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March 28, 2024
Annika Sorenstam: 10-time major winner to make LPGA return after 13 years away

Annika Sorenstam: 10-time major winner to make LPGA return after 13 years away

The 10-time major winner announced that she will make her comeback at the Gainbridge LPGA Championship which is held on February 25-28.

Sorenstam retired from golf in 2008 to start a family and announced on Tuesday that she will be participating in the Tour event held on her home course of the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando.
“It will be my first LPGA tournament since I stepped away from competition to start a family in 2008,” the 50-year-old wrote in her newsletter.
Sorenstam hits a shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament Of Champions.

“A lot has changed for the better during that time, most notably the birth of our two children. Ava and Will are excited to see ‘Mama’ play. I have to admit if this tournament hadn’t moved to our home course, it never would have crossed my mind to enter.

“But it makes sense to do so, not just because it will be a ‘home game,’ but also because my goal, schedule permitting, is to play in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open later this summer. To work toward that goal, I have realized that I need more tournament reps to have a chance to reach my potential. I’m not expecting much, but I look forward to the challenge!”

Sorenstam played her first Tour event in 1993 and in 2003, became the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years.

She won 72 LPGA Tour titles during her time on the golf course, the third most of all time. She has also been inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

More recently, Sorenstam received heavy criticism for choosing to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former US President Donald Trump a day after rioters stormed the US Capitol, a decision she defended.
“I like to look forward, not spend energy on what could have been,” Sorenstam told the Golf Channel when asked if she would act differently in hindsight.
Sorenstam walks on the first hole after hitting her tee shot during the final round of the Tournament of Champions.

“It’s all about opening doors. That’s one thing I’ve learned. I’ve heard from a lot of people. You can imagine a lot of opinions, a lot of comments and I hear clearly what those people say. I know they see it differently. But I listen and I embrace them all.”

She was also part of the celebrity field at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last month.

World No. 4 Nelly Korda said the return of such a legend was “really cool.”

“She still has it,” the American said. “She has her touch around the greens. It was honestly surreal. That you can still compete at her age… Once you have it, you never lose it.”