As Annika Sorenstam prepares to bid farewell to tournament golf in the Dubai Ladies Masters, some of the rising stars of the women’s game say the former world No.1 has been an inspiration and will be sorely missed.
Young fellow Swede Nina Reis summed up the mood of European Ladies Tour players ahead of Sorenstam’s career swansong at the Emirates Golf Club when she said: “We are definitely going to miss her.
“She has done so much for women’s golf and especially for us Swedish girls. She has been an inspiration. I don’t think there will be anyone to match her. Now there are bigger purses, better organised tournaments, and more people watching, because of her, which is great.”
Sorenstam, one of the most successful golfers in the history of women's golf, took time out from preparations for the Dubai Ladies Masters, starting on Thursday, to join Reis and six other members of the European Tour’s new generation of professionals for a Jumeirah Group pre-tournament photo call.
The luxury hotel group, continuing its support for the event as a golf in Dubai partner, is hosting Sorenstam for the final tournament of her career, as it has done on her two previous visits, both of which brought victories.
Despite still trying to fight off a three-day cold, Sorenstam was in a relaxed mood when she lined up at Madinat Jumeirah, the Arabian Resort, with Reis, Australia’s Frances Bondad, Dutch player Marjet van der Graaff, France’s Julie Greciet and Caroline Afonso, Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord and Russia’s Maria Verchenova.
As Sorenstam posed for photographs against the backdrop of Burj Al Arab, Skarpnord made it clear that the Swede, an iconic figure in the game, will leave a void
when she retires after the Dubai Ladies Masters.
“We are definitely going to miss her. She has done so much for women’s golf, and I don’t really know how it’s going to be without her. She’s an inspiration - to see someone win so many tournament and play such great golf over so many years.”
