LPGA all-time Great Annika Sorenstam to tee it up at 25th American Century Championship

Move over guys. The competition at this year's 25th Anniversary American Century Championship will dramatically alter July 15-20 with the addition of LPGA great Annika Sorenstam.

LPGA great, Annika Sorenstam, will take on the men at the 25th Annual American Century Championship.

The legendary golf superstar, winner of 89 international tournaments and over $22 million, is one of the most successful players in history. A part-time resident of Lake Tahoe and mother of two, Sorenstam will play on even terms with pro athletes in the nationally televised, 54-hole, $600,000 competition at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

She is considered the greatest female golfer of her generation, and often regarded as the best of all time. During her 15-year Hall of Fame career, she rewrote the LPGA and Ladies European Tour record books, won countless awards, and changed the way women’s golf was played, viewed and covered. 

Her record-breaking achievements include eight Rolex Player of the Year awards, six Vare Trophies (recognizing the year’s lowest scoring average, including one for the lowest ever recorded, 68,69, 69 in 2004), and is the only female to break 60 in an official event. This feat earned her the nickname, “Ms. 59.”

Sorenstam, 43, is 11 years removed from her memorable international foray onto the men’s PGA Tour at the 2003 Colonial Open in Fort Worth, Texas. Under the media spotlight, she went toe to toe with the best players in the world, missing the cut by three strokes and earning global respect for taking the unprecedented challenge. Sorenstam retired in 2008 and her last tournament came in that season’s year-end ADT Championship.

Sorenstam is listed at 2-1 atop the odds posted this week from the Harrah’s/HarveysLake Tahoe Race & Sports Book.

  

In her only foray at Edgewood Tahoe in 2004, Sorenstam joined Michael Jordan, Donald Trump and Ahmad Rashad on the back nine during a practice round. She shot a 3-under 33 from the Blue (Men’s) tees on a course she had never played.

“I have played the course before. The location is amazing. It’s kind of a narrow golf course and I don’t think the distance is going to be (a big factor),” she said. “My biggest thing nowadays is probably my accuracy on the smaller greens.  I’m going to try to stay focused on golf and not the beautiful view.”

Since retiring from the LPGA tour, Sorenstam has spent time with family and new business ventures. She created the ANNIKA brand, which includes a line of high-end female golf apparel and established the ANNIKA Academy, a state-of-the-art teaching facility near Orlando, Fla. She also created the Annika Foundation, which teaches children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition and offers aspiring junior golfers the opportunities to pursue their dreams. 

NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network will televise all three rounds of the tournament live.