Annika Sorenstam taking part in the First Tee ceremony prior to the Augusta National Women's Amateur ... [+]
Getty ImagesNext week the LPGA kicks off its 2021 season at the Diamond Resorts LPGA Tournament of Champions, January 21-24. The event will feature a field of over 40 of the top women in golf, including world No. 1 Jin Young Ko and well-known American players such as Lexi Thompson, Michelle Wie West and world No. 4 Nelly Korda.
There’s also a celebrity tournament that hosts big names in sports such as baseball Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez as well as entertainment personalities such as Toby Keith and Larry The Cable Guy. And of course, some of golf’s legends will be present too, including one Orlando area local named Annika Sorenstam.
Sorenstam, the retired 10-time LPGA Major championship winner who entered the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, lives nearby the tournament’s location in Lake Buena Vista, where the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions is set to run through 2024.
Diamond Resorts CEO Mike Flaskey says that he’s excited to be involved in the calendar year’s first installment of the LPGA, and also noted that celebrity event originally helped grow the LPGA event.
“Initially, the weekend was a celebrity fundraiser event for the nearby children’s hospital. But our celebrity field was strong enough (in golf) that we got a call from NBC and the Golf Channel about televising,” Flaskey said, during a media day for the tournament. “After some exceptional ratings for the celebrity event, (longtime LPGA Commissioner) Mike Whan reached out about integrating the LPGA into the weekend event.”
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The purse at the LPGA Tournament of Champions stands at $1.2 million, and previous winners were Ji Eun-hee, in 2019, and Gaby López, in 2020. Sorenstam also said that the timing and location are perfect for a restart of golf.
“What makes this exciting for me is that it’s tournament in Orlando, which is still one of the big centers for golf,” Sorenstam said. “Mike Flaskey has put together this great event where we get to see the best players, and see these players golf with some celebrities. There’s a lot of fun stuff that goes on over the weekend.”
I spoke more with Sorenstam just before the New Year, via Zoom, about the Tournament of Champions, and she talked about how the game is growing and how the field of women in the LPGA is becoming broader and more competitive.
Andy Frye: There’s a lot of top talent at the LPGA Tournament of Champions. With a long break, how’s this play out and who will start the season with a bang?
Annika Sorenstam: This last year was a crazy year. I’m just happy that the LPGA was able to play. A lot of sports didn’t get to play their season, but the LPGA got to play its last four or five months. And it’s important that a lot of ladies have been able to pursue their dreams and earn money in the sport, and that’s not something everyone’s been able to do.
There are some big names—at least 40 in the field—and those big names I would expect to do well. This is really the stars of the LPGA and will kick off the season right, and I hope it will be a good one.
AF: A lot of the top LPGA players are American or from Asia, but we’re seeing strong play from a lot of Europeans too. Will that be a trend?
Sorenstam: I think it’s very cyclical. For a while we weren’t seeing as many players at No. 1 (from the USA) but you had Nelly Korda for a while, and then we’ve seen a lot from Korea for sure, where there’s been such a strong pool of great players. But this year you’ve had Mel Reid from England (with her first LPGA win). And at the U.S. Open we had 15 Swedes playing, some of whom are technically still amateurs, but soon some of them will turn fully professional and they will play on the LPGA Tour.
We’re also seeing players from places like the Philippines and from Canada, such as Brooke Henderson. It’s a global game, it’s going to keep changing, so it’s very exciting.
World No. 4 player Nelly Korda, seen here at the 2020 ShopRite LPGA Classic, will be present at the ... [+]
Getty ImagesAF: You’re competing in the celebrity tournament. Does golfing like this bring back any competitive impulses?
Sorenstam: No. (Laughs) This is not a comeback. As you know, I’ve got my family and businesses, and I’m totally content with that. But it’s exciting for me. Mike Laskey of Diamond Resorts put this together starting years ago, and LPGA Tournament of Champions is pretty special. Being here in Orlando, I felt like I wanted to be a part of it. Mike is all about supporting the women, and I’m all about growing the game. So, I wanted to support the tournament through my foundation. I think it’s a win-win situation, and it’s a lot of fun.
AF: You and Henrik Stenson are working on a mixed golf event to be held in Sweden. What will PGA men and LPGA women competing in the same tournament do for golf?
Sorenstam: Henrik and I thought it was a good idea, and Sweden is a unique location, but also has more gender neutral approach compared to a lot of places. I think it’s a good testing point, and it will be an interesting dynamic as to who’s playing. It will be interesting to see the best women play against the best men, and whoever does best wins. But it’s about setting up fair and square, otherwise it’s not worth doing.
Henrik is a fun guy, and he’s passionate about growing golf in Sweden. I’m passionate about my junior girls. So I think with us together, as the most famous people in golf from Sweden, it’s a good concept. But it will probably be the only golf event there with a global reach and audience, and it will be a celebration of golf.
Obviously, with COVID it didn’t happen last year, which was disappointing, but we’ll see how it goes. Either it will be an ongoing thing, or if it is a one-time thing, that will be determined.
VIDEO: Sorenstam talks about completive versus men, on Feherty (2012)
AF: Last summer, David Feherty told me his dream four on the course would be him playing with his dad again, and Jack Nicklaus and you. What are Feherty and Mr. Nicklaus like?
Sorenstam: Well, (laughs) they’re polar opposites, that’s for sure. I did one of Feherty’s shows, and he’s hysterical. He’s funny and full of off the wall type stuff—I don’t know where it comes from. But he’s super smart, and for that episode I was on, he came to the house. And at one point, I couldn’t find him, and we were like, “Where is he?” Then I take a look and he’s taking a nap under the table, and then he wakes up and jumps up and says, “Where’s the darkest room your house?”
AF: And this is at your house?
Sorenstam: Yes! At my house. And he took out these night goggles. He brought his night goggles, like something you’d have in the military, which is something David’s into. He was concerned about getting the best lighting and shot for the interview. (Laughs.) But I’ll never forget that. He’s a piece of work, and I’ve done some charity events with him. He’s super generous, he’s fun, and he keeps you on your toes.
Jack Nicklaus is also a good guy. Much more low key. Obviously, I don’t have the same kind of stories about him, but a good guy in another way.
Read Frye’s other golf interviews with Sorenstam, Greg Norman and David Feherty.
The Link LonkJanuary 13, 2021 at 11:28PM
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Annika Sorenstam Touts LPGA’s Huge Talent And Has A Funny Story About David Feherty - Forbes
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