An open letter to Annika, on her retirement announcement
Annika Sorenstam kisses the DeDe Owens Memorial Trophy after winning the Kellogg-Keebler Classic at Stonebridge CC in Aurora in 2003.
Mid-May, 2008
Dear Annika,
I’m not sure how closely you follow what the media is writing about you these days, but your word count has skyrocketed.
Ever since you announced your retirement for the end of this year, it is the story of the month. As I sit at my computer, I too want to weigh in on all that you have contributed to the game of golf. I hope you don’t mind.
Scores of golf fans can say they have watched you tee it up, sink a clutch putt, compete in the Solheim Cup and countless championships. Yet few people outside the ropes witness you cracking a joke, have the chance to ask you a question heard over the crowds, or see you without your ‘game face.’ Media members get a rare opportunity to meet with you and ask questions after your rounds – a task you may think quite boring. As I have sat in the media room/flash interview area, I have often thought how lucky I am. Many fans would love to be that close to an idol. I have found many writers treat this experience more as an entitlement than a bonus to our jobs. I grew up with golf in my home, and I was a fan before I became a golf writer so maybe I view the job differently.
What you may not know is that with this backstage access comes a set of unwritten rules. When I first entered the golf media business, it became subtly clear that it is improper for the media to ask for autographs or to appear awestruck by professional athletes. Although I’m not a good actor, I think I pulled this off quite well around you. I attended the Kellogg Keebler Classic in 2003 – my first professional tournament as a writer – and the last year of its existence in 2004, for Chicagoland Golf. There I witnessed your record-setting abilities firsthand and was enamored by your humble personality and quick wit. I won’t go into the details of the tournament as you know better than I how amazingly you played. What might be even more impressive than your first round 62 – an LPGA record – was the fact that you did it the week after competing against the men at the Colonial.
One of the things I admire most about you is what you took away from that experience on the PGA Tour. Of course I was impressed that you competed against the men, but what you learned was more poignant. I recall reading, or watching an interview, where you commented on how much better the men’s short games were, and how much you could learn from that. It showed me that choosing to play on the PGA Tour was not a publicity stunt. It was truly to measure yourself against the best players in the world. And that was it. You didn’t have to do it again. It showed class, insight, and an immense desire to grow as a player.
I truly believe that you have inspired millions of women to pick up a golf club, and thousands of young ladies to improve their games, to take it to the next level. I’ve been proud that such an amazing person has represented female golfers. You have gone above and beyond being just an LPGA Tour player, you are an ambassador for the game. Generations from now people will still be speaking of Annika Sorenstam. Your amazing desire to compete with 110 percent every week is unshakable. You have proven that grace, etiquette and manners do not have to be sacrificed to popularity and success. This is a rare trait, indeed, among professional athletes today.
As you leave our sport I am thankful for all you have done to improve women’s golf on an international level. As a mother, I regret you couldn’t wait one more year. The Solheim Cup is coming to our backyard, Sugar Grove, Illinois, and I was hoping to take my 4-year-old daughter to watch you. It will be her first golf tournament, and I wanted her to see the best. Of course, she will still see some of the top female players, but without you it won’t quite be the same.
I would like to close out this letter with a few words and hopes for your future:
• May the next part of your life continue with the same success as the first.
• May you one day truly comprehend just how much your actions and accomplishments have influenced women’s golf.
• May your children and grand children recognize your feats and listen to you when you tell them to keep their heads still.
• But most important, when you do choose to start your own family that’s when your life truly begins. It will be the most difficult and trying time of your life, but you have never known as much joy, love, and happiness that a child can bring. You may learn that the second half of your life supercedes that of the first half.
Sincerely, Joanne Miller Fan first, golf writer second
P.S. If we happen to cross paths again after your retirement, I’ll be asking for that autograph and maybe even a photo.
