Open Thread: Annika Sorenstam

What a bombshell. I know she's hinted many times that she would eventually walk away and focus on other things. But you always think of something like that as off in the future a bit ... when something this big actually happens, it's a shocker. And it's also very, very unusual for any athlete at the top of their game to just walk away. Wow.

...one of the most interesting comments I saw was a comparison to Steffi Graf's retirement in 1999.  But after reading an old SI piece on her announcement

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/1999/08/13/graf_retires_ap/index.html

it seems to me that Annika's approach makes more sense, not least because it allows her fans to appreciate her going out playing her best the rest of the season, makes every remaining tournament that much more special, and adds even more significance to the Player of the Year race.

I have to admit I'm still shocked and disappointed--I thought she might scale back next year (and get pregnant), take a year off to enjoy quality time with the baby, and come back the following year on a limited schedule--but maybe the effort of this recovery and comeback made her wonder how motivated she would be to come back from pregnancy and birth and sleep deficits afterwards?  (Come to think of it, there's no way she's pregnant now, is there?  Strike that!)

As a fan, I'm still hoping she misses the competition in a few years and starts a comeback, but as a relatively new parent, I can respect her decision to do as close to a full-time parenting thing as she can when the time comes (whenever that is).

I'll be hoping for something more like John Elway - winning the Superbowl, then riding off into the sunset.

If she finds a way to overtake Ochoa - at least this year - then she goes out on top - legend intact or even bigger...though it would be a real shame to win 10 tournaments and stop short of breaking the all time record of 88.

I know Annika repeats over and over that she's not motivated by records and stats, but....  I forgot that she had a sub-69 scoring average for one of her Vare Trophy wins.  With Lorena in that territory and Annika heading in that direction, I'm sure she'd love to beat her own record in her final year on tour (and make it harder to be erased than the current one).  As Hound Dog points out, winning the Vare would tie her with Whitworth for the most in LPGA history.

But I think what would be more memorable for her would be repeated showdowns with Lorena when they're both in the zone--and anyone else who could elevate their games to try to keep pace with Annika at her best.  As a fan, that's exactly what I'd like to see, too!