Annika Sorenstam helped shape the game of golf for women
Annika Sorenstam
Few people have the talent and charisma to shape the direction of a sport.
In golf, Annika Sörenstam is one of the rare athletes to have made a remarkable impact, helping forge a path for women golfers worldwide. During her 15-year career Sörenstam rewrote the way women’s golf was played, viewed and covered.
The Swede – also known as the first lady of golf – is considered a modern-day equivalent of the great Arnold Palmer – the first golfer to be part of the family of Rolex testimonees.
Similar to what Palmer did for the men’s game, Sörenstam greatly contributed to the commercial success of the women’s game as it is today.
Sörenstam, who became a Rolex testimonee in 1994, reflects the precision, performance, reliability and uncompromising quality that defines the Rolex brand.
Her pursuit of perfection and self-confidence have taken her to the pinnacle of her sport. She is the only female player to have shot a score of 59 – an astonishing 13 shots below the par of the course, and, at the time, was only the sixth player to have shot below 60.
“I believe in my mind I can have the perfect round”, Sorenstam said.
“I think it’s important to set the bar really high”.
Throughout her impressive career,
Sörenstam amassed six Vare trophies for the player on tour with the lowest average score each year, on top of a record eight player of the year awards.
Accolades such as these highlight her enduring quality and dominance in the women’s game.
Sörenstam turned professional in 1992 aged 22 and three years later in 1995 she won the US Women’s Open. This was the first of an incredible 10 major championship wins, in addition to her 72 LGPA Tour victories up until 2008.
However, it is not only her tournament victories that Sörenstam cites as the highlights of her career. In 2003, she became the first woman since 1945 to compete in a field of male players at the Bank of America Colonial Tournament, part of the PGA Tour.
Having the opportunity to provide such exposure for women’s golf is something that the Swede has said she “wouldn’t trade for anything” and that people “realised this was a historic moment in sports”.
Despite Sörenstam having not played on the tour for almost a decade, she has refused to declare retirement.
“There’s a reason I haven’t used the R word,” she said.
She may have stepped away from the field, but her passion for the game of golf has meant that even away from the course, Sorenstam has been as prolific in golf as she was on it.
Being on tour for so many years has allowed Sorenstam to experience playing a vast array of courses, leading her to branch out with huge success into golf course design.
Annika Course Design has completed nine courses globally in countries including China, South Africa and Estonia, epitomising her global vision of golf. She has also spoken of designing courses that “golfers of any age, gender or skill level can enjoy equally” yet insists that all course designs “preserve the environment, spirit and traditions of the game”.
The ambition of developing golf worldwide and increasing its inclusivity while conserving the traditions and heritage of the game are what makes Annika such an iconic ambassador of golf.
In 2008 Sörenstam was named a United States Golf Association ambassador and in her role, aims to make the game more accessible to players of all skill levels. A year later, the International Golf Federation also named her a global ambassador, and it was in part thanks to her support that golf was added to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The Annika Foundation was born to promote the education of children in healthy living, as well as to offer junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. Annually, five major golf events are held for aspiring junior girls. In 2016, in conjunction with The R&A, the Annika Invitational was held in Argentina. Her work with the guardians of the global game, such as The R&A, as well as her work with junior girls demonstrate Annika’s passion for advancing the game at every level.
… and Lydia Ko has tried her best to follow in her footsteps
Annika Sörenstam’s exceptional career has inspired a new generation of players, none more so than New Zealand’s Lydia Ko. Having only turned 20 last April, Ko has achieved more during her teenage years as a golfer than most do in a career.
Despite only turning professional in 2013, Ko already holds 12 LGPA Tour wins as well as two major championship titles.
A record 130 weeks as the top-ranking amateur set the precedent for Ko to become the youngest player of either gender to achieve No 1 status as a professional. She was first ranked No 1 in the official Rolex world rankings on February 2, 2015 at the age of 17 years, nine months and nine days.
Meticulous technical precision is a hallmark of the master watchmakers who work on the intricate mechanical movements of a Rolex timepiece. These qualities can be found in the playing style of Ko.
Rolex is the official timekeeper and partner to many of the world’s finest tournaments, including The Evian Championship, where Ko became the youngest woman to win a major championship in 2015. Victory at this tournament cemented Ko as a true star in world golf. She cited the event as having “an incredibly unique spirit” with “its prestige evident from its past-champions, such as my fellow Rolex testimonee, Annika Sörenstam, who I take great inspiration from on and off the golf course.”
Ko went on to make history by recording back-to-back major victories at the ANA Inspiration in 2016, becoming the youngest golfer to win two women major championships in a row.
In 2011, Sörenstam, in conjunction with Rolex and the LGPA, created an award that recognises the player with the outstanding record in all five women major championships. Points are awarded to players who finish most often in top 10 positions and ties, a fitting tribute to the relentlessly consistent champion Sörenstam is.
The iconic Swede has stated that while “tournament winners are celebrated, major winners make history”. Indeed, it seemed fitting that in the 2016 season Ko claimed the sought-after title and paid homage to her golfing predecessor.
“Just to have it named after Annika and how successful she’s been in majors and just in general, and what she’s done for the game,” Ko said.
“I think some of us might not be here if it wasn’t for a player like her.”
Ko is the torchbearer for the new golfing generation and bares the same passion for the sport that saw Sörenstam inducted a member of the world golf hall of fame.
The Swedish icon sees a bright future for women’s golf and said of Ko: “She is responsible for sparking increased interest in our sport not just in her native South Korea and adopted homeland of New Zealand, but also among juniors across the globe.”