Annika Sorenstam to retire

[muttleee]

Annika Sorenstam has announced that she'll be retiring from the tour at the end of this season to concentrate on business interests and starting a family. Here's hoping she can regain her no. 1 spot after before she calls it a day. She has a lot of ground to make up but things are looking good so far with 3 LPGA victories this year already.

What I want to know is, if Europe can produce a spectacularly good woman like Annika, why can't we produce a man of the same quality??

 

[birdieman]

She's got nothing to prove, best female golfer by a mile.
Although life on tour sounds great to us average Joes's stuck in our 9 to 5's I bet after 15 years or whatever on tour living in hotels and airports you'd be sick of it too.
I like the lifestyle Greg Norman has, play a few matches, build a few courses, muck about in your own Lear jet etc etc.

As for Europe producing an equivalent to Annika, except male, I think we're doing ok, the current UK lot - Rose, Poulter, Casey, Donald, Howell, Westwood etc are pretty decent if not worldbeaters. We did have Faldo for a few years as the best.

Tiger and Annika are phenomena not likely to be seen again for another generation or two.

 

[Page]

a link to an article regarding it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/sports/golf/14golf.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

[benny]

I don't think we'll ever see the likes of Tiger Woods again. As for female professional golfers, they have plenty of room for improvement. Theres something not quite as good when you watch womens sport...apart from tennis - I actually like watching womens tennis, thats one thing where its as good quality as the men.
Womens football tho - does anybody see the point?

 

[theeaglehunter]

I can't believe she is retiring, is this her way of showing her acceptance of not being as good as Lorena? I would have much rather seen her announce that she is going to practice twice as hard next year so that she can compete for the number 1 spot again. But as birdieman says 15 years on tour and I think anyone would want a break. Does anybody know how old she is?

 

[birdieman]

She's 37, if she's going to be a mother she needs to get on with it.
Annika at her best v Lorena at her best? It'll end up like Jack v Tiger, no-one can say 100% who's better because it's not a level playing field but personally I think the latest generation tend to move the bar up a little so are normally better than those that went before, that's just progress. People always reckon the ones in their generation were best but they're looking back with rose-tinted glasses.
Ok I've run out of cliches now.

 

[mick]

got to agree on the womens sport front benny(i think i may be agreeing to much with you lately lol),watched the womens fa cup final a few years ago sunday league footy is better to watch,same with the golf decent male amatuers are a miles better standard,i also do prefer to watch womens tennis not just for the good looking girls,more rallies not serve volley on nearly every point,i use the red button quite a bit during wimbledon,to get to other matches not involving men,however i do like to watch nadal.

 

[andiritchie]

i dont think annika got the recognition she deserves her record is superb it was a joke watching michelle wie take on the men without even doing anything on the lpga tour she has got to be one of the most over rated golfers ever although it prob was her management company and sponsors pushing her that way