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One for the record books Make no mistake, Sorenstam's 59 is an accomplishment
PHOENIX -- Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I was really hoping that Annika Sorenstam's record-breaking performance last week at the Standard Register Ping would finally shut up all of the chauvinistic men who think women can't play golf. For once, maybe a female would get some much-deserved credit and steal some of the thunder from the men's tour.
Almost as often as Chuck Knoblauch throws the ball away, I will run into some guy with a high-priced set of clubs, a padded handicap and an oversized ego who thinks that ladies should only golf on Tuesdays. Last Saturday night, the day after Sorenstam's historic round, I attended a gathering in honor of St. Patrick. Once word got out that I was a caddie on the LPGA Tour and that I wrote this column, the morons started coming out of the woodwork. And let me tell you, the questions about Ms. 59's round were as silly as everyone who was wearing green and drinking green beer. Wasn't that just a really short course? Don't they set up courses easier for the women? Did they move the tees up? Those pin placements must have all been pretty easy. What would the men have shot on that course? Why is it that just because someone puts on a $120 pair of FootJoys, that gives them the right to cast doubt on one of the greatest rounds of golf in the history of the game -- male or female? Since records started being kept, only a half-dozen people have pulled off this incredible feat in a competitive event: three on the PGA Tour ( Al Geiberger, Chip Beck and David Duval ), two on the Nike/Buy.com Tour ( Doug Dunakey and Notah Begay ) and one at Q school ( David Gossett ).. (Before you start sending e-mail, yes, I know Shigeki Maruyama shot 58 in a U.S. Open qualifier last year, but that was on a course that was shorter than Moon Valley, so I don't give it any credence.) First, what makes Sorenstam's 59 special is that she is the first one to reach the mark without recording an eagle during the round. Sorenstam might have played the most flawless exhibition of golf known to mankind. She hit all but one green and one fairway, and only because of her consistency was she able to make 13 birdies -- a new LPGA record. Many golfers say that in order to put together a spectacular round you need a little luck. But there is nothing lucky about 16 putts under 20 feet. Shooting a 59 doesn't guarantee victory. It's a mentally and physically draining achievement. Of the six men to shoot that score, only two -- Geiberger and Duval -- were able to take advantage of the low round to win. Gossett didn't even finish in the top 35 to earn a PGA Tour card. After her record round, Sorenstam didn't get much sleep Friday night. On Saturday, "playing on solely heart," as her caddie, Terry McNamara, phrased it, Sorenstam shot a 3-under 69. She didn't have time to relax, however, because Se Ri Pak fired a 9-under 63 and wasn't about to wave the white flag. Suddenly, Sorenstam's nine-shot lead had been trimmed to three. Pak turned up the heat even more on Sunday with a 31 on the front nine. With four holes remaining, this match was all square. Sorenstam would birdie the 16th hole and hold on to win. She was so tired she said she felt as if she had been on the road for 10 weeks straight. Later, Sorenstam admitted that Pak's performance actually helped to propel her to the 72-hole record, which had been held by Karrie Webb at 26-under. In just one week, the 30-year-old Swede rewrote the LPGA record book by setting new marks for nine, 18, 36, 54 and 72 holes. Unfortunately, Sorenstam's achievements will most likely not change the thinking of simple-minded men. Her play will also not get the attention it deserves now that Tiger Woods ended his so-called slump at Bay Hill. So despite reaching new heights, women's golf will once again take a backseat to the men's game, which should please all of those guys who woke up Sunday morning wearing green underwear, suffering from hangovers. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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