The return to the field of Nelly Korda and that of Annika Sorenstam in a Major. And again: Michelle Wie’s last race between the greats and a prize pool of 10 million dollars. Not yet at the level of men – speaking of ‘equal pay’ – but certainly a very high figure for a women’s tournament.
These are the main ingredients of the US Women’s Open, second major 2022 of women’s golf scheduled from 2 to 5 June at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines (USA), North Carolina. Where Yuka Saso will defend the title won in 2021.
Nine of the best ten projects in the world will also be competing, starting from number 1, the South Korean Jin Young Ko.
Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam
Special tournament for Annika Sorenstam who returns to her field where she won the second of her three US Women’s Open.
While Michelle Wie (who made this event of her in 2014) will play her last major of her career before her retirement. Annika Sörenstam (Stockholm, 9 October 1970) is a Swedish golfer. She starts playing golf at 12, after quitting tennis.
She studies at the University of Arizona, where in 1991 she wins the title of best NCAA player. In 1992 she won the Amateur World Cup and reached the final at the US Amateur Championships, after having been All American in 1991 and 1992.
Also in 1992 she made her professional debut and since then she has won 59 tournaments on the women’s LPGA Tour circuit. These include 7 Slam trophies: Us Women’s Open (1995, 1996), Kraft Nabisco Championship (2001, 2002, 2005), McDonald’s LPGA Championship (2003) and Weetabix Women’s British Open (2003).
She is considered the best player in the history of women’s golf. In 2001 she achieved 30 records, including the best average ever (69.42). In the same year, she broke the record for her own prizes by exceeding $ 2 million; she then tweaked this performance over the next few years, up to a new record of $ 2,863,904.
Other records of 2001 were the 4 wins in a row on the LPGA tour and the 59 hits in a single lap. In 2002, she set the record for 13 titles in one season, equaling Mickey Wright (1964). She retired from professionalism in 2008: in all her career she has won a prize pool of 16.5 million dollars and she only needs one trophy to reach Patty Berg, the founder of the LPGA, in 60 tournaments.
In 1995 she was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, the prize awarded by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper to the best Swedish sportsman of the year. In 2021, after 13 years of inactivity, she returns to compete by taking part in the Gainbridge Championship, the official event of the LPGA Tour, from 25 to 28 February in the city of Orlando.
