The writing may be on the wall, but is it any reason to retire, just because you don’t dominate like you have become accustomed?
Annika Sorenstam obviously hasn’t always been the apple of the LPGA media’s eye. She’s not as glamorous as a Natalie Gulbis or as dynamic as a Nancy Lopez, so her unparalleled LPGA career is easy for casual observers to overlook.
Her 72 victories however, including 10 majors, make it impossible for those of us that do this for a living not to appreciate the astounding body of work she has amassed.
Annika is the ideal female athlete’s equivalent to tennis great Pete Sampras. Both were unassuming giants of their respective sport. Neither was ever embroiled in any real scandal and dominated despite high-profile contemporaries who grabbed the headlines and the majority of the marketing dollars.
The fact that Sorenstam is deciding to retire at such an early age is a testament to her awe-inspiring competitive streak.
When you’re that good, you simply cannot accept less from yourself and will not allow your fans to remember anything less.
She can probably make more dough schooling her good buddy MJ on the links, too.
