 major wins (T-4 all-time), Career Grand Slam in 2003 (6th woman in history)
- Made 298 cuts in 307 events in her LPGA career (read that again...97% cuts made!)
- 8-time LPGA Player of the Year
- 6-time Vare Trophy winner (lowest stroke average)
- 8 Solheim Cups, 37 matches played (22-11-4 record), 24 career points won
- All-time leader in LPGA earnings ($22.5M), played 187 fewer events than number two
- Only LPGA player to ever shoot 59 in a competitive round
- LPGA Hall of Fame (2003)
What makes this all the more incredible is that Annika turned professional in 1992, played only 14 seasons on LPGA Tour, before retiring in 2008.
The only other 14-year stretch that rivals this in the modern game is the first act of Tiger Woods career, ironically from about the same era (1995-2009).
This was a golden age for both the LPGA and the PGA Tours.
While we can appreciate JoAnne Carner ripping darts and actually shooting her age in the first round (82) and 79 in her second round, we are collectively thankful that Annika has decided to come out of exile and regale us all with her talents once again.
