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Annika gives women's golf a reason to be

By JOHN ROMANO
Published June 13, 2005

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. - And now, in what may be her most amazing feat yet, Annika Sorenstam will attempt to make you care.

Ah, but I know what you're thinking. Can't be done. No way she pulls you away from the men's tour. And, what the heck, NFL training camps open soon.

Winning another major, as she did Sunday at the LPGA Championship, is one thing. Never allowing anyone to get closer than three strokes for the final 35 holes is a pretty nifty trick, too.

But convincing Main Street USA - the beer-guzzling slugs on the couches, the hoity-toity crowd with their flat screens and high-def sets, the plugged-in generation and their joysticks - to turn the channel to women's golf?

Now that would be an amazing stunt.

And, fair warning, she may just do it.

Sorenstam is halfway to golf's first pure Grand Slam, and a car commercial away from tapping into America's heartbeat.

She is dominating her sport like no one before her. Six victories in eight tournaments. Consecutive majors with no one even close to her. Records piled up in her bag like so many tees.

So get ready for an increase in the hype. Prepare for the buildup to the women's U.S. Open later this month.

And, mostly, let all the comparisons begin. The ones suggesting she is the Babe Ruth of her sport. Maybe the Wilt Chamberlain of her gender. The Martina Navratilova of this era.

Or, better yet, the Tiger Woods of today.

"She's the most dominant sportsperson in the world at the moment. Maybe of all time," said Laura Davies, who finished tied for third. "I don't think people truly appreciate the things she is doing. She's winning 80 percent of her tournaments. I've won 20 times on this tour and I think that's pretty good. She's won 62 and she's done it in less time.

"Virtually every week, she's winning. Not even Tiger did that."

It's a worthy debate, this Tiger vs. Annika idea. No one suggests Sorenstam could beat Woods head-to-head - or even come close - but her dominance is just as impressive as Woods' rule over the PGA a few years ago.

Tiger may have won five of nine majors the way Sorenstam has, but he never reeled off 19 victories in a 38-tournament stretch.

"David Stern had Michael Jordan, and Tim Finchem had Tiger Woods," outgoing LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw said. "I can say those are pretty good analogies. Annika Sorenstam being the player she has been over the seven years I have been commissioner has certainly made the job easier."

The thing is, up to now, most of her accomplishments have gone unnoticed. With no television buzz to speak of, she might as well be playing on a putt-putt course. For crying out loud, when Saturday's third round ran a few minutes long, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore cut away for a local newscast.

To get an idea of the vacuum she has operated in, none of Sorenstam's 62 victories on the LPGA Tour have brought as much attention as the single missed cut she had on the PGA Tour two years ago.

"It's great for women's golf that the Grand Slam is attracting so much attention," said Cristie Kerr, the No.1-ranked American on the tour. "But I still don't think it's going to be a walk in the park for her."

Can you remember the dominant player on the LPGA Tour before Sorenstam? Nah, neither can I. It's been nearly three decades since a female golfer has carried this much potential for mainstream appeal.

K.C. and the Sunshine Band still was a draw the last time an LPGA golfer - a 21-year-old Nancy Lopez in 1978 - was the featured athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated . Think about that. Since then, SI has celebrated female auto racers, figure skaters, basketball players, jockeys, soccer players, swimmers, track stars, and even a woman boxer. But no LPGA players.

So, in that way, this could serve as Sorenstam's legacy. If she continues at this pace through the summer, she will demand the spotlight. She will force the networks, the magazines, the sponsors to notice.

She has the potential to elevate the LPGA's profile. To bring attention to other players. She could do it in much the same way the University of Connecticut did for women's basketball. Or Lance Armstrong for cycling.

"I was watching ESPN this morning and, in all the various subjects, Annika's name kept coming up. That's great for the tour," Davies said. "But it's not good that she makes the rest of us look like we can't play. Basically, she's too good. But it doesn't mean we're not good."

The other players do not have to like it. They don't even have to agree with it. But they should get used to it.

For now, they are just props. And they're depending on Sorenstam to take them to a bigger stage.

[Last modified June 13, 2005, 06:12:13]