Golf legend Annika Sörenstam returns to Kansas to play in Senior LPGA Championship
SALINA — Annika Sörenstam wants to support the LPGA in any way possible.
Sörenstam, a 10-time major champion on the LPGA tour, teed off Friday morning in the 2022 Senior LPGA Championship played at the Salina Country Club. This is Sorenstam's first senior event since winning the 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open.
This weekend's tournament marks Sörenstam's first tournament in Kansas since 2002 when she played in the U.S. Women's Open held at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, where she was the tournament's runner-up behind Juli Inkster, who is also in this year's field in the 2022 Senior LPGA Championship.
"This is the first time I’m playing this event, and I want to support the LPGA," Sörenstam said in a statement. "We appreciate the opportunity for us to play in an event.
“I do think that I belong here, more on the Senior LPGA. But it’s been fun to get back and play.”
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Sörenstam played a practice round on Wednesday and followed that with the Salina Regional Health Center Pro-Am on Thursday. Sörenstam played with Salina natives Ellie Cobb and Zoe Norton, along with Abby Donovan, a Concordia native and a sophomore at Kansas Wesleyan and Allison Applequist, a Hays native and a sophomore at Bethany.
"It's been good," said Sörenstam after Thursday's Pro-Am. "I feel like I have a good feel for the golf course."
With temperatures forecasted to be in the upper-90s to lower 100s during the duration of the tournament, Sörenstam said players will have to pace themselves while playing during the heat of the day.
"Make sure you drink a lot of water, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible and not overdo it," Sörenstam said. "I live in Florida. I'm used to the weather, but still, it's hot."
Who is Annika Sörenstam?
Sörenstam, originally from Stockholm, Sweden is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the LPGA.
She has played golf since she was 12. Sorenstam came to the United State in 1987 to play at the University of Arizona and was the NCAA national champion in 1991. She was an All-American in 1991 and 1992. Her first LPGA victory came in 1995 when she won the U.S. Women's Open and was the Player of the Year.
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In 1998, Sörenstam was the first player on the LPGA tour to finish a season with a scoring average below 70 (69.99).
In 2003, Sörenstam won both the LPGA Championship and the British Open to complete the career Grand Slam. That same year, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
In 2021, Sörenstam was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Annika Sorenstam keeps busy
Even with her debut on the Senior LPGA tour happening in Salina, Sörenstam has kept herself busy.
Prior to arriving in Salina, she finished in a tie for 28th in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan, playing alongside Madelene Sagstrom.
“It’s been a little busy the past month or so," Sörenstam said. “I’m playing more than I have been in a long time, mixing a little bit on the LPGA Tour, playing here, and then I played in celebrity events two weeks ago. It’s been a fun summer.”
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Sörenstam added it's nice to see a lot of players that have returned to play golf after a pause. She added that it's an appreciation that all of her fellow golfers still have for the game today.
"We share the passion for the game and appreciate the game of golf," she said. "To be able to do it at this stage of our life means a lot.”
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Annika Sörenstam returns to Kansas for Senior LPGA Championship
