Retiring Sorenstam a chance at Sybase
IN: News | LPGA | Sybase Classic (2008) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 14 May 2008
While much of the pre-tournament chat at this week’s Sybase Classic in New Jersey is based around the announcement that Annika Sorenstam will retire from competitive golf at the end of this season, the event itself will carry its own share of publicity with yet another match-up between Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, the feature.
Sorenstam made her announcement in a press conference this week.
“After some serious consideration, I have made a decision to step away from competitive golf after this season. And this is obviously a very difficult decision for me to make, because I love this game very much. But I know it’s the right one. I wanted to let you all know that. I feel like I have a responsibility to the LPGA, to my fans, and I wanted to announce it as early as I could.”
“The reason for this decision is that I have other priorities in my life. I have a lot of dreams that I want to follow, I want to live, and I’m getting married in January. Mike (McGee) and I want to start a family. I want to continue to build the ANNIKA brand of businesses, and this includes my Academy, my foundation, my golf course design projects, all my corporate relationships, hosting golf tournaments, clothing lines, etc.”
“I am very, very proud of what I’ve achieved. Golf has been great to me. I think I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I could. I have given it all and it’s been fun.”
Ochoa with five wins to her credit this season and Sorenstam with three, have collectively won eight of the eleven LPGA Tour events staged in 2008. Paula Creamer has won two of the other three while Louise Friberg added the other when she won the MasterCard Classic in Mexico City.
Creamer, who won this event in 2005 is perhaps surprisingly not in the field this week. She has been in great form of late but she has played four tournaments in succession so the break is well deserved.
This week’s event is played at the Robert Trent Jones Sr designed Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey where it is being played for the second occasion after moving from its long time home at the Wykagl Golf Club.
The defending champion is Lorena Ochoa after winning by three shots over Sarah Lee. Ochoa also won the event at Wykagl in 2006. Ochoa had an ordinary week by her standards last week in Virginia but she appeared none too concerned after suggesting she had hit the ball well enough and that she felt good about her game.
Sorenstam did not play here last year and so will see the venue for the first time. She is a two time winner of the event however and given the manner in which she won last week in Virginia the duel between she and Ochoa this week will be something very special.
Karrie Webb finished 11th at this venue last year but she has been a bit if a mystery this season with very good finishes in Singapore and in Miami along with others not quite so good. She could do well this week if either one of the favourites was to falter.
Brittany Lang may be a factor this week on a golf course where she finished 4th last year. She has had mixed results this year but there have been two top ten finishes and with good memories on this golf course she may be a chance.
Ya Ni Tseng is in her rookie season but she is playing like somebody with much more experience than that and is already in 5th place on the money list. She is a rising star in the game and her first win will not be too long in coming. If it was this week it would surprise few as most recognise her significant game.
Karen Stupples seems to be playing close to her best again and at her best she is very good. Her runner up finish to Sorenstam last week is clear evidence of that and she might be a factor again this week.
Other Australians in the field in addition to Webb are Lindsey Wright, Rachel Hetherington, Katherine Hull, Wendy Doolan, Michelle Ellis, Sarah Kemp, Sarah-Jane Kenyon, Anna Rawson who gets a start via invite and Jan Stephenson.
