Annika Sorenstam enjoying the journey ahead of 77th U.S. Women’s Open

Don’t call it a comeback when 10-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam tees it up in the 77th U.S. Women’s Open next month.

“This is not really my bread and butter anymore,” the 51-year-old mother of two told media earlier this month at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Resort, which will host the USGA championship June 2-5 for a record fourth time and is site of Sorenstam’s second USWO title in 2006.

“It’s more just going out and having a good time, so I don’t feel any pressure. Memories come back. When you get a little older, you think about the journey more than the destination.”

That journey is the subject of a new documentary, “Becoming Annika,” which premieres Tuesday, May 10, on Golf Channel. Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank narrates the film, which offers a look back at Sorenstam’s beginnings as a junior golfer in Sweden to her collegiate campaign at Arizona and her prolific, 72-win LPGA career. The documentary was produced by NBC Sports in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA). 

Among highlights in the film – and her career – is Sorenstam’s record-setting performance at the 2001 Standard Register Ping, where she became the first (and remains the only) woman to shoot a 59 in competition. She finished the 2001 season with eight wins, kicking off a five-year stretch where she won 46 of the 124 LPGA events that she competed in through 2006.

Two seasons later, Sorenstam became the first to woman in nearly 60 years to play against the men in a sanctioned PGA Tour event, teeing it up at the Colonial in 2003. Her presence drew criticism from players, including Tiger Woods, who said, “If she goes out there and puts up two high scores, then I think it’s going to be more