Annika Sorenstam plays in the Colonial tournament on the PGA Tour later this month against the best men in the world and the 32-year-old Swede claims she is ready for the biggest challenge of her life. Sorenstam admitted her game plan was to play conservatively and would be happy at level par for her week’s work.
“That would be good,” Sorenstam told reporters on Wednesday in Tokyo.
“I have no idea where that will put me but I think I can expect that of myself.”
While power is an obvious advantage to the men on most PGA Tour courses, Sorenstam has boxed clever in choosing the Colonial course as it suits her accurate game.
“One of the reasons I chose the course was that it’s not just about power and strength,” she added.
“I’ve played the course once and I liked it. It’s very narrow and is total strategy off the tee. It’s more about putting the ball in the right place.
“You have got to be very good with your irons on your approach shots and that’s what I believe my strengths are.”
Sorenstam averages around 275 yards off the tee, three yards short of defending champion Nick Price and 23 yards longer than when Corey Pavin from the USA won the Colonial title in 1996.
“I believe that I’ve got a chance at the Colonial otherwise I wouldn’t go. But for me, personally, this is a one-time opportunity” added Sorenstam, who admitted she wouldn’t want to play each week on the PGA Tour.
“I do want to see how good I am against the best men in the world on a course that I think I can handle. On About 95% of the courses I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“I’m not worried about the golf, but I think the hardest part for me will be to handle everything around it.”
When Sorenstam tees up at The Colonial, she will become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years since the legendary Babe Zaharias contested the 1945 Los Angeles Open.
