Annika Sörenstam: The Life Story Behind Golf's Greatest Woman

Annika Sörenstam is the greatest woman golfer who ever lived. That is a large claim, and it is a claim that is easy to make, because the numbers support it, and the people who played against her support it too. She won ten major championships, she won seventy-two times on the LPGA Tour, she shot a round of 59, the first woman ever to break 60 in a professional tournament, and she played in a men’s PGA Tour event in 2003, the first woman to do so in nearly sixty years. She did all of that with a calm, quiet, and precise style that made her look almost effortless, even when she was playing the best golf in the world.

She was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and she grew up in a family that loved sport. Her twin sister, Charlotta, also became a professional golfer, and the two sisters played together as girls, and they pushed each other, and they supported each other. Annika was a quiet girl, and a shy one, and she did not like to be the centre of attention, but on a golf course, she was a different person: focused, brave, and determined. She went to university in America, at the University of Arizona, and she turned professional in 1992, and she won her first LPGA event in 1994, and she never looked back.

She retired in 2008, at the age of thirty-eight, when she was still one of the best players in the world, because she wanted to start a family, and to do other things with her life. It was a surprising decision, and it was a brave one, because most golfers play for as long as they can, but Annika knew what she wanted, and she did it. She married Mike McGee, and they had two children, and she started a foundation to help young golfers, and she became a voice for women’s golf around the world. Her story is not only about winning. It is about knowing when to stop, and about giving back, and about being a pioneer for women in sport.

Twin Sisters From Stockholm Who Loved Sport

Annika Sörenstam was born on 9 October 1970 in Stockholm, Sweden, along with her twin sister, Charlotta, who was born a few minutes earlier. Their parents, Tom and Gunilla Sörenstam, were keen sportspeople, and they encouraged their daughters to play many sports, including tennis, football, and golf. Annika was a good athlete, but she was also a quiet and shy girl, and she did not like to draw attention to herself. She played golf as a girl, but she did not take it seriously until she was twelve years old, when she began to play more often, and to enjoy it, and to realise that she was good at it.

She and Charlotta played together, and they competed against each other, and they helped each other to improve. Charlotta also became a professional golfer, and she won on the LPGA Tour, and the two sisters have remained close throughout their lives. Annika has often said that having a twin sister who played golf was a great help, because she always had someone to practise with, and someone to talk to, and someone who understood what it was like to be a young golfer. It was a special bond, and it is a part of her story that is often overlooked, but that mattered a great deal to her.

She went to school in Stockholm, and she played junior golf in Sweden, and she was one of the best young players in the country. She was selected for Swedish national teams, and she played in the European Ladies’ Team Championship, and she won titles, and people in Swedish golf began to say that she might become a great player. She was still shy, and still quiet, but on the course, she was focused and determined, and she played with a precision that surprised older players. She did not hit the ball the furthest, but she hit it the straightest, and she putted beautifully, and she thought clearly about every shot.

She went to America to study at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, and she played college golf there, and she was a star. She won the NCAA individual championship in 1991, and she was named an All-American, and she became one of the best college golfers in America. She turned professional in 1992, and she played on the Ladies European Tour, and then on the LPGA Tour in America, and she won her first LPGA event in 1994, at the Sprint Classic in California. She was twenty-three years old, and she was a winner, and she was on her way to becoming the greatest woman golfer in history.

Ten Majors and a Round of 59

Sörenstam’s career on the LPGA Tour was a story of dominance that is hard to match in any sport. She won ten major championships, including the United States Women’s Open three times, in 1995, 1996, and 2006, and the Kraft Nabisco Championship three times, and the LPGA Championship three times, and the Women’s British Open once, in 2003. She won seventy-two times on the LPGA Tour in total, which is the third highest number in history, and she won the money list eight times, and she was named Player of the Year eight times. She was the best player in women’s golf for more than a decade, and she was the player that every other woman measured herself against.

Her most famous round came in March 2001, at the Standard Register PING tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, when she shot a round of 59, thirteen under par, the first time a woman had ever broken 60 in a professional tournament. She made thirteen birdies, and she did not make a bogey, and she played a round that was almost perfect, and the golf world stopped to take notice. A 59 is a rare feat in men’s golf, and it had never been done in women’s golf, and Annika did it with a calm and a precision that made it look easy, even though it is one of the hardest things in golf. It was a historic round, and it remains one of the greatest rounds ever played by a woman.

She also set records for the lowest scoring average in a season, and for the most wins in a season, and for the most consecutive wins, and she did it all with a style that was quiet and efficient. She did not celebrate loudly, and she did not show off, and she did not need to, because her golf spoke for itself. She was a golfer who prepared carefully, who practised hard, and who played with a focus that was almost total. She was not the most powerful player, but she was the most accurate, and the most consistent, and that was enough to make her the best.

She was also a great team player, playing in the Solheim Cup for Europe eight times, and winning five times, and she was a leader of the European team, and a mentor to younger players. She loved the Solheim Cup, and she loved playing for Europe, and she gave her best in every match. She was a quiet leader, but she was a strong one, and her teammates respected her, and they looked up to her, and they learned from her. She was a champion, and a teammate, and a role model, all at the same time.

Colonial 2003 and Playing With the Men

In May 2003, Sörenstam did something that no woman had done for fifty-eight years. She played in a men’s PGA Tour event, the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, becoming the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias in 1945. It was a brave decision, and a controversial one, and it was watched by millions of people around the world. Some people said she should not play, and that women’s golf and men’s golf were different, and that she would embarrass herself. Others said she should play, and that it was a chance to show what a woman could do, and that it would be good for golf.

She played well. She shot rounds of 71 and 74, and she missed the cut by four shots, but she played with a calm and a skill that impressed everyone who watched her. She hit the ball straight, she putted well, and she handled the pressure of the occasion with grace. She did not win, and she did not make the cut, but she proved that a woman could compete with men, and that women’s golf deserved respect. It was a historic week, and it is still remembered as one of the great moments in women’s sport, because it showed that barriers can be broken, and that a quiet woman from Sweden could stand on a tee with the best men in the world and hold her own.

She has spoken about Colonial since, and she has said that it was one of the hardest things she ever did, because of the pressure, and the attention, and the expectations, but also one of the most rewarding, because it showed young girls that they could dream big, and that they could play with anyone. She did not do it for herself alone. She did it for women’s golf, and for the girls who would come after her, and that is a generous and brave thing to have done. She was a pioneer, and pioneers do not always win, but they open doors, and Annika opened a door that has stayed open ever since.

She continued to win after Colonial, and she won the Women’s British Open in 2003, the same year, and she completed the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors in women’s golf. She was at the top of her game, and she was a global star, and she was respected by men and women alike. She was not just a women’s golfer. She was a golfer, full stop, and she was one of the best golfers, male or female, who ever lived.

Retiring at Thirty-Eight to Start a Family

In May 2008, Sörenstam announced that she would retire at the end of the season, at the age of thirty-eight, when she was still one of the best players in the world. It was a surprise, because most golfers play for as long as they can, and she could have played for many more years, and won many more tournaments. But she had other plans. She wanted to start a family, and to do other things with her life, and she knew that golf, with its travel and its pressure, would not allow her to do those things. She made a decision, and she stuck to it, and she retired with grace, and with a smile.

She married Mike McGee in January 2009, in a ceremony in Florida, and they had a daughter, Ava, in September 2009, and a son, William, in March 2011. Family life became the centre of her world, and she has spoken about how happy she is as a mother, and how much she enjoys watching her children grow up. She did not disappear from golf. She started the ANNIKA Foundation, which works to help young golfers, especially girls, and to give them chances to play, and to learn, and to grow. She also works as a television commentator, and as a course designer, and as a voice for women’s golf.

She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, while she was still playing, a rare honour, and she has received many other awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021, one of the highest honours in America. She is a citizen of both Sweden and America, and she lives in Florida, and she travels the world to promote golf, and to help young players. She is a role model for girls in Sweden, in America, and around the world, and she takes that role seriously, and she does it with the same quiet grace that she brought to her golf.

She has also played in senior events, and she won the United States Senior Women’s Open in 2021, showing that her game is still there, even after many years away from full-time golf. She plays for fun now, and for charity, and for the love of the game, and she enjoys it in a way that she did not always enjoy it when she was competing for majors. It is a happy ending to a great career, and it is a reminder that a golfer can retire, and start a new life, and still be part of the game they love.

What the Greatest Woman Golfer Proved

Sörenstam proved that a woman could be the best golfer in the world, not just the best woman golfer, but a golfer whose records and whose skill deserved to be compared with any player, male or female. She proved that a quiet, shy girl from Sweden could become a global star, and that she could do it by working hard, by being precise, and by being consistent. She proved that a woman could shoot a 59, and play in a men’s event, and win ten majors, and retire on her own terms, and start a family, and give back to the game. Those are not small things. They are large things, and they are things that will be remembered for as long as golf is played.

She also proved that women’s golf matters, and that it deserves respect, and attention, and support. She played in a time when women’s golf was often overlooked, and she made people pay attention, by winning, by breaking records, and by being a pioneer. She opened doors for the women who came after her, and they walk through those doors today, and they owe her a debt of gratitude. The greatest woman golfer is not just a title. It is a responsibility, and Annika carried it with grace, and she still carries it today, as a mother, a foundation leader, and a voice for the game.

The Solheim Cup, a Leader for Europe, and a Team Player

Sörenstam played in the Solheim Cup for Europe eight times, from 1994 to 2007, and she was a leader of the team, and a mentor to younger players, and she was respected for her calm manner, and for her experience, and for her ability to play her best golf when it mattered most. The Solheim Cup is the women’s version of the Ryder Cup, where Europe plays America, and it is a team event, in a sport that is mostly individual, and it brings out the best in players, because they are playing for their continent, and for their teammates, and for a crowd that is behind them. Annika loved the Solheim Cup, and she played in it with passion, and with pride, and she won five times, and she was a key member of the European team, in every Cup she played in.

She was a quiet leader, but she was a strong one, and her teammates looked up to her, and they learned from her, and they followed her example, on the course, and off it. She did not shout, and she did not show off, but she prepared carefully, she practised hard, and she played with a focus that was almost total, and her teammates saw that, and they tried to copy it, and they became better players because of it. She was a champion, and a teammate, and a role model, all at the same time, and that is a rare combination, and it is one that made her a beloved figure in European golf, and in women’s golf around the world.

She also played in the Solheim Cup as a vice-captain, and as a mentor, after she retired, and she gave her time and her knowledge to the next generation, and she helped them to understand what it means to play for Europe, and to play as a team. She is a woman who has given back to the game, in many ways, and the Solheim Cup is one of them, and it is a part of her legacy that will last, long after her playing career is over, because the young players she mentored are now leaders themselves, and they carry her lessons with them, wherever they play.

The ANNIKA Foundation, a Mother, and a Voice for Girls

After she retired, Sörenstam started the ANNIKA Foundation, which works to help young golfers, especially girls, and to give them chances to play, and to learn, and to grow through the game. The foundation runs tournaments, and clinics, and programmes, in America, and in Sweden, and around the world, and it has helped thousands of young girls, and given them opportunities that they would not otherwise have had. It is a project that matters deeply to Annika, because she knows what it is like to be a young girl who loves golf, and who needs support, and encouragement, and a chance to play, and she wants to give that chance to others.

She is also a mother, to Ava and William, and she has spoken about how happy she is as a mother, and how much she enjoys watching her children grow up, and how family life has given her a new view of golf, and a new balance, and a new joy. She did not disappear from golf when she retired. She stayed, as a foundation leader, as a commentator, as a course designer, and as a voice for women’s golf, and she does it with the same quiet grace that she brought to her playing career. She is a role model for girls in Sweden, in America, and around the world, and she takes that role seriously, and she does it well, because she believes that girls can do great things, in golf, and in life, if they are given a chance, and if they work hard, and if they believe in themselves.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021, one of the highest honours in America, and she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, while she was still playing, a rare honour, and she has received many other awards, in Sweden, and in America, and around the world. She is a citizen of both Sweden and America, and she lives in Florida, and she travels the world to promote golf, and to help young players, and she is a woman who has used her fame for good, and who has given back, in a way that many famous people do not, and that is a fine legacy, and a fine example, for anyone who wants to make a difference.

My Take:

I think Annika Sörenstam is the most impressive golfer in this whole group, and I say that knowing that Nicklaus won eighteen majors and that Palmer changed the game. Annika is the most impressive to me because she did what she did in a sport that did not always respect women’s golf, and she did it with a quiet grace that made her achievements seem almost effortless, even though they were the result of years of hard work. She won ten majors, she shot a 59, she played with the men, and she did it all without shouting, without showing off, and without demanding attention. She simply played, and she won, and the world had to pay attention. That is a powerful way to live, and it is one I admire deeply.

What I admire most about her is her precision. She was not the longest hitter, and she was not the most powerful, but she was the most accurate, and the most consistent, and that was enough. She hit fairways, she hit greens, she made putts, and she did it again and again, tournament after tournament, year after year. That kind of consistency is hard to achieve, and it is hard to maintain, and it requires a mind that is calm and focused. I think about my own life, and about how often I am inconsistent, how I do well one day and badly the next, and I wish I had Annika’s consistency. She teaches me that success is not about one great day. It is about many good days, in a row, for a long time, and that is a lesson worth learning.

Her round of 59 moves me, because it was a perfect round, and because it was a first. No woman had ever broken 60 before, and Annika did it, with thirteen birdies and no bogeys, and she did it with a calm that made it look easy. I think about what it must have felt like to stand on the last green, knowing you were about to make history, and to make the putt, and to smile, and to know that you had done something no one else had done. That is a wonderful feeling, and I am glad she had it, because she deserved it, and because it gave young girls around the world a reason to believe that they could do great things too.

Playing at Colonial in 2003 is the part of her story that I think about most, because it was brave. She knew she might fail, and she knew people would criticise her, and she played anyway, in front of millions of people, with the whole world watching. She missed the cut, but she played well, and she proved that a woman could compete with men, and that women’s golf deserved respect. That takes a kind of courage that is hard to describe. It is easy to be brave when you know you will win. It is hard to be brave when you know you might lose, and Annika was brave, and she lost in the sense that she missed the cut, but she won in a larger sense, because she opened a door, and that door has stayed open. I respect her for that more than for any of her ten majors.

I also think about her retirement, and about how she stopped at thirty-eight, when she was still one of the best players in the world, because she wanted to start a family. That is a brave decision, and it is a decision that many people would not have made. Most golfers play until they cannot play anymore, and they hold on to the game, even when it is time to let go. Annika let go, on her own terms, and she started a new life, as a wife, a mother, and a foundation leader, and she is happy. That teaches me that it is all right to stop, and to start something new, and that a career is not the whole of a life. A life is larger than a career, and Annika understood that, and she lived it, and I admire her for it.

Her twin sister Charlotta also stays in my mind, because it is a lovely part of her story. Two sisters, born together, who both became professional golfers, who played together, and who supported each other. That is a special bond, and it is a reminder that success is often shared, and that family can be a source of strength. Annika did not do it alone. She had a sister who understood, and a family who supported her, and that mattered. I think about my own family, and about the people who have supported me, and I am grateful for them, just as Annika is grateful for hers.

If I had to pick one lesson from her life, it would be to be precise, to be consistent, and to be brave. Be precise in your work, be consistent in your effort, and be brave when you have a chance to break a barrier. Annika was all three, and she became the greatest woman golfer who ever lived. That is a fine legacy, and it is one that young girls, and young boys, can learn from. You do not have to be the loudest, or the strongest, or the most famous. You can be the most precise, and the most consistent, and the bravest, and that can be enough to make history.

In the end, I think Annika Sörenstam will be remembered as a pioneer, as a champion, and as a woman who changed golf for women, and for men too, by showing what a golfer can be. She shot a 59, she won ten majors, she played with the men, and she retired to become a mother, and she did it all with grace. That is a remarkable life, and it is one I admire more the longer I think about it. The quiet girl from Stockholm became the greatest woman golfer in history, and she did it by being herself, and by working hard, and by never giving up. I hope young girls read her story and believe that they can do great things too, because Annika proved that they can.

I will finish by saying that her story reminds me to be quiet when I need to be quiet, and to be brave when I need to be brave, and to know when to stop and start something new. Annika was quiet, and she was brave, and she knew when to stop, and those are three hard things to learn, and she learned them all. She is a champion, a mother, and a pioneer, and she is a woman worth remembering, and worth admiring, for a long time to come.

I keep thinking about her Solheim Cup career, and about the way she led Europe, quietly, and strongly, for more than a decade. She was not a loud leader, and she did not shout, but she prepared, she practised, and she played, and her teammates followed her example, and they became better because of it. That is a powerful kind of leadership, and it is one I want to learn: to lead by example, rather than by shouting, and to show people what to do, rather than telling them. Annika led by example, and Europe won five Solheim Cups with her, and that is a legacy that is not about individual wins, but about team wins, and about helping others to be their best. I think that is a better legacy, in many ways, than any individual title, because it is shared, and it lasts, in the players she mentored, and in the teams she led.

There is another part of her story that stays with me, and it is her foundation, and the young girls it helps. She started the ANNIKA Foundation to give girls a chance to play golf, and to learn, and to grow, and it has helped thousands of girls, in many countries, and it is still helping them today. That is a wonderful thing, and it is a reminder that a famous person can use their fame for good, and can change lives, in a practical way, not just in words. I think about the girls who have played in her tournaments, and who have learned from her, and who have gone on to become golfers, and leaders, and I am glad she did it, because the world needs more people who give back, and who help the next generation, just as Annika does.

I also think about her children, Ava and William, and about the way she became a mother after retiring, and found a new happiness, and a new purpose, in family life. She was the best golfer in the world, and she gave it up, to become a mother, and she has said that she is happy, and that she does not regret it, and that is a brave and honest thing to say. Many people would hold on to fame, and to winning, for as long as they could, and Annika let go, on her own terms, and she started a new life, and she is happy. That teaches me that it is all right to stop, and to start something new, and that a career is not the whole of a life. A life is larger, and family is a large part of it, and Annika understood that, and she lived it.

Finally, I think about Sweden, and about the way she carried her country with her, wherever she played, and how proud she is to be Swedish, and to have represented Sweden, and Europe, and the world, with grace. She is a Swedish hero, and an American citizen, and a global star, and she belongs to all of those places, and to none of them alone, because her story is a universal one, about a quiet girl who worked hard, and who became the best, and who gave back. I hope young girls in Sweden, and in America, and everywhere, read her story, and believe that they can do great things too, because Annika proved that they can, with precision, with consistency, and with bravery. I also think about the way Sörenstam handled pressure, because it is a skill that she had in abundance, and that she used, again and again, in majors, and in the Solheim Cup, and at Colonial, in front of millions of people. She did not panic, and she did not show her nerves, and she played with a calm, and a focus, that made it look easy, even when it was not. That is a rare gift, and it is one that she worked hard to develop, by practising, and by preparing, and by believing in herself, and it is a lesson for anyone who feels pressure, in work, or in life: prepare, believe, and stay calm, and the pressure will become easier to handle, even if it never goes away completely. Annika handled pressure, and she won, and that is a good example to follow.

There is something else I want to say, about the way she was shy as a girl, and how she overcame that shyness, on a golf course, by playing, and by winning, and by becoming a confident woman, who could stand on a tee, in front of a crowd, and play her best golf. That is a beautiful transformation, and it is a reminder that shyness is not a life sentence, and that a person can grow, and change, and become confident, if they find something they love, and work at it, and succeed at it. Annika found golf, and golf gave her confidence, and she gave that confidence back, to young girls, through her foundation, and through her example, and that is a wonderful cycle, and a hopeful one, for any shy child, anywhere, who wonders whether they can become confident, and successful, and happy.

I think about her senior win, too, and about the way she won the United States Senior Women’s Open in 2021, many years after she retired, and showed that her game was still there, even after a long time away from full-time golf. That is a lovely thing, to come back, and to win, as a senior, and to enjoy the game, in a way that she did not always enjoy it, when she was competing for majors, and under great pressure. It is a reminder that golf is a game for a lifetime, and that a person can play it, and enjoy it, at any age, and that winning is not the only reason to play. Sometimes, you play because you love it, and because it makes you happy, and Annika plays for that reason now, and she is happy, and that is a fine way to grow old in a sport.

Finally, I want to say that I hope young girls read Annika’s story, and believe that they can do great things, in golf, and in life, because she proved that they can, with precision, with consistency, and with bravery. She was a quiet girl from Stockholm, who became the greatest woman golfer in history, and she did it by working hard, and by being herself, and by never giving up, and that is a story that gives hope to every girl who picks up a club, and who dreams of winning, and of making history. I hope they do, and I hope they remember Annika, and her 59, and her ten majors, and her Colonial, and her foundation, and her grace, because those are things worth remembering, and worth aiming for, in golf, and in life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many majors did Annika Sörenstam win?

She won ten major championships, including three United States Women’s Opens, three Kraft Nabisco Championships, three LPGA Championships, and one Women’s British Open. She also won seventy-two times on the LPGA Tour, the third highest total in history.

When did Annika Sörenstam shoot a 59?

She shot a round of 59 in March 2001, at the Standard Register PING tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, making thirteen birdies and no bogeys. It was the first time a woman had ever broken 60 in a professional tournament, and it remains one of the greatest rounds in women’s golf.

What happened when Annika Sörenstam played at Colonial in 2003?

She played in the Bank of America Colonial, a men’s PGA Tour event in Fort Worth, Texas, becoming the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since 1945. She shot rounds of 71 and 74, missed the cut by four shots, but played well and proved a woman could compete with men.

Who is Annika Sörenstam’s twin sister?

Her twin sister is Charlotta Sörenstam, who was born a few minutes before Annika and also became a professional golfer, winning on the LPGA Tour. The two sisters played together as girls in Stockholm and have remained close throughout their lives.

When did Annika Sörenstam retire and why?

She announced her retirement in May 2008, at the age of thirty-eight, when she was still one of the best players in the world, because she wanted to start a family. She married Mike McGee in 2009 and had a daughter, Ava, and a son, William.

What is the ANNIKA Foundation?

It is a foundation started by Sörenstam to help young golfers, especially girls, giving them chances to play, to learn, and to grow through the game. She also works as a commentator and course designer, and she remains a leading voice for women’s golf around the world.