ANNIKA SORENSTAM
Annika Sorenstam serves as an 18th hole golf analyst at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. With golf’s return to the Olympics after a more than 100-year absence, Rio is Sorenstam’ first assignment with NBC Olympics.
Sorenstam currently serves as a guest each Thursday on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. 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. She amassed 89 worldwide victories, including 72 on the LPGA, ten of which are Major Championships. Annika was the first and only female to cross the $20 million mark for LPGA career earnings and her total of over $22 million is nearly $6 million more than the next closest competitor. Annika was the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year from 2003-2005, and the Golf Writers Association of America Female Athlete of the Year in 1995, 1997, and from 2000-2005.
Annika stepped away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season to further pursue a family and the ANNIKA brand of businesses. She authored her second book Golf Annika’s Way and partnered with Cutter & Buck to develop the ANNIKA Collection, her very own high-end female golf apparel line.
In 2008, along with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Annika was named the “Most Caring Athlete” by USA Weekend Magazine. That same year Annika joined Arnold Palmer as only the second ever Ambassador of the United States Golf Association with the goal of making the game of golf more accessible and more relevant to players of all skill levels. In 2009, along with Jack Nicklaus, she was named a Global Ambassador by the International Golf Federation and helped them successfully get golf into the 2016 Olympic Games.
Annika resides in Orlando, Fla. with her husband and two children.
@ANNIKA59
