Former No. 1 Sorenstam back
ANNIKA Sorenstam, the former world No. 1 and one of the top players in the history of the LPGA Tour, headlines the field at the Ginn Tribute which starts Thursday.
Sorenstam is making her return at the $A3.1 million event after missing almost two months with a ruptured disc and a bulging disc in her back.
“I’m happy to be back on tour. It’s been a little weird to be away for a while in the middle of the season,” Sorenstam said.
“You know, obviously I’m extremely excited to be able to come back to this tournament.”
Sorenstam’s
return is big news but she is far from the only big name in the event. Lorena Ochoa and Michelle Wie, playing with wrist injuries, are part of the field, which features the top 50 from the LPGA money list.
“It is a great field,” Sorenstam said. “Somebody said the top 50 are here. Doesn’t get much better than that.”
Ochoa is now the top-ranked player in the world and while Sorenstam is obviously motivated to regain that spot, she feels it would be a mistake to be consumed by it early on in her comeback.
“Right now, I think I have some other things on my mind. I just want to get back on tour and play full time,” Sorenstam said.
“I want to be able to play my game up to a hundred percent. We’ll see where that goes.
“Like I said, my expectations are a lot lower. I have to be patient. I think for me to come out here and start thinking about No. 1, I think I’m just hurting myself. Like I said, I got to take one day at a time and see how it goes.”
First prize is $A473,000.
Agence France-Presse