Former LPGA star Annika Sorenstam recognized at SMU forum

by Robby Gillespie of The Daily Mustang

Former LPGA No. 1 player Annika Sorenstam has enjoyed life after retiring from professional golf three months ago.

Sorenstam was a featured guest at the SMU Athletic Forum Thursday at the Hilton Anatole. She ended her 16 year professional golf career at the end of the 2008 season.

Since then, she took a three week honeymoon and has put time into her junior golf academy in Florida. She says she doesn’t quite miss the tour yet.

“I’m doing some other fun stuff,” said Sorenstam, a winner of ten LPGA majors. “I didn’t feel I needed to [play professionally] any more, to be happy.”

Sorenstam won a record eight LPGA Player of the Year awards and 90 international tournaments during her career.

Still, she stays involved in the sport, although she only plays nine holes infrequently.

“Golf is still a part of my life,” Sorenstam said. “It always will be.”

Sorenstam runs a junior golf academy in Reunion, Fla. She has a new fragrance line soon to appear in stores, along with a clothing line- called ANNIKA. She has partnered with a wine vineyard in California to begin her own wine label.

“I’m enjoying this part of my life,” Sorenstam said. “I haven’t had the time to relax.”

During her career, Sorenstam made history as the first woman to play on the men’s PGA Tour, although she didn’t make the cut.

“I wanted to challenge myself,” Sorenstam said. “I smelled the blood, and that’s all I wanted.”

In retirement, Sorenstam has found some time to watch the LPGA tournaments and keep up with the current players and rankings.

“I didn’t think I would, but I do,” she said.