The Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open was a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT). The first LET event held in China , it was played at the Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club in Shanghai . The 54-hole tournament was founded in 2008 , and was held until 2013.
102-515: The inaugural event was won by Annika Sörenstam , and having retired from professional golf at the end of the season, it turned out to be her last victory. 31°22′10″N 120°39′31″E / 31.3695°N 120.6585°E / 31.3695; 120.6585 This article on a golf tournament is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Annika S%C3%B6renstam Annika Charlotta Sörenstam ( pronounced [ˈǎnːɪka ˈsœ̂ːrɛnˌstam] ; born 9 October 1970)
204-696: A 60% interest in Ryder Cup Europe, with each of its junior partners holding 20%. In June 2023, it was announced that the PGA Tour , LIV Golf and the European Tour would merge under a single organisation. Professional golf began in Europe, specifically in Scotland. The first professionals were clubmakers and greenkeepers who also taught golf to the wealthy men who could afford to play the game (early handmade equipment
306-592: A 9-hole course. At the age of 12, Annika shared her first set of golf clubs with her sister. Annika got the odd numbered clubs and Charlotta the even - and earned her first handicap of 54. At the European Tour tournament Scandinavian Enterprise Open in Stockholm in July 1986, she tried to be a volunteer caddie and was asked to stand in a line with all other candidates. When all male volunteer caddies finally had been chosen by
408-451: A Swedish European Team captain, this time Carin Koch . Two controversies with Sörenstam involved, given a lot of public attention, occurred during the match. The second day afternoon four-ball match between Suzann Pettersen and Charley Hull for Europe against Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome , United States, was all square, when Lee missed a putt to win the 17th hole. Taking for granted that
510-491: A bonus. The bonus pool was increased to $ 5 million in 2014 with the top 15 players earning part of the pool. 2019 saw further changes: in 2018 the top 10 finishers on the Race to Dubai shared the bonus pool of $ 5 million, but as of 2019 the sum was split between only the leading five finishers. Whoever topped the standings received an additional $ 2 million compared with the $ 1.25 million won by Francesco Molinari in 2018. In addition,
612-556: A career grand slam, winning, at least once in her career, each of the four tournaments recognized as major championships during the main part of her career. In 2003, Sörenstam played in the Bank of America Colonial tournament to become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since 1945. Representing Europe in the Solheim Cup on eight occasions between 1994 and 2007, Sörenstam was the event's all-time leading points earner until her record
714-455: A decade after winning bidding, and guaranteed the purses for those tour events. Since 2000, with the exception of 2012, the season has actually started late in the previous calendar year, but the seasons are still named by calendar year, rather than for example 2005–06, which would reflect the actual span of play. All of the events up until late March take place outside Europe, with most of these being co-sanctioned with other tours. From then on,
816-621: A formal organised tour, which later became known as the PGA Tour , had been administered by the PGA of America since the 1930s. However even into the 1960s and 1970s, the majority of tournaments in Europe were still organised separately by the host golf club or association, or a commercial promoter. In 1972 The Professional Golfers' Association created an integrated "European tour" with the inclusion of eight major tournaments in Continental Europe on their Order of Merit schedule. These tournaments were
918-479: A great deal of difference to the end-of-season rankings. The following year, in 1999, the World Golf Championships were established with the three individual tournaments, also offering substantially more prize money than most European events, added to the European Tour schedule. Since the minimum number of events that a player must play to retain membership of the European Tour was eleven, the addition of
1020-710: A personal assistant at the Swedish PGA and played on the Swedish Golf Tour , winning three tournaments during 1990/1991. After a coach spotted Sörenstam playing in a collegiate event in Tokyo , she moved to the U.S. to play college golf at the University of Arizona in Tucson . She won seven collegiate titles and in 1991, became the first non-American and first freshman to win the individual NCAA Division I Championship . Sörenstam
1122-557: A points system and money earned. Each year the PGA would determine which tournaments were to be included for the Order of Merit. By the post- World War II period prize money was becoming more significant, with sponsors being attracted by the introduction of television coverage, and as such it was becoming more feasible for professional golfers to make a living by playing alone. In the United States
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#17330846090121224-590: A position she relinquished to Lorena Ochoa on 22 April 2007 . In partnership with Liselotte Neumann in team Sweden, she won the Women's World Cup of Golf , opened her LPGA season with a defence of her title in the MasterCard Classic . She then went winless in eight starts, causing some to talk of a slump. Her winning drought ended at the U.S. Women's Open , where she won an 18-hole playoff over Pat Hurst for her tenth major championship title, tying her for third on
1326-509: A share. This system continued until 1998, after which renewed emphasis was placed on maximising prize money in individual tournaments. In 1989, the tour visited Asia for the first time for the Dubai Desert Classic . By 1990, there were 38 events on the schedule, including 37 in Europe, and the start of the season had moved up to February. A first visit to East Asia for the Tour occurred at
1428-449: A strong American come-back the last day, said to have been inspired by the incident with the not conceded putt. Sörenstam was appointed captain of the 2017 European Solhem Cup team. The match, played at Des Moines Golf and Country Club , Iowa , United States, was won by the U.S. team 16 1 ⁄ 2 –11 1 ⁄ 2 . After turning 50 in October 2020, Sörenstam became eligible for
1530-551: A tie for second at the Women's British Open and made her Solheim Cup debut. Her breakout year was 1995 , when she won her first LPGA Tour title at the U.S. Women's Open . She finished at the top of the Money List and was the first non-American winner of the Vare Trophy . She became the second player ever to be Player of the Year and Vare Trophy winner the year after being Rookie of
1632-551: A tournament committee of 14 current players. The Chairman of the Board is Eric Nicoli , who replaced David Williams in 2023. The chairman of the tournament committee is David Howell . The PGA European Tour is the lead partner in Ryder Cup Europe, a joint venture also including the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland and PGA of Europe that operates the Ryder Cup Matches in cooperation with the PGA of America . The PGA European Tour has
1734-454: A win in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open . The winner of a record eight Player of the Year awards, and six Vare Trophies given to the LPGA player with the lowest seasonal scoring average, she still holds various all-time scoring records including the lowest season scoring average: 68.6969 in 2004. Sörenstam is the only female golfer to shoot a 59 in competition. On 7 January 2021, she received
1836-415: A woman. Cheered through each hole, she shot five over par, tying for 96th out of the 111 who finished the first two rounds. After shooting 1-over-par 71 in the first round, finishing in 73rd and on pace to challenge for a weekend spot, Sörenstam said she was nervous all day but pleased by her performance. In the first round she led the field in driving accuracy, was in the top 20 in greens in regulation, and
1938-416: Is a Swedish professional golfer regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 96 international professional tournaments, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and 24 other tournaments internationally. In 2003, she achieved
2040-565: Is substantially higher. There is also much more variation in prize funds between tournaments on the European Tour than on the PGA Tour. Even though the prize funds of many European Tour events have increased rapidly since the late 1990s, especially with the introduction of the Race to Dubai and the Rolex Series , on occasion the European Tour has failed to attract as many leading players to its events as in
2142-636: The 2013 Solheim Cup at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado , United States, Sörenstam participated as a non-playing assistant captain, selected by European Team captain Liselotte Neumann. During the match, the Americans accused Sörenstam of telling a European caddie that European player Jodi Ewart Shadoff should concede a putt for par to Paula Creamer , so it could not show teammate Lexi Thompson
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#17330846090122244-715: The ANNIKA Invitational Europe , an annual amateur golf tournament in Sweden for European girls under 18. The tournament is a qualifying event for the European team in the Junior Solheim Cup since 2015 and has been rated up to level "A" in the World Amateur Golf Ranking . In 2014, the LPGA established the yearly Rolex Annika Major Award , named after Sörenstam, to recognize the overall best performance in
2346-669: The DP World Tour Championship, Dubai was cut to the top 50 golfers on the Race to Dubai list, the prize fund was kept at $ 8 million but the winner's share was increased to $ 3 million. This was designed to increase interest and player participation in the event. In November 2021, the Race to Dubai was renamed the DP World Tour Rankings in line with the tour being retitled as the DP World Tour. However, in November 2022,
2448-720: The European Senior Tour (for players aged 50 or older) and the developmental Challenge Tour ; the second tier of men's professional golf in Europe. The tour's headquarters are at the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water , Surrey , England. The European Tour was established by the British-based Professional Golfers' Association through the 1970s, and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984. Most tournaments on
2550-856: The French Open , which was first included in 1970; the Italian , Spanish , German and Swiss Opens, which were included in 1971; and the Dutch Open , the Madrid Open and the Lancia d'Oro tournament, which were included for the first time. As such the 1972 season is now officially recognised as the first season of the PGA European Tour. For several years, the British PGA and continental circuits continued to run separately, each with their own Order of Merit. Following
2652-553: The HSBC Champions , previously a European Tour event co-sanctioned by three other tours, to World Golf Championships status. The minimum increased to 13 in 2011, but beginning in 2013 team events such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup were allowed to count towards the minimum. In 2016 the 13-event minimum was changed to five events, not counting the four majors and four WGCs; while this change did not affect players eligible for all
2754-711: The JLPGA and defended her home LET title at the renamed Compaq Open. She became the first player in LPGA history to finish a season with a sub-70 scoring average of 69.99 en route to retaining the 1998 Player of the Year and Money List titles as well as winning the LET Swedish tour stop for the third time running. September 1999 saw Sörenstam change her on-course team replacing her caddie of six years, Colin Cann, with Terry McNamara. At this point in her career, Sörenstam says she lost focus having reached her biggest goals. Karrie Webb became
2856-614: The Kraft Nabisco Championship she shot her highest 72-hole score in a major in nine years, a result explained by her subsequent diagnosis with ruptured and bulging discs in her neck, the first major injury in Sörenstam's 13-year LPGA career. After a two-month injury rehabilitation break, Sörenstam returned as the Ginn Tribute tournament hostess where she admitted to being at only 85% fitness and finished tied for 36th place. She
2958-673: The PGA Tour of Australasia in 1996, and most extensively to the Asian Tour . In 1998, the European Tour added the three U.S. majors – the Masters Tournament , the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open – to its official schedule. The leading European Tour players had all been competing in them for many years, but now their prize money counted towards the Order of Merit (a year later for the Masters Tournament), which sometimes made
3060-554: The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump . She was born in Bro near Stockholm , Sweden . Sörenstam's father Tom was an IBM executive and her mother Gunilla worked in a bank. Her younger sister Charlotta also became a professional golfer and LPGA Tour winner, and, after her playing career, coached at her sister's academy. Annika and Charlotta Sörenstam became the first two sisters to both win $ 1 million on
3162-491: The Trygg Hansa Ladies' Open in Sweden and three LPGA tournaments including the U.S. Women's Open . In defending her title, she became the first non-American to win back to back U.S. Women's Open titles, passed the $ 1 million mark in LPGA career earnings, and won her second consecutive Vare Trophy. She won six tour events in 1997 , regaining the money list and player of the year titles. Internationally, she won on
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3264-689: The Vardon Trophy awarded by the PGA of America . The table below shows the top 10 career money leaders on the European Tour. Due to increases in prize money over the years, it is dominated by current players. The figures are not the players' complete career earnings as most of them have earned millions more on other tours (especially the PGA Tour) or from non-tour events. In addition, elite golfers often earn several times as much from endorsements and golf-related business interests as they do from prize money. As of 10 December 2023. The European Tour Golfer of
3366-606: The $ 2 million mark in single-season earnings. She set or tied a total of 30 LPGA records en route to regaining the Vare Trophy and winning her fourth Player of the Year and Money List titles in 2001. In a made-for-TV alternate shot competition between the two best male and female players in the world, Sörenstam and Tiger Woods beat Karrie Webb and David Duval . At the end of that season Karrie Webb said she "would eat her hat" if Sörenstam repeated her eight wins in 2002. Sörenstam accomplished that feat, joining Mickey Wright as
3468-538: The 1992 Johnnie Walker Classic in Bangkok. This has since proven to be one of the most notable initiatives in the history of the tour, as East Asia is becoming almost its second home. Shortly afterwards the tour also made its debut in the former Soviet Bloc at the 1994 Czech Open , but much less has come of this development as participation in golf in the former Soviet region remains low and sponsors there are unable to compete financially with their Western European rivals for
3570-552: The 2003 Golf Writers' Trophy by the Association of Golf Writers. Sörenstam's dominance continued in 2004 with her seventh LPGA Player of the Year award tying Kathy Whitworth for the most in LPGA history. She posted 16 top-10 finishes in 18 LPGA starts, including eight wins, had two additional international wins, became the first player to reach $ 15 million in LPGA career earnings and took her own LPGA single-season scoring average record to 68.69696, but played too few rounds to win
3672-469: The 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open . It was played at Brooklawn Country Club , Fairfield, Connecticut and Sörenstam won by 8 shots, ahead of fellow countrywoman Liselotte Neumann after leading the tournament wire to wire, with her husband Mike McGee as her caddie. Ahead of the Senior Open, she played her first LPGA Tour event since 2008, finishing 74th at the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio . Her win at
3774-517: The 36-hole final. Sörenstam turned professional in 1992, but missed her LPGA Tour card at the final qualifying tournament by one shot, and began her professional career on the Ladies European Tour (LET), formerly known as the WPGET. She was invited to play in three LPGA Tour events in 1993 , where she finished T38th, 4th, and T9th, earning more than $ 47,000. She finished second four times on
3876-719: The ANNIKA brand with the brand statement "Share my Passion". They are all promoted by her website on which there is a blog to which she and her staff regularly contribute. European Tour The European Tour , currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group , is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe . The organisation also operates
3978-417: The European Tour loses money in non-Ryder Cup years, makes a tidy profit in years the event is played in the United States (where the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, owns the event and reaps the majority of the income), and then hits the lottery in years the tournament is staged in Europe. Earlier this year, Golfweek reported that the European Tour made more than 14 million pounds in pre-tax profit in 2010,
4080-524: The Golf Writers' Trophy twice in the 55-year history of European golf's most prestigious award. Having previously won six Best Female Golfer ESPY Awards (1996, 1998–99, 2002–04), Sörenstam also received the 2005 ESPY Award as Best Female Athlete When the first-ever official Women's World Golf Rankings were unveiled in February 2006 , Sörenstam was confirmed as the number-one player in women's golf,
4182-451: The Hall of Fame through the LPGA criteria. Having lost her preeminent position, Sörenstam embarked on a new five-day-a-week exercise program including weight-lifting and balance work which by 2003 added over 20 yards (18 m) to her driving distance. During the 2001 season, she had eight LPGA wins, became the only female golfer to shoot a 59 in competition and the first LPGA player to cross
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4284-588: The Hong Kong Open. The winner of the Race to Dubai also receives a ten-year European Tour exemption, while the winner of the Dubai World Championship receives a five-year exemption. The reduction in prize money, announced in September 2009, was due to the global economic downturn . In 2012, the bonus pool was reduced to $ 3.75 million with the winner getting $ 1 million and only the top 10 golfers getting
4386-702: The LPGA Tour was the season-ending ADT Championship in November, where she failed to make the weekend play in the event's unique playoff structure. Her final sanctioned LPGA appearance was as the winning captain of Team International at the 2008 Lexus Cup in Singapore. Her last professional tournament was the Dubai Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour in December 2008, where she finished tied for 7th. At
4488-532: The LPGA Tour. As a child, Sörenstam was a talented all-around athlete. She was a nationally ranked junior tennis player, played association football (soccer) in her hometown team Bro IK, and was such a good skier that the coach of the Swedish national ski team suggested the family move to northern Sweden to improve her skiing year round. The Sörenstam family began playing golf at Viksjö Golf Club in Jakobsberg , north of Stockholm, and later switched to nearby Bro-Bålsta Golf Club, opened in 1980, initially with
4590-470: The LPGA majors. Points are award for top-10 finishes in each major. The major winner with the most points at the end of the season wins the award. In February 2015, Sörenstam became one of seven women, invited as the first female honorary members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews . The other six women were HRH Princess Anne , Dame Laura Davies, Renee Powell , Belle Robertson , Lally Segard and Louise Suggs . On 2 December 2020, Sörenstam
4692-401: The Ladies European Tour and was 1993 Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year . By tying for 28th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament she earned non-exempt status for the 1994 season . Sörenstam's first professional win came at the 1994 Holden Women's Australian Open on the ALPG Tour . In the United States, Sörenstam was LPGA Rookie of the Year , had three top-10 finishes including
4794-425: The Ladies European Tour. On her return to the US, Sörenstam had three top ten finishes but missed the weekend at the season closing ADT Playoffs for the second year running. However, Sörenstam did win a worldwide title at the Dubai Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour in November 2007. Declaring herself recovered from injury and ready to return to a complete season of competitive golf in 2008, Sörenstam opened
4896-416: The PGA European Tour's three tours are held in Europe, but starting in the 1980s an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world; in 2015 a majority of the ranking events on the European Tour were held outside Europe, though this included both Majors and World Golf Championship events that are ranking events for multiple tours. Europe-based events are nearly all played in Western Europe , with
4998-414: The PGA Tour as a second step. When Continental Europe produced its first global golf stars in the 1970s, such as Seve Ballesteros , and especially when Europe began to notch wins over the United States in the Ryder Cup in the mid-1980s, there was widespread optimism about the future standing of the European Tour relative to the PGA Tour. This has ebbed away as leading players continued to base themselves in
5100-399: The PGA Tour's Bank of America Colonial golf tournament in Fort Worth , Texas , in May 2003 , making her the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias , who qualified for the 1945 Los Angeles Open . Vijay Singh , fourth in the world rankings at the time, criticised her invitation, saying that she should have to qualify like the men and that he did not want to be beaten by
5202-447: The Senior Open qualified her to play in the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, at which she missed the cut by shooting 13-over. In 1998, Sörenstam was awarded honorary member of the PGA of Sweden. In four years, 2005-2008, Sörenstam was host for a Ladies European Tour tournament in Sweden, Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika . She won the tournament twice herself during those years and another four times before that. In 2012, Sörenstam founded
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#17330846090125304-417: The United States and several major European countries, such as Germany and Italy, have not regularly produced high-ranked golfers, as was formerly anticipated. Nonetheless, the number of European countries which have produced winners on the European Tour and PGA Tour has increased, with notable golfing depth developing in the Scandinavian countries. However, since the late-1990s more young golfers from around
5406-457: The Vare Trophy. The Women's Sports Foundation gave her the 2004 Sportswoman of the Year Award, and the Laureus World Sports Academy named her World Sportswoman of the Year . She also released a combination autobiography and golf instructional book, Golf Annika's Way . Sörenstam's life both on and off the golf course changed in 2005 . In February, she announced that she had filed for divorce from David Esch, her husband of eight years, and this
5508-402: The Year was an award handed by a panel comprising members of the Association of Golf Writers and commentators from television and radio. The award was created in 1985 and lasted until 2020, when it merged with the Players' Player of the Year award in 2021. The European Tour Players' Player of the Year was inaugurated in 2008, with the winner being determined by a vote of tour members. In 2017
5610-427: The Year award. She competed against Fred Couples , Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara in the 2003 Skins Game , finishing second with five skins worth $ 225,000; Sörenstam holed a 39-yard (36 m) bunker shot on the ninth hole—the eighth eagle in Skins Game history. In September, she was part of the winning European Solheim Cup team in her native Sweden. She was awarded her second Jerringpriset award in Sweden plus
5712-489: The Year. A win at the 1995 Australian Ladies Masters and two other wins on the Ladies European Tour put her top of the LET Order of Merit and made her the first player to top both the European and LPGA Tour money lists in the same season. Her success worldwide resulted in her winning the Jerringpriset award in Sweden, as well as being awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal , the country's most prestigious award in sports. 1996 saw Sörenstam win her home LET tournament,
5814-421: The agreement, the PGA Tour acquired a 15% stake in European Tour Productions, the Scottish Open gained a new title sponsor and became co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour, and two regular PGA Tour tournaments also became co-sanctioned by the European Tour: the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship . There was also a new sponsor and increased prize fund for the Irish Open . In June 2022, in response to
5916-412: The award was renamed as the Seve Ballesteros Award in honour of the legendary Spanish golfer . From 2021 onwards, the Seve Ballesteros Award merged with the Golfer of the Year award, creating one singular honour voted for by the players. The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award is named after the English three-time Open Champion Sir Henry Cotton . Originally chosen by Henry Cotton himself,
6018-405: The best LPGA Tour player but Sörenstam still managed to win more LPGA tournaments than any other LPGA Tour player during the 1990s. She qualified for the World Golf Hall of Fame when she won the 2000 Welch's/Circle K Championship , but was not eligible for induction until finishing her tenth year on the LPGA tour in October 2003. Sörenstam was the first international player to be inducted into
6120-440: The conclusion of the 2008 season. That night, she threw out the first pitch of the Washington Nationals/New York Mets baseball game at Shea Stadium in New York and the following day read the Top Ten on the Late Show with David Letterman . Her last tournament victory came in a playoff at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open, an event co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the Ladies Asian Golf tour. Her last scheduled tournament on
6222-476: The crowd anyway she might as well win and the deliberate misses stopped. Her successful amateur career included a win in the St Rule Trophy played at St Andrews and a runner-up finish in the Swedish national mother/daughter Championship. As a member of the Swedish National Team from 1987 to 1992, she played in the 1990 and 1992 Espirito Santo Trophy , winning the individual competition in 1992. While waiting to start college in Sweden, Sörenstam worked as
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#17330846090126324-468: The emergence of LIV Golf , the tours announced that the PGA Tour were increasing their stake to 40% and further changes to the tour, including increased prize funds and leading players in the DP World Tour Rankings gaining PGA Tour cards for the following season. The European Tour is considered the second most important tour in men's golf, behind the United States–based PGA Tour , but retains significantly higher standing than other leading golf tours around
6426-417: The example set in the United States, and having been threatened with a breakaway, in 1975 the PGA agreed to amend their constitution giving the tournament side more autonomy with the formation of the Tournament Players Division . In 1977 the Tournament Players Division joined with the Continental Tournament Players Association to become the European Tournament Players Division , and the following year it
6528-430: The fifth major at the time, du Maurier Classic , which she won in 2001, the first year when it was not recognized as a major tournament anymore. She had won the Evian Masters twice, in 2000 and 2002, before it became recognized as the fifth major from 2013, which was after Sörenstam's retirement in 2008. She had five other victories worldwide in 2003, set or tied a total of 22 LPGA records and earned her sixth Player of
6630-514: The first woman vice-president of the Association of Golf Writers, following in the footsteps of Sir Michael Bonallack , Tony Jacklin , Bernhard Langer , Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. In October 2023, Sörenstam became, as the first LPGA player and one of few women, a member of Augusta National Golf Club . Sörenstam began the transition from professional golfer to entrepreneur during the later years of her career, attempting to combine golf, fitness and charitable works into various businesses under
6732-431: The following month, both through sponsor's exemptions on the main European Tour and on the developmental Challenge Tour. It is a route that has been successfully followed, most notably by multiple major winner Brooks Koepka . It has been claimed that the finances of the European Tour depend heavily on the Ryder Cup. Days before the start of the 2014 Ryder Cup , American golf journalist Bob Harig noted, In simple terms,
6834-420: The inaugural Lexus Cup was played with Sörenstam as the Captain of the victorious International Team. These events resulted in her receiving numerous awards. The Golf Writers Association of America named Sörenstam Female Player of the Year for the eighth time (1995,1997, 2000–2005), Associated Press voted her Female Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive year and she became the first woman to win
6936-406: The last time the Ryder Cup was staged in Europe. A year later, when there was no Ryder Cup, it lost more than 2.2 million pounds. Harig also added that the PGA European Tour extracts significant concessions from Ryder Cup venues. The owners of the 2006 and 2010 venues (respectively Sir Michael Smurfit and Sir Terry Matthews ) committed to hosting European Tour events at their venues for more than
7038-405: The limited number of slots available on the main tour each summer. However, the second-tier Challenge Tour has visited Central and Eastern Europe somewhat more frequently. In 1995, the European Tour began a policy of co-sanctioning tournaments with other PGA Tours , by endorsing the South African PGA Championship on the Southern African Tour (now the Sunshine Tour ). This policy was extended to
7140-404: The line for a coming putt. By the rules, only the captain was allowed to give advice to players during the competition. In the end, the 2013 match became an 18–10 triumph for the European team, winning on American soil for the first time and defending the cup for the first time. For the 2015 Solheim Cup at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot , Germany , Sörenstam again was appointed an assistant captain by
7242-456: The list of players with most major championship titles. She totalled 3 wins on the LPGA and two on the Ladies European Tour, the inaugural Dubai Ladies Masters and the Swedish tournament she hosts, which she defended in her home town at the course where she learned to play. Her International team lost the second Lexus Cup competition to Team Asia. Sörenstam started 2007 by losing a playoff while defending of her MasterCard Classic title. At
7344-401: The majors and WGCs meant that players could potentially become members, or retain membership, of the tour by playing just four other events. Players such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have taken advantage of this to play the PGA and European Tours concurrently. For the 2009 season, the minimum number of events required for members was increased to twelve; this coincided with the elevation of
7446-424: The majors and WGCs, it made it easier for players not eligible for these to retain European Tour membership while playing a full PGA Tour schedule. The minimum was reduced from five to four in 2018. In November 2021, the tour was retitled as the DP World Tour as part of a sponsorship agreement with Dubai-based DP World . In November 2020, the tour entered into a "strategic alliance" with the PGA Tour. As part of
7548-482: The most lucrative of them taking place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain. The PGA European Tour is a golfer-controlled organisation whose primary purpose is to maximise the income of tournament golfers . It is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a professional staff but controlled by its playing members via a board of directors composed of 12 elected past and present tour players and
7650-459: The next 18-inch putt was conceded, Lee picked up her ball. However, Pettersen pointed out that it was not conceded, and the Europeans won the hole. Koch and Sörenstam tried to convince Pettersen to change her mind and concede the putt, but as it was a fact that Lee had picked up her ball without the putt being given to her, it was not a possibility within the rules of golf , for the players to agree on
7752-518: The only players to win 11 LPGA tournaments in one season, earning her fifth Player of the Year title and fifth Vare Trophy. She successfully defended the Kraft Nabisco Championship , her fourth major victory, and also won the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia and Compaq Open in Sweden on the Ladies European Tour giving her 13 wins in 25 starts worldwide in 2002. Sörenstam was invited to play in
7854-453: The outcome of the hole and change the sequence of events afterwards. Pettersen/Hull eventually won the match. Later during the 2015 Solheim Cup, after Koch and Sörenstam was seen in a discussion with U.S. captain Juli Inkster , Sörenstam explained that she was accused of giving advice, which she strongly denied. The 2015 match ended in a U.S. win 14 1 ⁄ 2 –13 1 ⁄ 2 , after
7956-423: The overall pattern from one year to the next. Occasionally tournaments change venue, and quite often change name, particularly when they get a new sponsor, but the principal events have fixed and traditional places in the schedule, and this determines the rhythm of the season. In 2009, the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai, with a bonus pool of US$ 7.5 million (originally $ 10 million) distributed among
8058-513: The past, with even some of the top European players staying away. For many players, the European Tour is seen as a stepping-stone to the PGA Tour. During the late twentieth century, the European Tour was traditionally the first overseas move for outstanding players from non-European countries, particularly in the Commonwealth , long a major source for elite golfers, such as Greg Norman , Nick Price and Ernie Els . These players tended to move to
8160-518: The same prize money, but playing from different tees. Sörenstam played in the first edition of the tournament at Vallda Golf & Country Club as well as in the second edition in 2022 at Halmstad Golf Club and the third edition in 2023 at Ullna Golf & Country Club . In 2021, it was announced that Sörenstam will host an LPGA tournament in 2023; the ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. In 2022 Sörenstam accepted an invitation to become
8262-483: The season stretched into November for the first time. In 1984, the PGA European Tour became independent of The Professional Golfers' Association. The following year, the tour became "all-exempt" with the end of pre-qualifying for tournaments. The European Tour has always been sensitive to the risk that its best players will leave to play on the PGA Tour for many reasons. The PGA Tour usually offers higher purses and European players want to increase their chances of glory in
8364-413: The three majors played in the U.S. by playing on more U.S.-style courses to acclimate themselves. In an attempt to counter this phenomenon, the European Tour introduced the "Volvo Bonus Pool" in 1988. This was extra prize money which was distributed at the end of the season to the most successful players of the year—but only golfers who had played in a high number of the European Tour's events could receive
8466-536: The top 15 players at the end of the season, with the winner taking $ 1.5 million (originally $ 2 million). The new name reflected the addition of a new season ending tournament, the Dubai World Championship , held at the end of November in Dubai. The tournament also had a $ 7.5 million prize fund (originally $ 10 million), and was contested by the leading 60 players in the race following the season's penultimate event,
8568-522: The tour announced that the Rankings would be reverted to the Race to Dubai, starting from the 2023 season. For the 2017 season, the European Tour launched the Rolex Series, a series of events with higher prize funds than regular tour events. The series began with eight events, each with a minimum prize fund of $ 7 million. The European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit" until 2009, when it
8670-516: The tour plays mainly in Europe, and the events in its home continent generally have higher prize money than those held elsewhere, excluding the major championships, which were added to the tour schedule in 1998; three individual World Golf Championships events, added the following year, most of which take place in the United States; and the HSBC Champions, elevated to World Golf Championships status in 2009. There are generally only minor variations in
8772-417: The tournament professionals, three teen-age girls were left without a bag yet. It was Annika, Charlotta and Fanny Sunesson . She was so shy as a junior, she used to deliberately three-putt at the end of a tournament to avoid giving the victory speech. The coaches noticed and at the next tournament both the winner and the runner-up had to give a speech. Sörenstam decided that if she were going to have to face
8874-494: The trophy, giving her an eighth Money List title, tying the LPGA record, an eighth Rolex Player of the Year (POY) award (a record) and a sixth Vare Trophy. She is the only LPGA player ever to win Money List, POY award and Vare trophy in the same year in five different years. Team competition saw her make her seventh consecutive Solheim Cup appearance, her 4 points making her total 21, the event's all-time leading points earner, and
8976-434: The winner was later selected by a panel consisting of the PGA European Tour, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the Association of Golf Writers. It is currently given to the rookie who places highest in the Race to Dubai . The award was first presented in 1960, and thus predates the official start of the tour in 1972. There have been five years when no award was made. The European Challenge Tour Graduate of
9078-564: The world are starting their careers directly in the United States, often having attended college as amateurs, usually with golf scholarships , before turning professional. Conversely, some young American players have sought to kick-start their professional careers in Europe, having failed to qualify for either PGA Tour or its development tour. For example, former world number one amateur , Peter Uihlein , announced in December 2011 that he would not return for his final semester at Oklahoma State University and would begin professional play in Europe
9180-399: The world. This status is reflected by the minimum world ranking points available in each tours respective tournaments, and prize money available. The total prize money available on the European Tour is approximately half that of the PGA Tour. However, this includes the majors and World Golf Championships , which are the most lucrative on the schedule, so the difference for regular tournaments
9282-666: The year at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay where she captured her 70th LPGA Tour victory and first since September 2006. She won next at the Stanford International Pro-Am in April then following a week off, won again at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in a tournament record score, giving her three wins and over $ 1 million in earnings by mid-May. It was her 72nd and final ever win on the LPGA Tour. In 2008, Sörenstam
9384-407: Was 1991 NCAA Co-Player of the Year with Kelly Robbins , runner-up in the 1992 NCAA championship , 1992 Pac-10 champion and a 1991–92 NCAA All-American . She qualified for the U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont in July, made the cut, and tied for 63rd. A few weeks later at the U.S. Women's Amateur at Kemper Lakes near Chicago , she was the runner-up to Vicki Goetze , bogeying the last hole in
9486-652: Was 84th out of 111 in driving distance. Poor putting (last in the field, averaging over a two-putt) caused her to miss the cut. Later in the 2003 season, she won the LPGA Championship and the Women's British Open, becoming only the sixth player to complete the LPGA Career Grand Slam, winning, at least once in her career, each of the four tournaments recognized as major championships during the main part of her career. Five years earlier, in 1998, she finished second in
9588-617: Was agreed with the European Golf Association that the Continental Order of Merit would be discontinued. In its early years the season ran for six months from April to October, and was based entirely in Europe, mainly in Great Britain and Ireland. Over the next three decades the tour gradually lengthened and globalised. The first event held outside Europe was the 1982 Tunisian Open . That year, there were 27 tournaments and
9690-539: Was appointed president of the International Golf Federation from 1 January 2021. In June 2021 , Sörenstam hosted, together with fellow countryman Henrik Stenson , the Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik and Annika , co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour, taking place in Sweden, for the first time bringing 78 men and 78 women together to compete in the same tournament for
9792-499: Was expensive) and played "challenge matches" against one another for purses put up by wealthy backers. The first multi-competitor stroke play tournament was The Open Championship , which was introduced in 1860. Over the following decades, the number of golf tournaments offering prize money increased slowly but steadily. Most were in the United Kingdom, but there were also several "national opens" in various countries of Continental Europe . In 1901, The Professional Golfers' Association
9894-669: Was finalised in August but it did not adversely affect her golf. Her achievements included being the first player in LPGA history to win a major three consecutive years at the LPGA Championship and the first golfer in LPGA or PGA history to win the same event five consecutive years at the Mizuno Classic . 11 wins in 21 tournaments entered worldwide included victory in the Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika where she presented herself
9996-544: Was founded to represent the interests of professional golfers throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and it was this body that ultimately created the European Tour. As the tournament circuit grew, in 1937 the Harry Vardon Trophy was created to be awarded to the member of the PGA with the best stroke average in select major stroke play tournaments of the season. This would later become known as the Order of Merit, and at different times has been calculated using stroke average,
10098-512: Was highly critical of other female golfers who tried to play in the PGA Tour – her comments to Michelle Wie for playing on the men's tour: "I really don't know why Michelle continues to do this. We have a major this week and, if you can't qualify for a major, I don't see any reason why you should play with the men." On 13 May 2008, Sörenstam announced at a press conference at the Sybase Classic that she would "step away" from competitive golf at
10200-469: Was replaced by the Race to Dubai . It is calculated in euro , although around half of the events have prize funds which are fixed in other currencies, mainly pounds sterling or U.S. dollars. In these instances, the amounts are converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament is played. The winner of the Order of Merit receives the Harry Vardon Trophy, not to be confused with
10302-585: Was still not fully fit in her next two tournaments, the LPGA Championship where she finished tied for 15th place, and the 2007 U.S. Women's Open , where, as defending champion, she finished tied for 32nd. After an early round defeat at the World Matchplay Championship, Sörenstam finished sixth at the Evian Masters , 16th at the Women's British Open and ninth in the Swedish tournament she hosts on
10404-450: Was surpassed by England's Laura Davies during the 2011 Solheim Cup . Sörenstam also was captain of the 2017 European Solheim Cup team. Despite retiring from regular tournament golf in 2008, as of the end of 2022, she still topped the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $ 22 million—over $ 2 million ahead of her nearest rival while playing 187 fewer events. After turning 50, she came back from her retirement and added
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