ChAmpionShipS mediA GUide - USGA

10 Bob Jones Award
Annika Sorenstam, universally regarded as one of the most
dominant players in the history of women’s golf, was the recipient
of the United States Golf Association’s 2012 Bob Jones
Award.
The USGA’s highest honor has been presented annually since
1955 in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The
Award seeks to recognize a person who emulates Jones’ spirit,
his personal qualities and his attitude toward the game and its
players.
“Annika has consistently exhibited the specific character trait –
distinguished sportsmanship – that the Bob Jones Award was
established to recognize, and has done so while achieving a
level of success that few have equaled,” said USGA President
Jim Hyler. “It is not only the number of tournaments that she
won during her incredible career, but the way she conducted
herself, always gracious in victory and defeat, always respectful
of her opponents and the game itself.”
In 2008, Sorenstam was named an Ambassador of the United
States Golf Association, a role in which she helps the USGA
make the game more accessible to players of all skill levels.
She has helped the USGA educate golfers through a series of
“Play by the Rules” video vignettes and served as the honorary
chairman for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor
in Colorado Springs, Colo.
In 2009, she was named a Global Ambassador by the
International Golf Federation, and she supported the successful
effort to have golf added to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
de Janeiro. She dedicates much of her time to the ANNIKA
Foundation, which she started in 2007 as a way to teach children
the importance of embracing a healthy, active lifestyle
through fitness and nutrition, and offer aspiring junior golfers
opportunities to pursue their dreams. The Foundation has
partnered with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA)
to establish the Annika Invitational, an annual tournament for
the top 72 female junior golfers, and the ANNIKA Invitational
at Mission Hills, Asia’s first all-girls junior tournament. In 2011
the Foundation partnered with The First Tee and the Florida
Hospital to create Nine Healthy Habits, a school curriculum
that promotes kids living a healthy, active lifestyle.
“It is truly an honor to receive the prestigious Bob Jones Award
from the USGA, as the past recipients are some of the greatest
names in the history of the game,” said Sorenstam. “He is
known for his character and I have always tried to pride myself
on being respectful to others both on and off the course.
Though I am no longer competing, I appreciate the USGA
recognizing our hard work and I will continue to try to grow
and promote the game through many foundation initiatives.”
The 2012 Bob Jones Award
Sorenstam, who began playing golf at the age of 12, enjoyed
a successful amateur career that included the 1991 NCAA
Division I individual title and a runner-up finish at the 1992
U.S. Women’s Amateur. She was a member of the Swedish
Team that won the 1992 Women’s World Amateur Team
Championship shortly before she turned professional.
During her 15-year career, Sorenstam earned 90 professional
worldwide victories, including 72 on the LPGA Tour, 10 of
which are major championships, including the 1995, 1996 and
2006 U.S. Women’s Open titles. She earned a record eight
Rolex LPGA Player-of-the-Year awards, a record-tying eight
money list titles and six Vare Trophies for the lowest scoring
average. She played on eight European Solheim Cup Teams
and served as an assistant captain for the victorious European
Solheim Cup Team in 2011. At the LPGA’s 2001 Standard
Register PING tournament, she became the first woman to
shoot 59 in a professional round, and in 2003 she became the
first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event since 1945 when
she played in the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sorenstam was inducted into the LPGA and World Golf Halls
of Fame in 2003. Among the many honors she has received
was the 2003 Patty Berg Award, which recognizes contributions
to women’s golf. She was named the Associated Press
Female Athlete of the Year three times, in 2003, 2004 and
2005. She was named the Female Player of the Year eight times
by the Golf Writers Association of America.
Sorenstam stepped away from professional golf after the
2008 season to focus on her family and the ANNIKA brand of
businesses, which include the ANNIKA Academy, ANNIKA
Financial Group, ANNIKA Course Design, the ANNIKA
Collection of apparel with Cutter & Buck, signature high-end
wines with Wente Vineyards and an online retail shop, shopannika.com.
Sorenstam and her husband, Mike McGee, live in
Florida with their two young children, Ava and Will.