Overlooking Annika

Here's a suggestion sure to grab headlines for Sorenstam

It's been an amazing year in golf. Think about it. Tiger Woods won the Masters, sparking talk of the Grand Slam. He won the U.S. Open, too, sparking talk of nothing but the Grand Slam. Ernie Els won the British Open, but the big story there was Tiger not winning. At the PGA, Rich Beem, the former car-stereo salesman, became some kind of folk hero/media star. Bethpage Black, a New York-area legend, became a national legend by hosting the Open. Phil Mickelson added to his legend, somehow, by not winning a major again. The Ryder Cup was as scintillating and as full of surprises as ever, creating its usual share of unlikely heroes. Augusta National booted the old-timers, including Arnold Palmer, and became embroiled in a battle to keep women out of the club. The war against technology reached a temporary conclusion when the USGA finalized limits on clubheads.

But what about Annika? Golf's most amazing performer of 2002 continues to be found on page 12 of the sports section. Annika Sorenstam won her ninth LPGA Tour event last weekend at the Samsung World Championship, her 11th tournament win worldwide. She has dominated women's golf even more than Tiger has dominated men's golf.

The last player to win nine women's events in a year was Nancy Lopez, whose smile and personality made her an instant legend. Annika isn't the personality Lopez was, but her accomplishments on the course are almost a match. Lopez won 48 times. Sorenstam, at 32, has already racked up 40 wins, 22 of them in the last five years.

Cristie Kerr, who finished second at the Samsung, joked about Sorenstam qualifying for the Hall of Fame based on just the last five years of her career. "She was a great player before but now she's unstoppable," Kerr told the San Francisco Chronicle.

No woman has won 10 times in a year since 1968, when Kathy Whitworth and Carol Mann both accomplished the feat. (Gee, that must've been a fun year on tour for everyone else!) The latest victory gives Sorenstam a shot at Mickey Wright's all-time record of 13 wins in one year, which the LPGA media guide mentions as a record that may never be touched. The (San Jose) Mercury-News asked Sorenstam if she'd seen that reference; she smiled and said, "Yes, I have. Never say never."

With a little more luck, Wright's record already might have bitten the dust. Sorenstam didn't win three tournaments that she led going into the final round, and she was second in the U.S. Women's Open and third at the McDonald's LPGA Championship. Give her four of those five and she's got 13, with the odds in her favor of snagging at least one more the rest of the year.

Why isn't her amazing season getting more attention? You can blame Tiger for part of it. Sorenstam isn't that comfortable in the spotlight, either. And surveys of golf-magazine readers (who are predominantly male) have found minimal interest in the LPGA Tour. Sorenstam could win the women's Grand Slam and still barely generate a Q rating, because women's golf is rarely shown on broadcast networks.

Suzy Whaley, the club pro who recently won her section event and earned a spot in the PGA Tour's Greater Hartford Open, and Morgan Pressel, the 13-year-old who qualified to play in the U.S. Women's Open last year, have probably generated more headlines than Sorenstam, who may be having the best back-to-back years in the history of golf.

Sorenstam prefers to let her clubs do the talking, but in this modern age the main thing we're interested in is entertainment. The attraction of golf isn't watching people hit balls with sticks, it's watching the famous players, the personalities compete with each other and deal with the emotions of winning and losing. Sorenstam has buffed up her body with several years of workouts and is playing the best golf of her life. Which is why she should strike a blow for equality and grab the headlines. Whaley is a wonderful club pro player, but playing in the GHO on a 7,000-plus-yard course set up for the best male touring pros could invite a media storm that may not be entirely pleasant.

So here's my idea on how to score some coverage for the LPGA Tour and women's golf: Sorenstam should play in qualifying for the men's U.S. Open (I don't believe there are any rules against a woman doing so). It would be a publicity bonanza the LPGA could sorely use. Not only could Sorenstam successfully qualify, in my opinion, but I think she could make the cut and potentially finish in the top 20. That would get the world of golf talking about Annika Sorenstam. Better late than never.

Mailbag

Let's go to the Mailbag, where, among other things, response to my request for your stories about your summer golf vacations was underwhelming:

What I did on my summer vacation: Twelve of the Saturday-morning gamers from Whisper Lake Country Club took our yearly golf vacation to Gulf Shores, Ala. We played the Peninsula, Kiva Dunes and Rock Creek. I broke the shaft of my driver the day before the trip and had to borrow a friend's Ping. After hitting numerous balls out of play off the tee I finally put it away and hit 3-wood and 4-iron off the tee on the last day at Rock Creek. The result was my best round of the weekend, and I finally won a skin. Moral: Never break in a new driver on unknown, tight courses. We go once a year to Gulf Shores, affectionately known as the Redneck Riviera. Ever golfed there?
—Doug Burgess, Ridgeland, Miss.

I've golfed at Riviera, Smokey, and I've golfed with rednecks. But, no, I've never tried combining the two.

I took my wife to the Kapalua Bay Hotel on Maui so she could log beach and snorkel time while I hit the links. Kapalua is great. Three solid courses, two by Arnold Palmer and, of course, the Plantation Course designed by Ben Crenshaw and home to the Mercedes Championship. I teed off at 6:40 a.m. each day as part of the first group out; there is no better place to play early-morning golf then Maui. Just plain beautiful. I thought the Village course was a little nicer then the Bay even though it's about 300 yards shorter. The Plantation course is awesome. I'm glad I didn't have to play it during heavy winds that kicked up two hours after I finished. Hitting a big drive down No. 18 was a big ego boost, because once my ball caught the slope and ran down the hill, I suddenly had a 375-yard drive! I heartily recommend Kapalua.
—Jon Erkkila, Apple Valley, Minn.

No doubt Hawaii looks pretty good after the frozen tundra of Minnesota.

What's it take to get a story on my company? I have two things going for me: 1) a legal, free-standing putter, and 2) I offer a warranty for missed putts! Both unheard of in golf. I have sent out press releases but get the same reply -- How much do you spend in advertising with us? I hope you are a writer who writes about news in golf without regard to what I spend in advertising dollars. My product is very newsworthy. Just look at the testimonials at www.pegg.tv.
—Jeff Pegg, Bridgeport, Texas

I don't think I'll be writing a story on your putter, Pegglegg, unless some tour pros start using it, but readers can check out your Web site. A putter that stands up by itself doesn't help my stroke -- and, I'm sorry to say, it isn't new. Let me know when your free-standing putter can hole a 3-footer on the last green to win four presses all by itself. Then, baby, you're on Page One.

If you were putting together a foursome consisting of yourself and three PGA Tour players, whom would you choose for the most enjoyable (social) round? Other than perhaps Tiger and Phil, who are some players you would want to avoid pairing with each other if you wanted to avoid a frost in the air? Also, which Wisconsin course do you most enjoy playing?
—Al Herzberg, Brookfield, Wis.

Geez, Big Al, you're wearing me out. One man to a pair of pants here. For a fun round, I'd line up Paul Azinger, Brandel Chamblee and Phil Mickelson. Of course, if I did that, they'd kick me out of the foursome and get somebody who could play. As for the frost, you'd want to avoid some of the pros who aren't universally loved by their peers, which would include Mark Wiebe (who I think is funny), Frank Lickliter and Garrett Willis. My favorite layout in Wisconsin before the '90s building boom was Naga-Waukee, even though grounds crew usually refused to mow the greens most of the time. My home course was Brown Deer, even though in the late '80s it went about three years without having any grass. My all-time favorite, though, is my dad's former club, Waupaca Country Club, a little-known nine-hole gem which I'd rate among the top 10 nine-hole courses in America. But don't tell anybody.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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