Annika Sorenstam said Tuesday she is retiring from professional golf at the end of this season. The 37-year-old Swede, who said she’d been thinking about retiring “for a while,” has won 72 LPGA Tour titles in her career. The Dubai Ladies Masters will be Sorenstam’s last event … “I have made a decision to step away from competitive golf after this season,” she told reporters at a press conference. “Obviously this was a very difficult decision for me to make because I love this game so much. But it’s the right one. I’m leaving the game on my terms.”

Sergio Garcia won The Players Championship in a playoff with Paul Goydos this weekend for the biggest win of his career. The win is particularly special to Garcia after his playoff loss last summer in the British Open … “It feels like a major, and it tests you like a major,” Garcia said. “I’m so thrilled to be here standing with this trophy.” Annika Sorenstam appears to be returning to form after a 2007 LPGA Tour season hobbled by injury. Sorenstam finished with a 5-under-par 66 Sunday to win the Michelob Ultra Open. She beat four other players by a whopping seven ...

Sergio Garcia shot a 6-under-par 66 yesterday to take a two-stroke lead at The Players Championship. The 28-year-old Spaniard is going for his first win in three years … “I’m just looking forward to keep doing the same things – keep hitting the ball well, keep chipping well and keep putting well,” Garcia told reporters. “And then hopefully, by the end of the week, we’ll be where we are supposed to be.” Meanwhile, Masters champion Trevor Immelman had to withdraw from the event with an illness … Michelle Wie struggled yesterday in her first LPGA Tour event since February. She shot a 4-over ...

Anthony Kim finished with a 3-under-par 69 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., for a five-shot win over Ben Curtis at the Wachovia Championship Sunday. Defending champion Tiger Woods wasn’t in the field, still recovering from knee surgery, but Kim channeled Woods in his dominance: the 22 year old beat the tournament record by three strokes … “I’m a little bit numb right now, but that walk up 18 was the best feeling of my entire life,” Kim told reporters. “I’ll never forget that feeling. I had chills going up and down my spine. I want to recreate that as ...