Speaker Profile

Annika Sörenstam

Annika Sorenstam

Organization: LGPA

Role: Player

Sport: Golf

Speaking Year: 2010

Annika Sörenstam (pronounced [ˈǎnːɪka ˈsœ̂ːrɛnˌstam] ) is a retired Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and 18 other tournaments internationally, and she tops the LPGA’s career money list with earnings of over $22 million—over $2 million ahead of her nearest rival while playing 149 fewer events. Since 2006, Sörenstam has held dual American and Swedish citizenship.

The winner of a record eight Player of the Year awards, and six Vare Trophies given to the LPGA player with the lowest seasonal scoring average, she is the only female golfer to shoot a 59 in competition. She holds various all-time scoring records including the lowest season scoring average: 68.6969 in 2004.

Representing Europe in the Solheim Cup on eight occasions between 1994 and 2007, Sörenstam was the event’s all-time leading points earner until her record was surpassed by England’s Laura Davies during the 2011 Solheim Cup. Sörenstam also was captain of the 2017 European Solheim Cup team.

In 2003, Sörenstam played in the Bank of America Colonial tournament to become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since 1945.