This week is the last official appearance for Annika Sorenstam on tour in Dubai (unless she is really only ‘stepping away’ from the game and not retiring). The time has come to look beyond her legacy and come to grips with what is next for the LPGA Tour and women’s golf in general.
The questions that linger are among others:
- Will we ever see another Annika-like player?
- Who has the capability of raising the next ‘bar’ for women’s golf?
- How far will Lorena Ochoa go in achieving the type of domination that Annika had for years? She is nominated for the Player of the Year and has taken over the #1 slot. She seems to get a little crazy with her shots at times but is certainly fun to watch? Will she improve her consistency and truly dominate the tour?
- Where will Paula Creamer fit into the mix? We know her goal is to become the number one player in the world. Does she have the intensity and focus to achieve that? She is also a multiple event winner in ’08 and sits on #2 on the money list. How hungry is she?
- Will Michelle Wie, who seems to be finally playing more to her skills and strengths, help regain some of the crowd appeal and sponsor dollars to keep the LPGA on semi-solid footing? Will she start winning on the ladies tour?
- Where is Morgan Pressel these days? Now that she is working on her game and her fitness will she pose a threat to be at the top position in women’s golf?
- Ji-Yai Shin is a very impressive golfer with multiple wins in 2008 including the $1,000,000 purse at The ADT Championship. She seems unfazed by the challenge of going for the top of the leaderboard. What will ’09 be like for her?
The list of possibilities does not end here. There are others to consider that seem to be ready to make a go at the #1 position. The real question is: “Can any of these ladies not just get to the top but stay there and revolutionize the game of golf the way Annika has?” I would like to think so but, in my heart, I think a player like Annika only comes around once in a lifetime. The world of women’s golf and golf in general, for that matter, is better because of her. We can only hope there is a new star rising…
What do YOU think? Please comment on any of the above-mentioned players or add your own. Maybe one of you has the crystal ball!
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Tags: Annika Sorenstam, golf, Ji-Yai Shin, ladies golf, Lorena Ochoa, LPGA, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Women's Golf
Interesting question Sherry regarding Annika. What I find most interesting about it is that I think Annika is currently enjoying some of her most influential time in the spotlight. She is quickly becoming one of the greatest Ambassador’s for Women in golf and I love how her Blog is making her more relevant now more than ever and perhaps the leading voice for women in golf today!
By the way, Demi Moore has nothing on her, have you seen the pictures of her showing her pregnancy in all its glory… how cool is that!
I couldn’t agree more with your comments. Personally I think Nancy Lopez is still the ‘greatest’ golf ambassador for women’s golf but Annika is no slouch in this category.
I haven’t seen Annika’s pregnancy pics but will go look for them. Thanks!
I feel that the Nancy and Annika have done and will do good high profile work for the LPGA and all ladies’ golf. However, all the lady pros are doing their share of publicity in a lesser way. Until someone new steps into the ‘limelight’ of being more recognized I feel that all the gals could be given more recognition for what they do. As we have seen, Carling Coffing did a huge amount of publicity. If we step back from featuring only a handful of the gals and give a lot more publicity to the gals who are not regular top 20 players this could encourage them to be more visible to their home communities. Getting more communities aware of the great show of the pro tours may help the lady pro golf tours grow.
Sorry, Glen that I overlooked your comment until now. You make a great point about showcasing other golfers by providing some insight into who they are as people not just as golfers.
That’s what we try to do here at http://www.LadiesontheTee.com. The new women’s golf site http://www.voiceofwomensgolf.com will be even more robust in trying to spotlight as many players on all of the women’s tours as possible. Thanks Glen!