Charlotta Sörenstam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlotta Sörenstam |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Petra Charlotta Sörenstam |
| Nickname | Lotta |
| Born | 16 April 1973 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Nationality |  Sweden |
| Residence | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Career | |
| College | University of Texas (one year) |
| Turned professional | 1994 |
| Current tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 1997) |
| Former tour(s) | Ladies European Tour (1995–2008) |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 1 |
| LPGA of Korea Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in LPGA Major Championships |
|
| Kraft Nabisco C'ship | 5th: 1999 |
| LPGA Championship | T30: 2004 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T27: 2000 |
| du Maurier Classic | T14: 1998 |
| Women's British Open | T61: 2002 |
| The Evian Championship | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Mary Bea Porter Award | 2004 |
| Honda Broderick Award | 1993 |
Petra Charlotta Sörenstam, born on April 16, 1973, is a retired professional golfer from Sweden. When she was an amateur, playing for the Texas Longhorns team, she won a big college golf championship called the NCAA Division I Championship. As a professional golfer, she won one tournament on the LPGA Tour. She also played for Europe in the Solheim Cup, a major team golf competition. Her older sister, Annika Sörenstam, is a very famous golfer who is in the Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Golf Beginnings
Charlotta Sörenstam was born in Bro, a town near Stockholm, Sweden. Her father, Tom, worked for IBM, and her mother, Gunilla, worked in a bank.
The Sörenstam family started playing golf at Viksjö Golf Club. Later, they moved to Bro-Bålsta Golf Club. When Charlotta was nine years old, she shared her first set of golf clubs with her sister, Annika. Annika used the clubs with odd numbers, and Charlotta used the ones with even numbers.
In July 1986, when a big golf tournament called the Scandinavian Enterprise Open was held in Stockholm, the Sörenstam sisters tried to be volunteer caddies. They stood in line with many other people. After all the male caddies were chosen, Charlotta, Annika, and another girl named Fanny Sunesson were the only teenagers left without a bag to carry.
Charlotta's Amateur Golf Career
As an amateur golfer, Charlotta Sörenstam achieved some great things. In 1992, she won the Ängsö Ladies Open, which was part of the professional Swedish Golf Tour. She also represented Sweden in the European Ladies' Team Championship in 1993. That same year, she finished fifth in the European Ladies Amateur Championship.
In 1993, Charlotta went to the United States to play golf for the University of Texas at Austin. She won the NCAA Division I Championship individual title in 1993. This was special because her older sister, Annika, had won the same tournament two years before. Charlotta also received All-America honors for her excellent play. While at Texas, she was given the Honda Sports Award for golf.
In 1994, Charlotta was part of the Swedish team that won the European Lady Junior's Team Championship in Austria. She also came in second place at the Swedish Match-play Championship.
Professional Golf Journey
Charlotta Sörenstam became a professional golfer at the end of 1994. She played on the Ladies European Tour in 1995 and 1996. At the end of 1996, she did very well in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, which allowed her to play on the LPGA Tour starting in 1997. She moved to the United States to play more often on the LPGA Tour, but she still played in Europe sometimes.
She won one tournament on the LPGA Tour, which was the Standard Register PING in 2000. She also finished second twice, at the Friendly's Classic in 1998 and The Philips Invitational in 1999. Charlotta and her sister Annika made history as the first two sisters to each earn over $1 million on the LPGA Tour.
In Europe, her best finish was second place. She achieved this at the Samsung Ladies Masters in 2005 and twice in a row at the McDonald's WPGA Championship of Europe in 1996 and 1997.
In 2004, Charlotta Sörenstam received the Mary Bea Porter Award. She earned this award for saving another golfer, Donna Caponi, from choking during a tournament in 2003.
Charlotta also represented Europe in the Solheim Cup in 1998. Later, in 2005, she was the non-playing captain for the European girls' team in the Junior Solheim Cup.
Life After Playing Golf
From 2007 to 2016, Charlotta Sörenstam worked as the Director of Golf Operations and Head Teaching Professional at The Annika Academy. This was a special golf school located near Orlando, Florida, run by her sister, Annika. The Annika Academy closed in May 2016.
Charlotta was also known for teaching golf to people with lower back injuries. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Director of Instruction at Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club in Florida. Since 2021, she has been working as a Performance Golf Coach at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Charlotta's Golf Wins
Amateur Wins
- 1993 NCAA Division I Championship Individual
Professional Wins (3)
LPGA Tour Wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 19, 2000 | Standard Register PING | −12 (276) | 2 strokes |  Karrie Webb |
Other Professional Wins
- 2001 Hyundai Securities Ladies Open (LPGA of Korea Tour)
- 1992 Ängsö Ladies Open (Swedish Golf Tour, as an amateur)
Team Appearances
Amateur Teams
- European Girls' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1991
- European Lady Junior's Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1992, 1994 (winners)
- European Ladies' Team Championship (representing Sweden): 1993
Professional Teams
- Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 1998
