 |
 |
 |
|
Annika Sorenstam has always pursued perfection.
That's what first attracted her to a concept called "Vision 54" as an 18-year-old in Sweden, the idea that she could make birdie on every hole in a round of golf. She never got there, having to settle for being the only player in LPGA Tour history to shoot a 59.
But she never stopped trying.
Sorenstam announced Tuesday she would retire at the end of the season, leaving her until Dec. 13 in Dubai to make the perfect exit. And while she did not offer the perfect script, how can it get any better than this?
- She wins the McDonald's LPGA Championship for the fourth time, tying the record held by Mickey Wright.
- She wins her fourth U.S. Women's Open, again tying Wright's mark.
- In a duel that stretches over the next six months, she beats Lorena Ochoa in the final round of the ADT Championship to capture her ninth Player of the Year award, her seventh Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average and she wins the money title for the ninth time.
- In her final event, the Dubai Ladies Masters, she shoots 54.
That would leave her short of Kathy Whitworth's record 88 career victories and Patty Berg's record 15 majors, but Sorenstam was never motivated by that kind of history. Otherwise, she would have kept playing.
The reason for her retirement is what made her so great in the first place. She devoted everything to hitting the ball where she was aiming, to the fairway and to the green, and she nailed it more times than not.
In 15 years, she compiled 72 victories, a number that figures to keep growing based on her seven-shot victory Sunday. Along with her 10 majors, she is one of six women to complete the career Grand Slam, picking up the last leg at the 2003 Women's British Open by holding off Se Ri Pak, one of a half-dozen of her rivals over the years.
And she transformed herself at the Colonial, even though she missed the cut.
The shy Swedish girl, who once purposely lost junior events because she was afraid to make a speech, subjected herself to criticism and second-guessing when she accepted a sponsor's exemption on the PGA Tour. Her greatest shot might have been that 4-wood that split the middle of the 10th fairway on the first day, when she had a putt for birdie on every hole and shot 71.
