“I’m happy to be able to stand on the best stage once more”
‘Golf Empress’ Anika Sorenstam (Sweden, photo) will participate in the US Women’s Open (total prize money of $10 million), a major event on the LPGA Tour in 14 years.
The American Golf Association, which hosts the US Women’s Open, announced on the morning of the 18th (Korean time) that Sorenstam had applied for the US Women’s Open, which will start on June 2. The 52-year-old Sorenstam qualified for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open by winning the US Senior Women’s Open in August last year. It is Sorenstam’s first major LPGA Tour appearance since her retirement in 2008.
Sorenstam debuted on the LPGA Tour in 1994 and won 72, including 10 majors, before retiring in 2008. He has a close relationship with the US Women’s Open, especially. His first LPGA Tour win was at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open, and his last major was at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open. This year’s US Women’s Open was held at Pine Needles Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, USA, where Sorenstam won the 1996 championship.
Sorenstam said, “I’m happy to be competing once more at the US Women’s Open at Pine Needles Golf Club, which has a special meaning to me. The fact that I will be able to perform on the best stage once more will have special meaning for me and my whole family.”
Sorenstam competed in the Gainbridge LPGA, a regular LPGA Tour event in February last year, and successfully passed the cut, and showed off her rust-free skills, such as winning the US Senior Women’s Open. Last month she finished runner-up in the Celebrity Category at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where she opened the LPGA Tour for the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Women’s Open will resume regional qualifiers that have been suspended for the past two years due to the spread of COVID-19. Regional qualifiers for the U.S. Women’s Open will be held in 26 locations, with events outside the U.S. being held in Korea, Japan, and the U.K. The Korean qualifier will be held at Dream Park CC in Incheon on April 22.
Reporter Oh Hae-won ohwwho@munhwa.com
