Annika Sörenstam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Annika Sörenstam |
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Sörenstam at the 2008 LPGA Championship
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Annika Charlotta Sörenstam |
| Born | 9 October 1970 Bro, Stockholm County, Sweden |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Nationality |  Sweden |
| Residence | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | David Esch (1997–2005) Mike McGee (m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| College | University of Arizona (two years) |
| Turned professional | 1992 |
| Current tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1994) Ladies European Tour |
| Professional wins | 97 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 72 (3rd all time) |
| Ladies European Tour | 17 (5th all-time) |
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 7 |
| ALPG Tour | 4 |
| Other | 6 (regular) 1 (senior) |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 10) |
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| Kraft Nabisco C'ship | Won: 2001, 2002, 2005 |
| LPGA Championship | Won: 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| U.S. Women's Open | Won: 1995, 1996, 2006 |
| du Maurier Classic | 2nd: 1998 |
| Women's British Open | Won: 2003 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2003 |
| LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
1994 |
| LPGA Tour Player of the Year |
1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| LPGA Vare Trophy | 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005 |
| LPGA Tour Money Winner |
1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year |
1993 |
| Ladies European Tour Order of Merit |
1995 |
| Ladies European Tour Player of the Year |
1995, 2002 |
Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. Many people consider her one of the best female golfers in history. Before she stepped away from full-time competitive golf in 2008, she had won 96 professional tournaments around the world. This makes her the female golfer with the most wins.
She won 72 official LPGA tournaments, including ten major championships. In 2003, she won the Women's British Open. This victory meant she had won all four of the major tournaments of her time, an achievement called a "Career Grand Slam." That same year, she became the first woman since 1945 to play in a men's PGA Tour event.
Sörenstam is the only female golfer to ever shoot a score of 59 in a competition. She won the LPGA Player of the Year award a record eight times. Even after retiring, she still holds the top spot on the LPGA's all-time career money list, with over $22 million in earnings.
After turning 50, she returned to win the 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open. On 7 January 2021, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Golf
Annika Sörenstam was born in Bro, near Stockholm, Sweden. As a child, she was a talented athlete in many sports. She was a top junior tennis player, played soccer, and was a skilled skier.
Learning to Play Golf
Her family started playing golf when she was young. At age 12, she shared her first set of golf clubs with her sister, Charlotta. Annika got the odd-numbered clubs, and Charlotta got the even ones.
As a junior player, Annika was very shy. She would sometimes miss putts on purpose to avoid giving a victory speech. Her coaches noticed this. At the next tournament, they made both the winner and the runner-up give a speech. Annika decided that if she had to speak anyway, she might as well win.
Success as an Amateur
Sörenstam played for the Swedish National Team from 1987 to 1992. She later moved to the United States to play college golf for the University of Arizona. In 1991, she became the first freshman and first non-American to win the individual NCAA Division I Championship.
Professional Career
Sörenstam turned professional in 1992. She started her career on the Ladies European Tour (LET). In 1994, she joined the LPGA Tour in the United States and was named Rookie of the Year.
1990s: A Star is Born
Her big breakthrough came in 1995 when she won her first major, the U.S. Women's Open. That year, she was the top money winner and won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. She also became the first player to top the money lists on both the European and LPGA tours in the same season.
In 1996, she won the U.S. Women's Open again. She became the first non-American to win the tournament two years in a row. She won six tournaments in 1997 and four more in 1998, earning Player of the Year titles in both years.
2000s: A Decade of Dominance
After a few years where she didn't dominate, Sörenstam started a new fitness program. This helped her hit the ball farther. In 2001, she had an amazing season. She won eight tournaments and became the only woman to ever shoot a 59 in a competitive round.
In 2002, she won an incredible 11 LPGA tournaments. This tied a record set by golf legend Mickey Wright.
Playing Against the Men
In May 2003, Sörenstam was invited to play in the PGA Tour's Bank of America Colonial tournament. This made her the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years. Although some male players criticized her, she was cheered on by large crowds. She played well but missed the cut to play in the final two rounds. She said she was nervous but happy with how she played.
Completing the Grand Slam
Later in 2003, Sörenstam won the LPGA Championship and the Women's British Open. Winning the British Open meant she had completed the LPGA Career Grand Slam. This is a huge achievement where a player wins all of the different major championships during their career.
She continued to be the best player in the world, winning eight tournaments in 2004 and ten in 2005. In 2006, she won her tenth and final major championship at the U.S. Women's Open.
Retirement and Comeback
In 2007, Sörenstam had a neck injury that affected her playing. After recovering, she won three more tournaments in 2008. On May 13, 2008, she announced she would "step away" from competitive golf at the end of the season.
After turning 50 in 2020, Sörenstam became eligible to play in senior events. In 2021, she played in her first LPGA Tour event since 2008. She then won the U.S. Senior Women's Open by an amazing eight shots.
Life After Full-Time Golf
Sörenstam has stayed very involved in the world of golf. She has designed golf courses, started a golf academy, and created the ANNIKA Foundation to help young female golfers.
The ANNIKA Foundation
In 2012, Sörenstam started the ANNIKA Invitational Europe. It is a golf tournament in Sweden for top European girls under 18. Her foundation hosts several tournaments for young women around the world.
Honors and Leadership
In 2015, Sörenstam became one of the first female honorary members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland. In 2021, she became the president of the International Golf Federation.
In 2023, she became one of the first women to be invited as a member of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.
Personal Life
Sörenstam was married to David Esch from 1997 to 2005. In 2009, she married Mike McGee, the son of former professional golfer Jerry McGee. They have two children, a daughter named Ava and a son named William.
Since 2006, Sörenstam has been a citizen of both Sweden and the United States.
Major Championships
Sörenstam won 10 major championships during her career. Major championships are the most important tournaments in golf.
Wins (10)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
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| 1995 | U.S. Women's Open | −2 (67-71-72-68=278) | 1 stroke |  Meg Mallon |
| 1996 | U.S. Women's Open | −8 (70-67-69-66=272) | 6 strokes | Kris Tschetter |
| 2001 | Nabisco Championship | −7 (72-70-70-69=281) | 3 strokes |  Akiko Fukushima,  Rachel Hetherington,  Janice Moodie, Dottie Pepper, Karrie Webb |
| 2002 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | −8 (70-71-71-68=280) | 1 stroke |  Liselotte Neumann |
| 2003 | McDonald's LPGA Championship | −6 (70-64-72-72=278) | Playoff 1 |  Grace Park |
| 2003 | Weetabix Women's British Open | −10 (68-72-68-70=278) | 1 stroke | Se Ri Pak |
| 2004 | McDonald's LPGA Championship | −17 (68-67-64-72=271) | 3 strokes | Shi Hyun Ahn |
| 2005 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | −15 (70-69-66-68=273) | 8 strokes | Rosie Jones |
| 2005 | McDonald's LPGA Championship | −11 (68-67-69-73=277) | 3 strokes | Michelle Wie |
| 2006 | U.S. Women's Open | E (69-71-73-71=284) | Playoff 2 | Pat Hurst |
1 Won in a playoff against Grace Park.
2 Won in an 18-hole playoff against Pat Hurst.
Team Appearances
Sörenstam represented Europe in the Solheim Cup eight times. The Solheim Cup is a team competition between the best female golfers from Europe and the United States. She was the team's all-time leading point scorer for many years. She was also the non-playing captain for Team Europe in 2017.
She also played for the International Team in the Lexus Cup and represented Sweden in the Women's World Cup of Golf, winning the event in 2006 with teammate Liselotte Neumann.
Images for kids
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Sörenstam at the Women's British Open 2004
See also
In Spanish: Annika Sörenstam para niños
- List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
- Women's Career Grand Slam
- Lowest rounds of golf
