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Join Annika Sunday, August 2nd, on this blog for a live Q&A during television coverage of the final round of the Ricoh Women's British Open.
We'll have a special post up and running Sunday afternoon and Annika will be taking questions and providing answers in the comment section of that post. This will take place from 1pm EST - 3pm EST, coinciding with live television coverage on ABC.
So set your television timer, bookmark the blog and join in the conversation on Sunday!
Good morning. I would like to thank our good friend “Annika the
Cat” and her business partner Benee Scola for sponsoring the ANNIKA Experience
at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. Benee Scola & Company is a Real estate
company based on Long Beach Island and they will be our “Presenting Sponsor.”
Benee and ATC have been good friends of the Academy, my Foundation, and also the blog. We appreciate the support and look forward to helping kids live a healthy active lifestyle through nutrition and physical fitness.
Thanks a lot ladies! Go ATC and Benee!
For information on the event in October, visit www.annikafoundation.org
LPGA Names Evans as Acting Commissioner Following Bivens’ Resignation;
LPGA Legend Annika Sorenstam appointed Advisor to the Board of Directors
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 13, 2009 – Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Board of Directors Chairman Dawn Hudson announced today that Rear Admiral Marsha J. Evans, U.S. Navy (retired) and a member of the LPGA Board of Directors, will serve as the player association’s Acting Commissioner effective immediately.
The move follows the resignation of Commissioner Carolyn Bivens, also announced today. The association has embarked on a search for a full-time Commissioner and made several changes within the leadership structure of the organization, including the appointment of LPGA player legend Annika Sorenstam as Advisor to the LPGA Board of Directors.
“We’ll soon have in place a Commissioner to lead us into 2010 and beyond, but until then, it’s important that we immediately appoint an Acting Commissioner whom we know and trust,” Hudson said. “As a Board of players and independent directors, we wanted an Acting Commissioner with experience leading large organization, one who appreciates and listens to our player members and tournament owners, understands sponsors and their challenges and needs, and has a track record that commands respect. We’re pleased that Marty Evans will be our Acting Commissioner, as she fits all the criteria necessary during these challenging economic times for sports leagues.”
“We respect Carolyn’s decision to resign since she has led this organization professionally and passionately the past four years,” said LPGA Board of Directors President Michelle Ellis. “We appreciate the unwavering commitment that she provided the LPGA, and during her four years, Carolyn accomplished a great deal for the LPGA and its player members.”
During her tenure starting in 2005, Bivens acquired and integrated the Duramed FUTURES Tour, a burgeoning developmental Tour, into the LPGA; secured ownership of a Major, the LPGA Championship; upgraded the quality of the courses on which LPGA players compete; introduced the first drug-testing program in professional golf; secured a landmark five-year TV rights agreement with South Korea’s J Golf which includes a new tournament in southern California starting in 2010; and secured a ten-year partnership from 2010-2019 with the Golf Channel, creating a dependable viewing schedule for LPGA events.
“The LPGA is a special organization comprised of great players, teachers and fans with a rich history,” Bivens said. “I love the LPGA and have been proud to serve as its Commissioner for the last four years. I am also proud of what the LPGA has accomplished during my tenure. My job was to be a change agent, to help move the LPGA into the strongest possible position to ensure its future. Those changes were only possible because the members are dynamic women who provide great value to our sponsors and tournaments. We also have a talented and dedicated staff supported by an engaged board that worked closely together to make progress. “It is time to turn this organization over to someone who can build on the solid foundation we’ve established. I wish the LPGA and its members nothing but fairways and greens as it enters its 60th year.”
Evans has a distinguished background that includes a nearly 30-year career with the U.S. Navy, where she rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. She also has served in top leadership positions with the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts of the USA. She served on the LPGA Commissioner’s Advisory Council in 2007-2008, and began serving on the LPGA Board this year. “It is an honor to have been selected to serve in the role of Acting Commissioner pending the selection of the Association’s next Commissioner,” Evans said. “We look forward to making progress on completing negotiations for the 2010 schedule and build on the impressive work of Commissioner Bivens to execute the Association’s long-range strategic plan.”
The Executive Search Committee will be led by LPGA Board member Leslie Greis and joined by Board members Juli Inkster, Helen Alfredsson and Bill Morton. Their work will be supplemented by the full Board of Directors and renowned executive search firm Spencer Stuart. Hudson also announced several other changes within the LPGA. Sorenstam, one of the LPGA’s legendary players who retired last year and has embarked on her own business ventures, will serve as Advisor to the Board of Directors, assisting the association with on-going discussions with tournaments and sponsors.
“Obviously, I will do everything possible to ensure that the LPGA remains the pre-eminent women’s sports association in the world,” Sorenstam said. “I’m committed to getting up to speed quickly on the challenges facing the Board right now, and will assist the LPGA in a number of ways both immediately and long-term.”
Zayra Calderon, the LPGA’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Tournament Development & Worldwide Sales. She now will assume responsibility for all tournament business affairs, working closely with tournament owners and title sponsors to secure renewals and new tournaments and sponsors for the LPGA. She will retain her responsibilities with the Duramed FUTURES Tour.
Additionally, Bill Susetka, who recently retired from the LPGA as its full-time Chief Marketing Officer, has been nominated to fill Evans’ position on the Board of Directors. “The LPGA Tour has a bright future thanks to its appealing fan- and sponsor-friendly players, world-class sporting events, and stability as a women’s organization that was founded 59 years ago,” Hudson said. “The community and charity outreach of the LPGA players and tournaments remains imbedded in the organization’s DNA, and the LPGA boasts impressive domestic and global strength due to its membership make-up and media reach. We anticipate great things for the LPGA in the months and years ahead.”
I think we have an exciting leader board this year with a mix of international players, experienced major winners and rookies within striking distance.
I will be tuning in to the coverage this afternoon and if you have any thoughts for me, please log on to my blog and post a question and I will try to answer them live.
Growing up in Sweden, I always dreamed of one day hoisting the U.S. Women's Open trophy. I would imagine myself sinking a putt on the final hole to win the championship, and I practiced that winning putt many times by myself on the putting green at Bro Balsta Golf Club.
Never could I have imagined I'd cradle that trophy so soon. Not just once, but twice. In my first Open appearance in 1995 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, you could say that I shocked everyone – including myself – by making my first LPGA Tour victory a major. I remember thinking, 'Where do I go from here? This is our biggest championship! Then in 1996 at Pine Needles I repeated as champion. I was so in “the zone” that I hardly remember a thing there. I was just on automatic. Then a funny thing happened on the way to my third U.S. Open title: It took FOREVER. Ten years, to be exact.
I guess due to my early success, I thought I had the game and confidence to win my favorite championship many times, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to get my third. As I became a better player, my expectations grew even more. I had the chance to win several times, but it just didn't happen. I was very close two or three times – a shot here and a shot there – but I just didn’t get it done. I guess when you want something too badly, it becomes that much more difficult to attain.
What does it take to win a U.S. Open? Aside from the obvious ball striking and handling very quick greens, it takes a lot of patience, consistency, and the ability to take it one shot at a time. I started thinking about the trophy on Thursday, which was a mistake. I also thought I had to play perfectly, because the conditions were so tough and every shot had to be just right. I pushed a little harder, forced some shots and ran out of patience, instead of just letting it happen.
When I finally did win again in 2006 at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, it was probably because I put less pressure on myself. There was my neck injury, which I didn't know was so serious at the time but nearly forced me to withdraw. Luckily, the fog delays gave me time to recover, get therapy, and practice with my coach Henri Reis. It was a very difficult week, and a really tough golf course, so I didn't push myself as hard. Eventually things started to come together and the next thing I knew, I was in contention. That is when my natural instincts took over and I was able to close the deal by being patient.
I think preparation will be a big key this week. Very few of the players in the field have probably ever played Saucon Valley, but that doesn't mean they should prepare any differently than they would for any other venue or tournament. Because it's the U.S. Open, it's easy to get carried away and do things 10 times over. At most LPGA tournaments, if you show up on Monday you won't see very many players out there grinding. But a Monday at the U.S. Women's Open? It's packed. You can hardly get a practice round time. Granted, for some qualifiers, they want to make the most of their big week. I understand that, but the regular LPGA players, I would prepare as if it were any other tournament.
There have been a few occasions where I did show up early -- sometimes a full week in advance-- to check out a course in preparation for a major. And every time I did so, I didn't play very well. I remember going over to Scotland a week earlier than normal in 2002 to get a look at Turnberry and get accustomed to the time difference and everything. The Monday before the Women's British Open, I shot something like seven under at Turnberry. Then I came out and missed the cut. Explain that!
On the other hand, there have been tournaments I played in the U.S. where I arrived late due to sponsor commitments and didn’t even get in a full practice round. I showed up, my caddie Terry [McNamara] told me where to hit it, and I won. Again, maybe my expectations were lower and I didn't try as hard, but I learned from those moments to not overdo it.
Therefore, if I had any advice for the girls this week at Saucon Valley, it would be to lower their expectations some, stay patient, and take it one shot at a time. You've got to stick to your routines and stay in the present. It sounds like a cliché, but if you start looking ahead you're only asking for trouble.
One player to keep an eye on this week is a fellow Swede, Anna Nordqvist, winner of the McDonald's LPGA Championship last month. I first met Anna in 2004 when she won a scholarship that the Swedish Golf Federation and I created called the Annika Sorenstam Scholarship. As part of my Foundation, each year, the Federation and I pick the most promising girl and boy from Sweden, and bring them here to the States for one week to experience an LPGA event, practice with me, and also visit a few colleges. Anna came to the Phoenix tournament and, funnily enough, she wound up choosing Arizona State. (I went to their in-state rival, the University of Arizona.) Oh well.
What's most impressive about Anna is that she won her first major after only playing in a handful of LPGA events. I had the benefit of playing a lot more tournaments before I won the U.S. Open in '95. I wasn't a very long hitter when I first came out on Tour and neither is Anna, but she's very solid. She has good fundamentals, and she's a grinder. That's what I like about her. She's also not afraid to ask questions. She's got a good head on her shoulders and it shows in her game. It's that consistency that's going to take her a long way.
-Annika
This column also appears on The Golf Channel.com
Greetings from Lake Tahoe. This is the view off of our deck as I type. I must say that it never gets old!
I just want to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! The three of us are doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather. Tomorrow we will join some friends on the lake and then watch the fireworks. I would also like to thank all of our troops past and present who enable us to celebrate this holiday!!
Have a good one!
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