Imagine having to lead a movement. Achieving a feat that hasn’t been accomplished for over 58 years.
Becoming a revolution for the future, and wanting to not fail at the challenges you’ve put yourself up to the test for.
Now imagine having to hit an amazing golf shot while thousands of eyes are on you, on top of all that.
This was Annika’s fate in 2003, as she lined up to hit her starting tee shot on the 10th hole at the Colonial.
As we discussed in our earlier post, she didn’t have a lot of positive reinforcement from other Tour professionals, or even the media on her side to do well.
Watch this iconic video of the shot, and if you look closely, you can actually see her mouthing the words “Here we go” and “You never have to do it again” beforehand.
As nervous as she was for this, she manages to pull out a great tee shot, collapsing right afterwards in a huge sigh of relief.
During an interview in 2013, Sorenstam recalled back to the tournament, “Ten years later, I still hear new stories surfacing from people who drove from everywhere to be a part of it. I hear from parents with daughters who say it really showed them that if they have a dream, they need to follow it. To achieve something, they have to face their fears and take the opportunities that are there for them.”
And even though she shot a 71 – 74 to shoot five over par, and knew she didn’t play her best, she still felt it was a positive step forward.
It was a turning point in her career, and a turning point in the LPGA forever.