ANNIKA Blog

As Annika's Due Date Draws Near, Here's Her Progress So Far!

Annika Question And Answer (Week Ending 6-28-09)

Is there something you'd like to know about Annika?  Got a burning question that you'd like answered?

Here's your chance to get the scoop straight from Annika herself!  Each Monday, we'll place a new version of this post on the blog.  During that week, you're welcome to leave questions for Annika in the comments section.  At the end of each week, we'll collect those questions and Annika will offer answers to selected ones.  Those questions and answers will appear in a section on the left sidebar entitled "Annika Q&A".

City Slickers....

It’s not often that Mike and I spend a weekend in Manhattan, NY. It’s also not that often that we have a quiet Saturday together. Now we have both!

We arrived yesterday afternoon from Orlando and checked into the hotel. We are staying at the historic Jumeirah Essex House, courtesy of our friends in Dubai.

We unpacked and freshened up before we met a friend for dinner. It was casual and relaxed, but we still managed to cover some business.  After that we took a walk around central park and absorbed the NY atmosphere. As you know, it’s vibrant city and when the weather is clear, everybody is out with the action going all night. Unfortunately, that is way too late for us now days.

This morning we caught up with another friend of mine for breakfast.  Again, it was nice to relax and get someone else’s perspective on our business endeavors.  Life after competitive golf is certainly different, but equally enjoyable! The agenda for the rest of the day is very casual. 

Right now we are enjoying the Open, and if the weather cooperates, we may stroll around 5thAvenue for some window shopping, or find a quaint little café and just enjoy the day off. Tomorrow it is back to work as I head out to Bethpage Black for an appearance with Lexus.  I look forward to it as I am not much of a city slicker and not used to time off……not to mention I love the competitive tournament atmosphere.

Golf's Potential "Dream Team"

This is a picture of golf's potential "Dream Team" just before they left the hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland to make their final presentation to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board for golf's inclusion in the 2016 Olympics.  Pictured from the left, "Chako Higuchi, LPGA of Japan President and World Golf Hall of Famer, Annika Sorenstam, a Global Ambassador in support of the International Golf Federation's effort, Peter Dawson, International Golf Federation Co-Secretary, Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive and International Golf Federation Executive Director, Colin Montgomerie, 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain, and Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR.

Good luck team!!

Grattis Anna….

What an incredible performance!  Congratulations on your first LPGA Major Championship!  I am very proud of your hard work and determination.  Way to go!

LPGA Championship Moving Day....

 Today is moving day at the McDonald's LPGA Championship.  Anna Nordqvist is playing well and has the lead at the halfway point.  I find myself pulling for her as she won a scholarship I created called the Annika Sorenstam Scholarship back in 2004.  She also visited my Academy earlier this year and I shared some insight as to what she can expect in her rookie year, and we discussed how we can help her as a member of the ANNIKA Team.  Needless to say, we want to wish her well in her quest to make a Major Championship her first LPGA victory.  I can speak from experience in saying that this is very possible if she stays in the moment and focuses on one shot at a time.  It's hard not to look ahead and think about winning, and there will be some extra nerves when Lorena makes her move, but Anna must think only about the next shot. 

On another note, we fly to Switzerland this evening, but really enjoyed our time here in Sweden. It has been a very busy week, but also very touching.  We had our final "event" today at BroBalsta Golf Club, where they opened the "Sorenstam Wall of Fame" (see photo) in honor of Charlotta and me. We grew up there riding our parents pull carts like a horse, diving for balls in the ponds, and eventually playing junior events.  We will show some photos of the room at a later date.

Have a great Saturday everyone.....be sure to follow my Twitter updates!

 

The ANNIKA Cup Guest Book

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ANNIKA Cup

The third annual ANNIKA Cup is in the books and it was another success. The “Red” team defeated the “Blue” team, but most importantly the girls experienced a fun couple days of competition, instruction, and camaraderie. Seeing them say goodbye and promise to keep in touch gave me a little tear. I would like to thank Callaway, Cutter & Buck, Bro Balsta Golf Club, and our other sponsors for their support. I would also like to thank my best friend, Maria, Katarina, and Henri for their coaching, and Eva and Charlotta with IMG for their help organizing. I hope these photos express the memories we created.

Question And Answer With Annika (W/E 6-01-09)

Is there something you'd like to know about Annika?  Got a burning question that you'd like answered?

Here's your chance to get the scoop straight from Annika herself!  Each Monday, we'll place a new version of this post on the blog.  During that week, you're welcome to leave questions for Annika in the comments section.  At the end of each week, we'll collect those questions and Annika will offer answers to selected ones.  Those questions and answers will appear in a section on the left sidebar entitled "Annika Q&A".

Academy Featured on NYTimes.com

Click here to view the third and final video from NY Times writer Bill Pennington's trip to the ANNIKA Academy. 

Enjoy!