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Sorenstam Gets Hitched. What Does This Mean for the LPGA?

Tuesday August 28, 2007 | 21:16:16 247 words, 24206 views

Oh boy! Annika just got hitched and you know what that means: limited schedule, retirement, clothing line, course building, babies. I mean, the girl is 36 and has been the best female golfer on the planet for the last ten years. What do you think it means for the LPGA?

Oddly, nothing.

Annika is no Tiger. She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but “Annika, Incorporated” ain’t “Tiger, Inc.” Annika is everything a good golfer should be: intelligent, understated, polite, well-spoken and a great golfer. But she is not a great interview nor does she look hot in a swimsuit.

Tiger draws. And draws and draws and draws. He single-handedly made golf the big money sport that it is today. Annika, although dominant on a golf course, isn’t anything close to that off it. She has been pushed off the front pages of golf magazines to show Natalie Gulbis in a swimsuit and the continued meltdown of Michelle Wie.

Just look at Lorena Ochoa to see how little attention the top female golfers get in the mainstream golf media. I mean that girl has won three golf tournaments in a row this year, but she doesn’t speak English that well so we don’t really care. She’s won eight tournaments, including a major. I bet you didn’t know that. That fact alone makes my point in spades.

Once the happy couple decides on a wedding date, Annika will start to plan her retirement date.

The great golf seer has spoken.

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Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]

It was always ridiculous when people drew the equivalence between Sorenstam and Woods, calling the former the "Tiger Woods of women's golf." The truth is that Sorenstam is not nearly the force on the women's tour that Woods is on the men's. She had a great two year period, but could anyone really imagine her dominating for 20 years? After all, such a thing is easily imaginable with Woods.

Permalink 2007-08-28 @ 22:26

Comment from: Bruce Stasch [Member] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/golf-gear-news

Hey Judge,

I think that this must be one of the first times you actually agreed with something I said. Glad to see we can sometimes be on the same page. Appreciate your comments and the times you call a spade a spade.

Permalink 2007-08-28 @ 22:29

Comment from: Brandon Tucker [Member] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker

Of course, the homely woman will drop everything once she finds a man she can cook and clean for.
I don't think you know what makes great athletes tick. She's going to play just as much and she'll start contending again very soon.

She hasn't had the impact of Tiger Woods but no athlete in the world really has. Annika (and Ochoa) still draw the biggest crowds at LPGA events (not Wie, not Gulbis) and she's going to start winning again next year after a little rest from injuries.

Also, to think commercial magazine covers is the pulse of the fans is naive.

Permalink 2007-08-28 @ 23:15

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]

Is Tucker mad from sandbaggers? The homely woman? What homely woman? The Ochoa factor will in part determine Sorenstam's return to power. Also important is the support of McGee versus Esch. Was the first husband a support or a burden? Will the second husband be a support or a burden? Will she eventually marry John Daly?

Permalink 2007-08-29 @ 07:29

Comment from: InTheBunker [Visitor]

Do you think Ochoa or Sorenstam care what you think of them? On Ochoa, "She doesn't speak english well; not hot in a swimsuit;she's not Tiger"---Do you think she really cares what you think?

Given the standards you've outlined, I hope not. In case you haven't noticed, she's Mexican; they speak spanish there. She's beloved in her country, I don't think the swimsuit matters. She's at the top of her chosen profession whether you care or not. I suspect, she makes a helluva a lot more money than you also in pesos and dollars. She seems pretty content by her own standards.

Permalink 2007-08-29 @ 08:35

Comment from: Joe Cool [Visitor]

Annika just got engaged...she will not get "hitched" until 2009. Boy, I can hardly wait!

Permalink 2007-08-31 @ 19:54

Comment from: Stacy [Visitor] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/golf-for-beginners

Annika's fiance is also her business manager. He gets the whole package. Not bad for a former pitcher/former sports agent.

Permalink 2007-09-03 @ 13:16

Comment from: The Constructivist [Visitor] · http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/

Now, I've written some dumb Sorenstam posts in the past, but this one tops any of mine. She's postponed the wedding until 2009 so she can focus on regaining that #1 spot in 2008. I don't see her going gentle into that good night from that fact alone. And if you don't think Ochoa vs. Sorenstam will draw serious attention to the LPGA in 2008, you must think there's no hope for women's golf, period.

The LPGA will be fine without Sorenstam, Webb, Inkster, and later, Pak, sure, but that won't be for several years at least.

Permalink 2007-09-15 @ 01:51

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