Almost exactly two years following Annika Sorenstam becoming the inaugural female golfer in LPGA history to achieve a score of 59, Meg Mallon reached her last hole during the second round of the 2003 Welch’s-Fry’s Classic in Arizona. She was facing a par 3; securing a birdie here meant she could match Sorenstam’s remarkable feat with a 59 as well.
I likely spent about 20 to 25 minutes at the tee box," Mallon stated, "waiting for the group ahead of us. Nobody approached me on the tee box, but I noticed all the players emerging from the locker room.
In the end, Mallon struck a 5-iron shot to within 25 feet. However, her expectation of a swift, downward-sloping put ended up being about 2 ½ feet too short.
The first 60 in LPGA history, and all I heard was a sigh," she remembered with a laugh, "then everybody headed back to the locker room.
Mallon was competing alongside Sorenstam 20 years ago during the Standard Register Ping event in Phoenix. On March 16, 2001, the consistently strong Swede achieved the unprecedented score of 59. That same day, Mallon mentioned feeling as though she had scored an 80 despite finishing with a round of 1 under par at Moon Valley Country Club.
As close to perfection as it gets," stated Mallon about Sörenstam’s 13-birdie performance. Annika Sörenstam’s sibling, Carolina, who is the reigning champion at the Standard Register Ping tournament, completed their group.
Much of what happened during that day, which was over two decades ago, has slipped from Sorenstam's memory. Being in 'the zone' often leaves one with hazy recollections.
She recalls being trapped in traffic en route to the course. The hurried warm-up she had as a result. She remembers questioning caddy Terry McNamara early in the round about the highest number of consecutive birdies he'd ever witnessed.
“I've completed six previously,” she informed him, “so I am confident I can handle another one.”
Following eight successive birdies, Sorenstam informed McNamara that she felt extremely anxious and required making a par. She achieved this at her next hole. The streak of birdies then continued from her tenth hole onward.
When Sörenstam was a teenager on the Swedish national team, she first heard Pia Nilsson speak about carding a score of 54. If she managed to birdie three or four holes each day and consistently had at least one birdie per hole over ten rounds, then why couldn’t she make all the holes birdies in a single round?
“Naturally, we all chuckled,” stated Sorenstam.
However, she maintained her image of the ideal flawless score, and upon reaching the ninth hole at Moon Valley (her eighteenth hole overall), Sorenstam informed McNamara that she was not aiming for safer positions away from the pin. Her objective was to achieve a remarkable 58.
“Coming down the stretch,” said Sorenstam, “in my mind, I had kind of done it, if you know what I mean. You just have to have that belief.”
Following her 15-foot birdie attempt which rolled about 3 feet beyond the cup, Sorenstam recited numerous affirmations to herself as she prepared for a par putt that would significantly define both her legacy and professional journey.
She made the putt and jumped into McNamara’s arms.
The crowd went wild," according to NcNamara. "Although the ninth green leads to the putting green through a small hill, it seems like it has no end. About 30 or 40 players gathered at the putting green preparing for their game; they all paused to witness this spectacle. The area was teeming with people, which made it quite an incredible sight.
Sörenstäm, who triumphed in the Welch’s Circle K the previous week, managed to hold off Se Ri Pak during the weekend event to secure victory by two strokes at Moon Valley. In the following week, she claimed her inaugural ANA Inspiration title.
Before she retired in 2008, she secured victories 72 times on the LPGA tour, with 10 of those wins coming from major tournaments.
This was the day for me," McNamara stated about the score of 59. "She might have known it earlier, but today I felt confident thinking, okay, we can accomplish everything. If we could achieve this today, then we can do anything.
The article was initially published on Pawnation.com: Annika Sorenstam still stands alone as the sole LPGA golfer to have shot a 59.
Post a Comment