On that muggy Friday afternoon at Colonial Country Club in 2003, the woman had her two young daughters in tow, and she was rushing to get to within speaking distance of Annika Sorenstam.
Sorenstam was in tears, having just missed the cut as the first woman to play on the PGA Tour in 58 years. She was surrounded by security people as she headed to the media center for one final news conference in front of 800 reporters.

“I'm proud of you,” the woman said, rushing along with the crowd. “You have been a role model for my daughters today.”

If Sorenstam heard the comment, she didn't acknowledge it, but it caused a reporter, walking nearby, to blink away a few tears. Sorenstam had made a deep and emotional connection with those who had seen her compete that week.

She didn't get to play on the weekend, but that hadn't been her ultimate goal. She wanted to test herself and her game, and in the process she changed the way the masses looked at women golfers and women's golf.

The memory of that scene stirred vividly yesterday when Sorenstam, citing business and family interests, announced, at age 37, she was retiring from competitive golf at the conclusion of the current LPGA Tour season.

Colonial was a defining moment in golf. As Sorenstam told Golf Digest recently, “It was my path, my journey, and I felt like people accepted that, 'Hey, she's an athlete and she wants to get better.' I've always let my clubs do the talking, and people accepted that.”

Yet Colonial should hardly define Sorenstam.

Missing the cut against the men that week in Fort Worth, Texas, is not what she should be remembered for. Her career is far too glorious for that. She should be celebrated for her 72 LPGA victories (and counting) and her 10 major championships, six of which were won after the lessons she learned about herself and her game at Colonial.

It can be argued that with the talent and depths of the fields she has faced that Sorenstam is the finest woman golfer of all time. At the very least, she is in the top three, joining San Diegan Mickey Wright (82 wins, 13 majors) and Kathy Whitworth (88 wins, six majors).

Sorenstam brought a new expectation of precision to women's golf, a new gear in the competitive drive, an unprecedented level of physical fitness.
It always seemed to me that a large portion of the golfers on the LPGA were happy to aim for the center of the green. If they happened to drain a long birdie putt, fine, but they were mostly playing for safety, playing for par.

Then along comes Sorenstam and her audacious “Vision 54.” She truly believed that she could birdie every hole and shoot 18-under in a round. She never accomplished that – no tour pro, male or female, has ever reached 58 – but did become the first and only woman to shoot 59, in the 2001 Standard Register Ping in Phoenix.

There are other impressive firsts. Sorenstam is the only eight-time Player of the Year in the LPGA. She recorded the all-time lowest season stroke average, 68.69. Her $22 million in career earnings is nearly double that of No. 2 Karrie Webb.

With that kind of cash, Sorenstam shouldn't feel compelled to do anything she doesn't want to. And apparently, after decades of grinding away at golf – an obsession that likely contributed to her divorce from David Esch in 2004 – Sorenstam wants to jump off the merry-go-round.

She is engaged to marry Mike McGee, the son of former PGA Tour player Jerry McGee, in early 2009 and said she wants to start a family. She also is excited about her business interests, including her own golf school and golf course design company.

Sorenstam said yesterday that she felt a kinship with Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre after watching his recent retirement news conference.

“He loves competition; he's just tired of the daily grind, and I feel the same way,” she said.
“The reason for the decision is I have other priorities in my life. . . . I am very, very proud of what I've achieved. Golf has been great to me. I've achieved more than I thought I could. I have given it my all, and it's been fun.”

Sorenstam timed her announcement perfectly. Just last week, she proved she could still be a force on the tour when she beat world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and the rest of the field in a superb, seven-stroke triumph in the Michelob Ultra Open in Virginia.

It was Sorenstam's third win of the season after an injury-plagued 2007, and though Ochoa is now clearly the best player in the world, there is no reason to believe Sorenstam couldn't continue to challenge her, especially with her experience in the majors.

But give Sorenstam credit. She has always done things her own way, and walking away while she still contends with the elite is wonderfully suited to her.

That woman at Colonial was right. Sorenstam served her sport and herself proudly.

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