Lopez isn’t anywhere near the end. In fact, she’s improved almost every season in terms of world ranking.
Gaby Lopez turned 30 years of age on Nov. 9, 1993, and as of that milestone, her list of career accomplishments was impressive:
Three LPGA titles
Two Olympic appearances
Six seasons finished inside the top 100 in the world
Career earnings over $4 million
And Lopez isn’t anywhere near the end. In fact, she’s improved almost every season in terms of world ranking and said after she won the Dana Open in 2022 that she’s still on the rise.
“I just deep down believed that the best years of my golf are just getting to the surface,” Lopez said at the time. “And deep down I believe that. I’m not sure when or how far or how long it’s going to take me or how far I’m going to get, but I just deep down believe that that’s what I feel.”
Here’s a look at the career of Lopez, who was born in Mexico City, then played for the University of Arkansas, where she had three tournament victories and finished as an NCAA individual runner-up:
“I just deep down believed that the best years of my golf are just getting to the surface.”
Gaby Lopez had pictured herself inside the top 10 in the world. But after Sunday’s victory at the Dana Open, her mindset changed.
“I want to be limitless,” said Lopez, who moved up this week to No. 37 in the Rolex Rankings. “I want it to be as far as I can go. I want it to be, let me surprise myself.
Mexico’s Lopez, 28, birdied the last three holes on Sunday to shoot 63 in Sylvania, Ohio, and claim her third career LPGA title and her first since 2020.
At the new Kroger Queen City Championship this week in Cincinnati, Lopez will tee off alongside Marina Alex and Alison Lee at 1:14 p.m. ET as part of the new featured groups on ESPN+. Eighteen of the world’s top 30 players will be featured in the new streaming broadcast. This marks the first time featured groups at LPGA events are streamed live on any platform.
Prior to Sunday’s victory, Lopez hadn’t finished inside the top 10 since the season-opening event in January. In March, she suffered a neck injury that forced her to withdraw from several events.
“It was jumping,” said Lopez of what caused the ligament tear. “I’m really extreme. I’m all or nothing, right? So I did this kind of just squat jump and I was going to try to touch the ceiling, and when I did it was a whiplash movement and I just tear my ligament on my neck. Yeah, it wasn’t fun.”
After that, she dealt with tendonitis in her left wrist, noting that she played the U.S. Women’s Open in a lot of pain.
“I just felt like nothing was really clicking for me over the year,” said Lopez. “I was struggling physically, struggling mentally, and that’s where the doubts and fears come from.”
On top of it all, Lopez began to struggle off the tee. She currently ranks 134th in driving accuracy and has focused lately on the tempo of her backswing, trying not to rush it back.
“Yes, I’ve been struggling with my driver,” said the former Arkansas star, “but I feel that now with more consistency on my irons and my wedges, I’ve been able to just transfer that into my driver and know that it really doesn’t have to be so, so long as I think it has to be. As long as it’s straight and you’re impacting the middle of the golf club, you’re going to be just fine.”
Gaby Lopez of Mexico reacts to her birdie on the 18th green during the final round of the Dana Open presented by Marathon at Highland Meadows Golf Club on September 04, 2022 in Sylvania, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Heavy rains kept players off the course for much of the early week at Kenwood Country Club, but Lopez hopes to keep the momentum going, noting that she’ll feed off the energy and excitement of a new event.
She had and her sports psychologist, however, have already talked about starting from zero. The scores from last week don’t carry over.
The time in between victories, she said, has been tough. It’s been dark at times. It has been negative.
“I’ve been not myself outside the golf course because I’ve been impatient,” she said. “I’ve been frustrated. At some points, it just gets in your head: Am I going to be able to win again? Am I going to be able to compete?”
This past weekend, however, Lopez answered those questions when she pulled off clutch shots down the stretch, proving to herself that she’s not only a great player, but a great competitor, too.
“I just deep down believed that the best years of my golf are just getting to the surface,” said Lopez, “and deep down I believe that. I’m not sure when or how far or how long it’s going to take me or how far I’m going to get, but I just deep down believe that that’s what I feel.”
Gaby Lopez rehearsed hoisting a trophy the night before while emptying the dishwasher.
Gaby Lopez birdied the last three holes to finish the Dana Open in a fiery flourish. The 28-year-old Mexican got up and down from a greenside bunker with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to close with a 63 and earn her third career LPGA title.
Actually, she had rehearsed for this very moment the night before while emptying the dishwasher at the home of her host family. There was a vase on the rack that looked similar to this week’s trophy, and after someone suggested that she practice, Lopez hoisted it high.
“That’s when the mind gets really, really interesting,” said Lopez. “When you see yourself a little bit where you want to be and you see yourself ahead, it doesn’t come as a surprise as much probably.
“So, yeah, the power of mind is pretty much everything in this game.”
Gaby Lopez kisses the trophy after winning the 2022 Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Lopez, who last won on the LPGA in 2020, was bogey-free on a damp Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, to finish at 18 under for the tournament and hold off a host of hungry players including 19-year-old Lucy Li, Megan Khang and defending champion Nasa Hataoka. Lopez birdied the last three holes on Saturday, too, to shoot 66 and head into the final round four strokes back.
Lopez has battled two injuries this season and hadn’t cracked the top 10 since the first tournament of the year when she finished solo third at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
“Honestly, I was very surprised how the year has been,” she said, “because I have hit it the best I’ve ever hit it in my life through this year, but I just couldn’t connect it.
“I was struggling sometimes on my driver and sometimes on my putting and sometimes on my iron shots, but I felt that I was hitting it really, really close the last couple months, and I was very, very frustrated that I couldn’t connect it.”
Lopez has worked with Steven Yellin and the Fluid Motion Factor for eight years, and said Yellin came to Sylvania for three days this week. Together they worked to reset the mind. The goal, she said, was to create more quiet space during the round and “get rid of all the drama.”
Yellin often talks to Lopez about “staying on the couch,” and she explained the meaning of the mantra after the win.
“Well, he has to tell you better than I can tell you,” she said, “but basically if you stay on the couch and you don’t get ahead of yourself, then everything comes to you and you don’t have to chase anything.
“So it’s pretty much letting everything come, staying comfortable, sitting instead of going and rushing everything.”
Lopez and World Golf Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa are the only Mexicans to win on the LPGA. The former Arkansas standout has now crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings. She earned $262,500 for her Dana Open victory.
Li found herself leading an LPGA event for the first time this week and closed with a 70 while playing in the final group. The former prodigy had already shored up LPGA status for the 2023 season thanks to two victories on the Epson Tour and played her way into the Dana by finishing in the top 10 at last week’s CP Women’s Open in Canada. The LPGA recently changed the rules to allow non-members to earn a spot in the next week’s event.
Li’s T-4 finish in Sylvania also earned her a spot in next week’s field at the new Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.
Gaby Lopez and Megan Khang embrace on the 18th green after their final round at the 2022 Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Khang, who has yet to win on the LPGA in seven seasons, posted her best finish of the season, a solo second, thanks to a final-round 64 that included a 29 on the front nine.
“A lot of mixed feelings,” said Khang, “but I gave myself chances, and just going to take what I learned from this week and carry on for my career.”
Sarah Schmelzel finished in the top 10 for a second straight week, shooting 65-66 over the weekend to finish at 15 under alongside rookie Ruoning Yin and Li.
Lexi Thompson entered the final round one stroke back but closed with a 2-over 73 in which she made bogeys on Nos. 15-17 before closing with her first birdie of the day on the par-5 18th. The American star has yet to win on the LPGA since 2019. No other player in the top 40 shot over par on Sunday.
Danielle Kang wins for the sixth time on the LPGA.
Sunday featured a pair of aces in the LPGA season opener.
Nelly Korda, ranked No. 1 in the world and playing with Annika Sorenstam, the first-ever World No. 1 when the Rolex Rankings debuted in 2006, led by a shot heading into the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
But in yet another day of drizzly conditions, Korda slid backwards down the leaderboard as she carded a couple of bogeys to go with a bunch of pars before finally managing a birdie on the 15th hole.
In her place stepped Danielle Kang and Gaby Lopez, who made their moves at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
Lopez won the 2020 Tournament of Champions at Tranquilo and midway through Sunday’s round, she led by three shots. Undeterred, Kang came on strong late. She birdied the ninth to shoot a 1-under 35, then birdied the 11th and 13th holes.
On No. 14, a fan yelled ‘Get in the hole!’ as Kang was rolling in an 8-foot putt for birdie, her second straight and third in four holes. She punctuated that putt with a fist pump and walked off the green up two shots on Lopez. On No. 15, Kang made a third straight birdie to get to 17 under and go up by three shots. She was up four shots with three to go after Lopez bogeyed the 15th.
Kang gave one back on 16 but parred the final two holes for a 68 to grab her sixth career win and first since winning twice during the 2020 season.
The first LPGA Sunday of the season will feature – gasp! – Sorenstam and Korda in the final group.
The first LPGA Sunday of the season will feature – gasp! – leaders Annika Sorenstam and Nelly Korda in the final group. Sorenstam, who leads the celebrity division at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, became the first player to reach No. 1 in the world when the Rolex Rankings debuted in 2006 and Nelly Korda, of course, is the current No. 1. They’ll be joined by 2020 TOC winner Gaby Lopez.
While in some ways it’s a beautiful blend of past and present, both did just win a major last year. Korda broke through with her first at the KPMG Women’s PGA, and Sorenstam won in her debut at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
“She still has so much game,” said Nelly. “Think she shot 1- or 2-under on the back nine. She’s not hitting it as far off the tee, but, gosh, her woods and her iron game into the greens is so good.
“Like on 18, that was an amazing shot.”
Korda leads the LPGA field of 29 by one shot over Danielle Kang and Lopez. At 13 under par for the tournament, Korda carded her 11th consecutive round in the 60s, dating back to last season, when she posted 69 on a cold, windy and rainy day at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
“Yeah, felt like I was at British,” said Korda.
Nelly Korda of the United States plays her shot from the 16th tee during the third round of the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 22, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Sorenstam lives off the 16th hole at Lake Nona and normally wouldn’t leave the house on such a dreary day, but she took a champion’s mindset into battle.
“It’s one of those days that normally I wouldn’t be outside,” said Sorenstam, “but because of the tournament you get a little extra fired up and you go out there and try to hit one shot at a time.”
Sorenstam tops the celebrity field of 50 by two with 104 points in the modified Stableford scoring format. Former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe is solo third and U.S. Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish sits in solo third at 100 points.
“I am super excited that I’m leading by two,” said Sorenstam. “I wasn’t really paying too much attention. I know I was kind of going head-to-head there with Derek a little bit, but I didn’t know what the guys in front were doing.”
Frustrated by the length of her drives on Saturday, Sorenstam got friendly with her 5-wood and hybrids and hit several beauties.
“If you start thinking about how long it is and how difficult, then it gets really tiring,” said Sorenstam. “I try to be positive. (Husband/caddie) Mike was really positive, too. He was like, ‘Hang in there. If you can have a good attitude, right there is one or two shots.
‘So just do what you can and then think about the fireplace, and this evening you’ll be warm and cozy.’ ”
There’s plenty of firepower behind Korda, with Brooke Henderson two back in solo fourth and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso three back at 10 under.
Saso became the first Filipino person to ever win a major last summer at Olympic. This season Saso, who lives in Tokyo, is competing under the Japanese flag.
“I’m very proud of my dual citizenship,” said Saso. “Whatever I represent, I’m Filipino. So it was just for passport more, because if I have Japanese passport then I can travel mostly everywhere with no visa, and that will be very helpful for my game, for my career.”
One day into the season and LPGA leaderboards are already on fire, picking up from a dynamic end to 2021. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, a winner last year at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, and sister Jessica Korda, defending champion at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions, are within striking distance of leader Gaby Lopez, who opened with a 5-under 67.
2021 U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso trails by one along Nelly Korda, Ryann O’Toole and Danielle Kang.
Brooke Henderson, Jessica Korda and Pajaree Anannarukarn are two back at 3 under. The field of 29 are joined by 50 celebrity participants, including LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who leads them all in a modified stableford scoring format with 33 points.
Last year’s Tournament of Champions at Tranquilo featured a final round pairing of the Korda sisters plus Kang in a thrilling final round. Jessica ultimately edged out Kang in a playoff.
Lopez, the 2020 TOC winner, bogeyed her second hole of the season, a par 5, but bounced back with six birdies over the next 16 holes. Lopez credited work done on the range with her instructor Wednesday along with the energy her celebrity playing partners provided. She has struck up a friendship with former NFL player Marcus Allen over the years.
“I’m comfortable out there,” said Lopez, “being able to talk just different topics other than golf and what you did in the holidays. But being able to talk about mentality and psychology out there, I mean with the biggest superstars in each event out there, it’s pretty amazing. So I really take advantage of that. I like to grow internally.”
Nelly Korda called her first round of the year a grind, despite opening with a 68 that included five birdies and an eagle.
“I was just kind of spraying it everywhere,” said Nelly, “left, right, you name it.”
She hit hybrid from 222 yards to 4 feet on the 11th hole to record her first eagle of the season. Nelly ranked third in that category in 2021.
After the LPGA’s Florida swing, Nelly said she plans to take off six weeks and will consider that her true offseason. Because she played in the PNC Championship in December with her father, there wasn’t a whole lot of downtime.
“Everyone was so welcoming,” she said of her time at the PNC. “I was shocked that everyone knew who I was in a sense. You know, like I grew up watching every one of those guys play, so to me, I was a little starstruck that people actually knew who I was.
“It was cool because they also watch women’s golf. I didn’t know that.”
Michelle Wie West opened with a 1-under 71 thanks to a string of three consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-13. This marked Wie West’s first LPGA round since last June.
“I couldn’t get my wedges close today, said Wie West, who recently moved with her family to Los Angeles. “Made a couple stupid errors early on, but overall I’m very proud of how I played today. Hopefully more birdies to come.”
But first, she was off to lounge at the hotel watching the start of “Archive 81,” a Netflix horror series.
The key to handling pressure situations? Be brave.
Gaby Lopez backed up behind the tee markers a smidge on the seventh playoff hole at the season-opening Tournament of Champions two years ago at Tranquilo Golf Course, striking a solid 3-hybrid exactly as she’d drawn it up in her mind on the 197-year par-3 18th. It was chilly that morning and the conditions played to her favor as Lopez poured in a 25-foot birdie putt to claim her second LPGA title.
Compatriot Lorena Ochoa, a World Golf Hall of Famer, mentor and friend, has talked to Lopez about the importance of linking nerves with positive emotion.
“There are a couple little secrets,” said Lopez, “but probably one of them is being very brave and positive out on the golf course when you are in such a pressure situation.”
Lorena Ochoa of Mexico tosses her ball marker on the 16th green during her second round match at the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship at Hamilton Farm Golf Club on July 7, 2006.
Ochoa, who won 27 times on the LPGA from 2004 to 2009, told Lopez the more nerves she felt, the better she played. Lopez has tried to copy that mindset.
“When you see Jin Young Ko, you see Nelly (Korda), you see all the top players are really embracing the moment,” said Lopez, “and for me it has been just linking a very good situation for me in the past with what I’m presenting in the moment.”
While the name and venue are different at this week’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Lopez can still draw on many of the intangibles from her victory two years ago. She likes to journal, and when she looks back on that week she remembers feeling very certain of her decisions in the heat of battle.
“When you’re under pressure, you hit it where you want to hit it instead of what you want to avoid,” said Lopez.
“It’s really easy to say, but when you’re in the moment and you have the wind and you have the lie that’s uncomfortable, being able to refocus and get yourself very centered to say, ‘Hey, that is exactly what I want to do,’ when you do it and it happens, it just brings so much inner fears and inner force that it just makes you much stronger.”
“I think something about tough courses makes me focus even more.”
NAPLES, Fla. – Celine Boutier felt like she was in the zone Friday. Despite all of the craziness blowing around her.
With winds gusting 15 mph or more, the Frenchwoman put together her second straight 7-under-par 65 to build a four-stroke lead in the $5 million CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
Thursday, the elite, 60-player field dealt with rain and wet conditions. The second round, swirling winds, especially for the leaders in the afternoon, were the next element thrown at them.
It didn’t matter for Boutier, who fired a 6-under 30 on the back nine.
“I think something about tough courses makes me focus even more, and then I was just really confident with my iron game,” said the 28-year-old, who won the ShopRite LPGA Classic last month for her second LPGA Tour victory. “I think I was kind of in the zone, to be honest. I just didn’t overthink it. Just picked a number and then just was able to do it.
“It was playing very different than (Thursday)for sure. Definitely, the wind was a huge factor in that. I actually enjoy the wind. Obviously depends on the intensity, but I feel like today was very manageable. I feel like I was striking it well too, so definitely makes a difference when it’s windy. I was able to take advantage of that.”
Celine Boutier of France reacts on the 18th green during the second round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2021 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, Australia’s Minjee Lee, and American Mina Harigae, who played with Boutier, are all tied for second at 10-under 134 with two rounds to play to determine the winner of $1.5 million in the LPGA Tour’s season-ending event.
Golfers from six different countries are in the top eight on the leaderboard.
“Celine, she’s a great player,” said Harigae, who lost to Boutier in the Solheim Cup. “Honestly she’s kind of like an all-around, complete player. Great ball striker, great short game, and really, really good putter.
“You know, that equals 14-under for two days.”
England’s Georgia Hall, South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, and first-round leader Jeongeun Lee6 of South Korea are tied for fifth, with Jin Young Ko, Ally Ewing, Megan Khang, and Lexi Thompson another stroke back at 8-under.
Harigae crept back up the leaderboard by draining a long birdie putt on No. 16, and following up with another birdie on No. 17. She was able to time the wind well all day, although she said she just couldn’t get anything going for most of it.
“I was fortunate enough where it didn’t really gust right when I was about to hit,” she said. “I could kind of just I guess tell that it was like ending a gust or it never really — I was fortunate enough to never get affected by those gusts.”
Celine Boutier of France plays her shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2021 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Boutier birdied seven of her last 10 holes, starting with back-to-back ones on Nos. 9 and 10, then picked more on Nos. 12-13, 15, and 17 and 18.
“Hopefully I get a little bit of confidence from today so I’m able to — I think one thing that’s been a little bit of a struggle for me is sometimes when I get nervous I get tense and I start to overthink and controlling my shots,” she said. “So I feel like hopefully I get a bit more confidence from today and I’m able to play a little bit more relaxed tomorrow and over the weekend.”
While Harigae got going late in her round, both Lopez and Lee pointed to par putts early on that helped out.
Lopez hit a shot in the water on No. 4, but was able to make par. She followed that up with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6, and went on to shoot a 4-under 68.
Lee had an uphill par putt on No. 3, made it, and then responded with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6. She bogeyed No. 18 for a 68.
Lopez has two victories in her career and this year has five top-10s, including one on Sunday at the Pelican Women’s Championship near Tampa, to give her some confidence, Lee has this year’s Evian Championship victory to draw from.
“Just being more mentally competitive and not letting that get myself down instead of focusing on what I need to do to get the ball in the hole,” Lopez said of Boutier’s four-stroke lead.
Lee said: “It’s just like a little silent confidence for me just so I can go out there and play confidently and know that I can play under pressure and play well under pressure.”
Celine Boutier of France lines up a putt on the 17th green during the second round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2021 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Boutier said dealing with pressure is something she’s learning, especially when she’s paired with top players. Lopez does have two victories, but isn’t at the level of a Nelly Korda or Jin Young Ko, for example, who are battling for Player of the Year.
But the ShopRite win and one in September at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France have her feeling more comfortable.
“Honestly, probably getting that win at home and at the ShopRite has been major,” she said. “Obviously winning and playing at home is never easy, and then being able to get that second win for me at ShopRite that was two and a half years after my first win was definitely helpful for my confidence.
“You never know. Maybe the first time was luck. You kind of want to confirm. So it’s been very huge for my confidence, and I just feel like a little bit more comfortable in this situation now.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
While the rest of the LPGA chased Jeongeun Lee6’s at the Amundi Evian Championship, Gaby Lopez enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime walk in Tokyo.
While the rest of the LPGA chased Jeongeun Lee6’s historic run at the Amundi Evian Championship in France, Gaby Lopez enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime walk in Tokyo.
Lopez carried the flag for the Mexican delegation during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. She told Golf Channel back in January that the president of the Mexican Olympic Committee first approached her about the possibility after she won the 2020 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
The 27-year-old Arkansas grad is a two-time winner on the LPGA and is ranked 61st in the world.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to represent my country in women’s golf in Mexico, which isn’t a huge sport,” Lopez told Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers. “To just inspire little girls and [for them to] see what a golfer and little girl can do to achieve their dreams, that’s going to be why I play golf and that’s what it means to me and my life and my career.”
Julieta Granada was the flagbearer for Paraguay at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Inbee Park, the LPGA Hall of Famer and 2016 gold-medal winner, was one of the final Olympic torchbearers during the Opening Ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Competing inside the ropes alongside Annika Sorenstam never seemed like a possibility for many of today’s LPGA stars, until last week.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Cheyenne Knight played in Annika Sorenstam’s junior events and attended her clinics. But being introduced on the tee alongside Ms. 59 was next-level cool for the 24-year-old LPGA player.
“I hit my drive in the trees on the first hole,” said Knight of the extra nerves that accompanied the experience.
Competing inside the ropes alongside the greatest player in the modern game never seemed like a possibility for many of today’s LPGA stars, given that Sorenstam retired in 2008 and turned her attention toward her family, foundation and brand. But her latest partnership with Diamond Resorts opened up a unique opportunity for Sorenstam to compete in the celebrity division of the LPGA’s season-opener, where she finished ninth.
Much has changed since Sorenstam dominated the LPGA with 72 titles. Knight said Sorenstam’s caddie/husband, Mike McGee, had to remind her that she could now tap down spike marks and take a drop from knee height.
In her preparation for the event, the 50-year-old couldn’t believe how winded she got after ramping up her range sessions, especially given that she’s scheduled to soon compete in a triathlon.
“To hit a lot of balls is different type of endurance that I didn’t appreciate,” she said.
Annika Sorenstam competes in the celebrity division of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions (courtesy Diamond Resorts).
At the peak of her game, Sorenstam carried the ball around 250 yards. Now she’s down to about 235. She still hits her irons about the same distance.
“It’s the short game,” she said at the start of the week, “that’s where it is. I know the basics, I know the technique, but it’s the feel. The constant feel.”
Sorenstam was Gaby Lopez’s superhero growing up, along with countrywoman Lorena Ochoa. Lopez, the 2020 TOC champion, played Round 1 of the TOC with Sorenstam and called it one of the luckiest days of her life.
“We talked a lot about short-term goals,” said Lopez. “She dominated in so many ways, and she was always asking herself, ‘How can I just get better in this area, this area?’ Just breaking it down so she feels she’s achieving different goals in short-term to gain confidence, be comfortable.”
Danielle Kang considers Sorenstam a mentor, and while she didn’t get the chance to play alongside her last week, she wanted an up-close look at the Swede’s routine, how she handles distractions and how her energy changes over important putts.
“I would love to see how she executes shots,” said Kang, who lost in a playoff to Jessica Korda.
Sorenstam planned to compete in this year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open for the first time but the championship’s new dates, July 29-Aug. 1, conflict with the Tokyo Olympics, and that’s a massive problem given that Sorenstam is president of the International Golf Federation.
Sorenstam and 2011 ANNIKA Invitational winner Celine Boutier, who were grouped together in the final round of the TOC (courtesy ANNIKA Foundation).
She also wanted to compete in the Senior LPGA Championship at the French Lick Resort in Indiana, but those dates conflict with the Junior Solheim Cup, and Sorenstam is captaining the European team this year.
“I’ve enjoyed practicing and getting ready,” she said. “I’m not going to stop, going to keep on going and see what happens.”
The multi-year Diamond Resorts partnership includes sponsoring the ANNIKA Invitational which in recent years has taken place in St. Augustine, Florida. Sorenstam said the tournament will move close to the TOC next January so that juniors can take part in the activities of the LPGA event as well.
Those who didn’t get the chance to play alongside an LPGA legend last week will have another chance in 2022.
“The thing that stood out to me was that she birdied 17 and 18 (on Saturday),” said Knight, “and her husband said she was so mad because she shot over par each day. She birdied those last two holes to shoot even par. Even though she doesn’t still play competitively, she still has that fire. I was like, that’s why she’s the GOAT.”
