Q&A: Annika Sorenstam on Defending Her Title at U.S. Senior Women's Open

Sorenstam, 51, is one of 10 former U.S. Women's Open champions in the field at NCR Country Club in Ohio this week.

Annika Sorenstam will compete this week at the U.S. Senior Women's Open.  / USA Today

Don't look now, but Annika Sorenstam is competing again. And not just competing, but winning and contending at every turn.

Sorenstam, 51, inspired wave after wave of female golfers, myself included. I remember attending her LPGA*USGA Girls Golf clinic in Florida as a middle schooler. I followed her for miles around the golf course each day. That’s when I knew I wanted to play professionally, and if you look at the number of women competing to qualify for the LPGA Tour today, Sorenstam no doubt sparked many others to arrive at that decision as well.

Last month, Sorenstam played in the final group with Karrie Webb at the Senior LPGA Championship, coming in second at 10 under to Webb’s 14 under. And while she didn’t contend at the U.S. Women’s Open this year—a major she won three times in her career—she did earn her spot through a victory at her first post-retirement event, the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open. She’ll be one of 10 former U.S. Women’s Open champions to compete this year. If you happen to be on site at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio, you might also find Sorenstam's Fizzy Beez canned cocktails, which recently hit the market.

While preparing for the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at NCR Country Club, Sorenstam spoke to Morning Read/Sports Illustrated about her preparation for this week.

Kelly Okun: What inspired you to begin competing again, and why did you choose the U.S. Senior Women's Open last year?

Annika Sorenstam: It was a family decision. I’d gotten a little bit of the itch to compete again, but I wasn’t going to do it unless I had the full support of my husband, Mike, and our kids, Ava and Will. They were all for it. The U.S. Senior Women’s Open wasn’t my first tournament back, but it was the championship I geared my schedule for, with the hope of peaking for it. I chose the U.S Senior Women’s Open because it’s an incredible honor to compete in, let alone win, a USGA championship.

KO: What's it like defending this event, especially since this is only its fourth year?

AS: Defending at any event is hard; there just seems to be a little added pressure to perform for whatever reason. While this is a new event, it’s a USGA championship, which makes it important in our game despite its limited history.

KO: How does defending play into your mindset going into the tournament, especially with another U.S. Women's Open bid on the line?

AS: Being the defending champion really doesn’t factor into my mindset. It maybe creates a few more responsibilities for me early in the week, but once the championship starts on Thursday, I’m not thinking about it at all—I’m just focused on getting that little ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible.

KO: What are your expectations and goals for this tournament?

AS: My expectations are to prepare well so that I’m playing my best heading into the week. And then once the first round starts, to give 100% on every shot I hit. That is all I can control.

KO: Will competing in Ohio make the experience more special?

AS: Sure, with Mike’s ties to Ohio, we always enjoy the opportunity to come back. And it’s definitely cool that I’m competing as the defending champion in a state where we have a lot of friends and family who can attend.

KO: What does it mean to have your family watch you play?

AS: One of the greatest memories I’ll ever have is of all of us celebrating together on the final green at last year’s championship. Mike will once again be on the bag, and the kids will be following me as I play. Having my support system there is important to me, as I couldn’t do this without them.