|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Sorenstam deserves Hall pass
Posted: Monday March 13, 2000 02:29 PM
TUCSON, Ariz. -- It's hard to believe that in just a little more than six years, Annika Sorenstam has collected 19 wins, three Vare Trophies, three Player of the Year titles and, with her win Sunday at the Welch's-Circle K Classic, has qualified for the Hall of Fame. In my eyes, she deserves to be Hall of Famer now. But this is something I've known for years. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on her simple-but-unorthodox swing. I had the good fortune of being in her group at her first LPGA event as a professional -- the 1993 Standard Register Ping in Phoenix. At the time, I was caddying for Lauri Merten, and Annika was a virtual unknown -- well, I didn't have a clue about her. Right away, I knew she was different ... but in a quirky, Swedish kind of way.
After 10 holes, Sorenstam was four under on a tough Moon Valley track. Then on the 11th hole, a tough par-3, Sorenstam gave me a glimpse of the future. With the pin tucked just over a bunker, she fearlessly sailed the ball right at the flag to 10 feet to set up another birdie. She would go on to fire an opening-round 66. For two days straight, Sorenstam did nothing but hunt flags and drain every putt -- which made me her first believer. There was no doubt in my mind that she had the potential to become a Hall of Famer. On Sunday, just a few miles from the University of Arizona, where she starred in college, Annika proved me right. She defeated Pat Hurst in a playoff to earn enough points to gain entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. People who don't really know Annika assume she is quiet, sometimes cold and self-centered. But the real Annika is quite witty, very smart and cares about the game of golf and her accomplishments. So it was a bit disheartening to see the way her milestone victory was treated. Because of a requirement that a player must play 10 years on the LPGA Tour before being inducted, there was no celebration, no champagne, no cartwheels -- just a wave to the crowd and a hug from her husband, David Esch. There were no plaques or ceremonies or pomp and circumstance. As far as the LPGA was concerned, it was just another victory. Sorenstam even called the win that propelled her into the Hall of Fame "anti-climactic." She criticized the rule, saying that the criteria should be based on performance and not the length of a player's career. While the easing of Hall of Fame requirements was long overdue, the decision to leave the 10-year rule in place must have been an oversight. By making a player like Annika wait, the LPGA is missing the boat -- or, actually, sinking it. With the LPGA starving for attention and fighting for headlines against Tiger Woods and the big purses of the PGA Tour, Sorenstam's Hall of Fame celebration would have been fabulous front-page news. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, caddies for Sara Sanders on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
