Annika Sorenstam

and lowest 36-hole raw score [126 (-18)].
Became the first woman since 1945 to compete on the PGA Tour when she teed it up at the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, May 22-23; shot 71-75 to miss the cut, but garnered unprecedented worldwide interest and media attention.
The week after her PGA Tour appearance, shot 62 in the opening round of the Kellogg-Keebler Classic and went on to win the event, setting an LPGA record for lowest first round by a winner.
At the Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi, her fifth win of the season, became the sixth player in LPGA history to record back-to-back eagles (round three, holes 6 and 7).
Set or tied a total of 22 LPGA recordsâ??set or tied LPGA records for fastest to $300,000, $400,000, $500,000, $700,000, $800,000, $900,000 and $1 million in season earnings; set or tied LPGA records for most consecutive $400,000, $500,000, $600,000, $700,000, $800,000, $900,000 and $1 million seasons; became the first player to reach $12 million in career earnings with her win at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by AIG and the first player to reach $13 million in career earnings with her win at the Mizuno Classic.
A member of the victorious European Solheim Cup Team, where she posted a 4-1-0 record to lead the team to victory; is now tied with Laura Davies as the event's all-time points leader (17-1/2 points).
Won the Nichirei Cup on the LPGA of Japan Tour for her 10th international victory.
Won the LPGA's Patty Berg Award, was named Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) and won the Golf Writers' Trophy by the Association of Golf Writers.
Competed against Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara in The Skins Game, finishing second with five skins worth $225,000; Sorenstam holed a 39-yard bunker shot on the ninth hole for eagle, only the eighth eagle in The Skins Game history, to win $175,000 and four skins on the first day, the most money won by any player on the first day in the event's history.
Competed against Reteif Goosen, Jesper Parnevik and Lam Chih Bing in the Tiger Skins Event in Singapore, finishing second with five skins worth $35,000.
Finished second to Karrie Webb in the ConAgra LPGA Skins Game, capturing three skins worth $70,000.
2003 Stats (Rank)
Rds under par: 46/60 (1) Rds in the 60s: 30/60 (1) Birdies: 276 (21)
Eagles: 9 (8) Greens in reg: 75.5% (1) Driving accuracy: 75.5% (24)
Sand saves: 50% (4) Putts per GIR: 1.74 (1) Driving avg: 269.7 (1)
2002 Highlights
Won a total of 11 titles, joining Mickey Wright as the only players to win 11 tournaments in one season (Wright won 11 times in 1964; she also won an LPGA-record 13 tournaments in 1963); Sorenstam is currently tied for eighth with Sandra Haynie on the LPGA's career victories list.
Earned her fifth Rolex Player of the Year title and fifth Vare Trophy, joining Kathy Whitworth as the only players in LPGA history to win both awards five or more times (Whitworth earned both awards a total of seven times).
Shattered the scoring record with a 68.70 average, marking the first time an LPGA player has finished a season below 69.00.
Earned an LPGA record $2,863,904, which is $1,141,623 more than Se Ri Pak earned as second on the money list; joins Kathy Whitworth (seven), Mickey Wright (five) and JoAnne Carner (five) as the only players to win the money list five or more times.
Set or tied a total of 20 LPGA records.
Her 11-stroke victory at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic tied the LPGA record for largest margin of victory in a 54-hole event (first set by Jan Stephenson at the 1981 Mary Kay Classic); also tied the LPGA records for lowest 54-hole winning score, 195 (-21), and the lowest first round by a winner, 63 (-9).
Won back-to-back-to-back tournaments at the Williams Championship, where she switched to cross-handed putting, the Safeway Classic, where she fired a season-low 62 during the second round, and the Samsung World Championship, her 40th career win.
At the Samsung World Championship, became the second-fastest player (behind Mickey Wright) to win 40 LPGA tournaments at eight years, nine months and five days; also became the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win nine tournaments in a season.
Successfully defended her title at the Mizuno Classic to become the first player since Carol Mann and Kathy Whitworth in 1968 to win 10 tournaments in a season; won the season-ending ADT Championship for her 11th victory of the year.
Other titles came at the Aerus Electrolux USA Championship Hosted by Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Evian Masters and ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Finished second at the PING Banner Health after a two-hole, sudden-death playoff with Rachel Teske, one of three runner-up finishes of the season.
Became the first player in LPGA history to reach $9 million (with a tie for third at the Asahi Ryokyken International Championship at Mount Vintage), $10 million (with a third-place finish at the U.S. Women's Open) and $11 million (with her win at the ADT Championship) in career earnings.
Competed on her fifth consecutive European Solheim Cup Team and posted a 3-1-1 record.
Won the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia and Compaq Open in Sweden on the Evian Ladies European Tour, giving her 13 wins in 25 starts worldwide.
2002 Stats (rank)
Rds under par: 60/76 (1) Rds in the 60s: 45/76 (1) Birdies: 341 (3)
Eagles: 10 (3) Greens in reg: 79.7% (1) Driving accuracy: 80.3% (5)
Sand saves: 38.8% (56) Putting avg: 29.66 (39) Driving avg: 265.6 (4)
2001 Highlights
Recorded eight wins, six second-place finishes, and a total of 19 top-10 finishes en route to her fourth career Rolex Player of the Year Award, Vare Trophy and money title. Sorenstam joins Kathy Whitworth (seven) and Nancy Lopez (four) as the only players to win four or more Rolex Player of the Year titles; Whitworth (eight) and Mickey Wright (four) as the only players to win four or more LPGA money titles; and Whitworth (seven), Wright (five) and JoAnne Carner (five) as the only players to win four or more Vare Trophies.
Set or tied a total of 30 LPGA records in 2001.
Her eight wins is the most since LPGA Tour Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez won eight events in 1979.
Scored an LPGA record 59 (-13) during the second round of the Standard Register PING, which included an LPGA record 13 birdies, eight of which were in a row; she finished the tournament with the LPGA's 72-hole record (261, -27), 36-hole record (124, -20), tied Karrie Webb's 54-hole record (193, -23), and tied the 9-hole record of 28 (-8).
Fired a 65 (-7) in the final round of the Tyco/ADT Championship to finish second and set the LPGA's all-time scoring record at 69.42, breaking the previous record of 69.43 set by Karrie Webb in 1999.
Became the first LPGA player to cross the $2 million mark in single-season earnings with her second-place finish at the Tyco/ADT Championship, setting an LPGA single-season record with $2,105,868 in earnings.
Tied the LPGA record for wins in consecutive weeks with four-straight victories at the Welch's/Circle K Championship, Standard Register PING, Nabisco Championship and The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott.
Won the Nabisco Championship by three strokes, her first major victory since the 1996 U.S. Women's Open.
Came from 10 strokes behind on the final day to win The Office Depot Hosted by Amy Alcott, tying the LPGA record for largest come-from-behind victory (Mickey Wright came from 10 strokes back on the final day to win the 1964 Tall City Open); Sorenstam defeated Mi Hyun Kim on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Defeated Sophie Gustafson on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff for a victory at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez, where Sorenstam became the first LPGA player to cross the $7 million mark in career earnings.
Joins Webb as the two players in LPGA history to earn $1 million in four separate seasons.
2001 Stats (rank)
Rds under par: 61/88 (2) Rds in the 60s: 42/88 (1) Birdies: 369 (2)
Eagles: 8 (15) Greens in reg: 79.7% (1) Driving accuracy: 78.1% (15)
Sand saves: 43.8% (47) Putting avg: 30.38 (100) Driving avg: 252.30 (26)
Career Highlights
In 2000, won her first title of the season in a sudden-death playoff with Pat Hurst at the Welch's/Circle K Championship, which gave Sorenstam the requisite 27 points to qualify for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, however, she must fulfill the 10-year Tour membership requirement, which will be met at the conclusion of the 2003 season; won the Firstar LPGA Classic in conjunction with the Children's Medical Center; defeated Webb, who beat her in a playoff at the LPGA Takefuji Classic earlier in the season, in a sudden-death playoff at the Evian Masters; won back-to-back titles at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic and Japan Airlines Big Apple Classic; defeated Rachel Hetherington (Teske), who dealt the Swede her first career playoff loss in 1998, in a two-hole playoff at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic; recorded her second career hole-in-one during the third round of the Welch's/Circle K Championship; crossed the $5 million mark in career earnings after the Standard Register PING and the $6 million mark following the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship; earned two points for the victorious European Solheim Cup Team.
Won more LPGA tournaments than any other Tour player in the 1990s (18).
In 1999, won the Michelob Light Classic in a three-hole playoff with Tina Barrett; won her third consecutive victory at the Michelob Light Classic, making her one of six players in LPGA history to win the same event three consecutive times; won the New Albany Golf Classic with all four rounds in the 60s; was a runner-up four times, including a one-hole playoff loss to fellow Swede Catrin Nilsmark at the Valley of the Stars Championship; fired a 61 (-11) during the first round of the Sara Lee Classic, which is the lowest first round in LPGA history; recorded her first career hole-in-one during the third round of the Standard Register PING; crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings.
In 1998, defeated Donna Andrews on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff at the Michelob Light Classic; won the ShopRite LPGA Classic and JAL Big Apple Classic with all rounds in the 60s; recorded her 16th career victory at the SAFECO Classic; recorded her first sudden-death playoff loss at the First Union Betsy King Classic to Hetherington (Teske); crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings; became the first player in LPGA history to finish a season with a sub-70 scoring average (69.99); won her third Rolex Player of the Year and third Vare Trophy.
In 1997, captured six titles â?? the Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions, Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open, Longs Drugs Challenge (in a two-hole playoff with Pamela Kometani), Michelob Light Classic, CoreStates Betsy King Classic (where she successfully defended her title) and ITT LPGA Tour Championship (in a three-hole playoff with Lorie Kane and Pat Hurst); won the JCPenney/LPGA Skins Game with eight skins worth $220,000; crossed the $2 million milestone in career earnings after her victory at the Longs Drugs Challenge; won her second Rolex Player of the Year title.
In 1996, won three tournaments â?? successfully defended her title at both the U.S. Women's Open and Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf and won the CoreStates Betsy King Classic; surpassed the $1 million mark in career earnings; won her second consecutive Vare Trophy for lowest season scoring average.
In 1995, became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the U.S. Women's Open, making her the 13th LPGA player to have the Open as her first LPGA career victory; won the GHP Heartland Classic by 10 strokes; won the Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf with a 45-foot chip-in on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Laura Davies; became the second international player to win Rolex Player of the Year; is the only player besides Nancy Lopez to have won Rolex Rookie of the Year and then the Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy the following year; became the first international player to win the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average; also led the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour (WPGET) Order of Merit on the strength of two wins.
In 1994, was the Rolex Rookie of the Year on the strength of three top-10 finishes, including a season-best tie for second at the Weetabix Women's British Open.
In 1993, competed in three LPGA events before joining the Tour, earning more than $47,000; tied for 38th at the PING Welch's Championship in Tucson, Ariz., placed fourth at the Standard Register PING and tied for ninth at the Las Vegas LPGA at Canyon Gate; was the Rookie of the Year on the WPGET.
Amateur
A member of the Swedish National Team from 1987-92, Sorenstam enjoyed a very successful amateur career. In 1992, she was the Women's World Amateur champion, runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur and the second-lowest amateur at the U.S. Women's Open. In addition to winning seven collegiate titles during her career at the University of Arizona, she was the 1991 NCAA Co-College Player of the Year (with Kelly Robbins), 1991 NCAA champion and runner-up the following year, 1992 PAC-10 champion and 1991-92 NCAA All-American.
Personal
Started playing golf at the age of 12â?¦Credits her parents, Tom and Gunilla, and her sister, Lotta (Charlotta) as the individuals most influencing her careerâ?¦Her sister Charlotta also is an LPGA Tour memberâ?¦In 1995, she won the Athlete of the Year Award in Sweden, the country's most prestigious award in sportsâ?¦Recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top 50 players and teachersâ?¦Married David Esch on Jan. 4, 1997â?¦Hobbies include sports, music and cookingâ?¦Qualified for the Tour on her first attemptâ?¦Has met the playing requirements for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, but must still meet the 10-year membership requirement before qualifying