Annika Sorenstam was getting ready to rest Thursday night after her first round on the LPGA Tour since the 2008 ADT Championship, but her son Will had other plans. He wanted to go through every single shot, keen on helping his mom, a 72-time Tour winner, any way he could.
“So far, she was probably listening to everything that I did, because I was mostly saying how to hit it and where to hit it on the greens,” said Sorenstam’s son to Golf Channel after his mom’s round. It may have been the perfect type of advice that Annika needed, as she carded a second-round 71 to make the cut on the number at +2. After starting the day on No. 10, Sorenstam parred her first 10 holes, then followed it up with three birdies and two bogeys before reaching the final hole. She said she didn’t know where she stood on the leaderboard but wasn’t planning on easing up anytime soon.
“You know, I haven't really been looking at all, but I remember I asked Anna, ‘How do I find out where I stand?’ And then she said, ‘You can probably ask somebody.’ I said, ‘Well, there is a scoreboard up there.’ And then I said, ‘You know, I didn't come here to layup,’ so I took a 3-wood and just figured I have nothing to lose. I had a pretty good shot at it, and then just did a little fluffer out of the rough and then all of a sudden it was like, wow, this thing looks a little longer than I wanted. I did what I could,” said Sorenstam. “The goal was to shoot under par, and I did, so that's all I can do. Whatever happens, happens from here. It's been great. Two wonderful days. To play with Madelene and Anna was also just kind of the cream on the top, so it's been wonderful.”
Sorenstam finished her round and was greeted by Will again, who only had the biggest hug a son could offer as advice for the day. Her family surrounded her after signing her scorecard, emphasizing how proud they were of the way she played. She said if it wasn’t in the cards, Sorenstam was planning on taking daughter Ava to volleyball on Saturday, but noted she’ll have to find a new ride.
“It's just a bonus. It really is. There is nothing you can do at this point. I'm going to grab a nice lunch and hang out with some friends and family and we'll see happens,” said Sorenstam. “It's been a lot of energy put into these two days, so hopefully get a good night's rest and see what happens tomorrow.”