Annika Sorenstam retiring from LPGA at end of season

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Annika Sorenstam, one of the best LPGA Tour golfers of all time, is retiring at the end of the season.

Sorenstam, 37, who has won 72 LPGA events and 88 worldwide, announced the retirement Tuesday at a 2 p.m. news conference from the Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J.

Sorenstam made a Brett Favre comparison by echoing his sentiments of feeling tired of "the daily grind." Unlike Favre, Sorenstam is leaving no doubt about her decision.

Chasing top-ranked player Lorena Ochoa or Kathy Whitworth's record 88 career LPGA victories doesn't appeal to Sorenstam.

"I haven't questioned myself. No second thoughts," said Sorenstam, who will finish out a 25-tournament schedule this year. "I know what it's like to be at the top. I think the timing's perfect."

Sorenstam has hinted at retirement in the past, saying she wanted to expand her business, her golfing ventures and devote more time to family. Sorenstam lives in Reunion, Fla., and is engaged to Mike McGee.

The announcement came two days after Sorenstam won her third LPGA event of the season. Sorenstam defeated the field at last week's Michelob Ultra at Kingsmill by seven strokes. Sorenstam said she "felt at peace" making the decision after a substantial win.

Sorenstam became women's golf's most imposing figure thanks to a five-year stretch that included 43 wins and a top-three finish about 70 percent of the time. She might be most famous for becoming the first women in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour when she played at the Colonial in 2003.

Sorenstam, an eight-time LPGA Player of the Year, missed the cut that week. She now passes the torch to Lorena Ochoa, who broke Sorenstam's streak of five straight Player of the Year trophies in 2006.

With 10 career majors, Sorenstam is five shy of Patty Berg's record 15.

After suffering a neck injury last season that resulted in her first winless season on Tour, Sorenstam is now 100 percent healthy and winning.

"I'm going to focus on my golf the next seven months," Sorenstam said. "I'm a huge competitor, so people who know me know I don't settle for second. (After that) I'm not going away (from golf). I might not be inside the ropes, but I'm looking forward to that part of my life."

Kai Fusser, Sorenstam's trainer, said Sorenstam still has the prowess that helped her become one of the best-conditioned female athletes.

"She bench-pressed 145 pounds on Wednesday," Fusser said. "That's the good-old days right there. This has nothing to do with her ability."

Whatever happens this year or beyond, her legacy is still cemented as one of golf's all-time greats.

Amy Alcott, an LPGA veteran of more than 30 years, said Sorenstam might be the best women's golfer to play the game, if not the second-best.

"There are some great ones, but few have accomplished what Annika has done in such a short time," Alcott said.

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