LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam has been there and done it all during a stellar career highlighted by 10 major titles, and yet even she can't relate to the extraordinary youth wave now dominating the top of the world rankings.
Rolex Rankings world number one Lydia Ko, aged just 19, second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, at 21, fourth-ranked In Gee Chun, 22, and world number six Lexi Thompson, 22, have already won six major crowns between them and are more than likely set to add several more over the next decade.
Add to that quartet fifth-ranked Ha Na Jang, who at 24 won her fourth LPGA title with an electric finish to the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open on Sunday, and ninth-ranked Brooke Henderson, 19, who landed her maiden grand slam at last year's Women's PGA Championship, and the women's game is certainly in outstanding and very youthful hands for the foreseeable future.
For Sorenstam, who won her first major aged 24 at the 1995 U.S. Women's Open, the dominance of youth so early on at the highest echelons of the LPGA Tour represents a significant sea change.
"I certainly can't relate to what they are doing so successfully because I took another route to the top," said a smiling Sorenstam. "I played in the national teams in Sweden and then I went to college for a few years and then I didn't win a major my first year (as a professional).
"And I didn't join the tour until the age of 23 so it is certainly a little different now. Some of the young ladies are taking a very different route. They are skipping college and I guess they feel like they're very mature and ready to play on the big circuit at an early age. It’s very, very impressive."
Sorenstam, who ended her LPGA career after the 2008 season with 72 tournament wins to her name, readily accepts that players such as Ko, Jutanugarn and Henderson are the exception and by no means the norm.
"Most certainly not all emerging players are mature at that young age but these are special, special young ladies -- and not just because of their golf talent but also because of their people talent," said Sorenstam.
"You listen in to Lydia at a press conference and if you close your eyes, her answers sound like those of a 25-year-old, not a 19-year-old. I also love the very mature way she interacts with sponsors.
"What I love about Lydia, Brooke Henderson and some of the others is they still have that youth side to them because they can express themselves through social media and all of that, so it's finding that right balance. I applaud them for doing it right.
"They are handling themselves so well, not just by hitting great iron shots and making putts but when they are in front of the camera, in front of sponsors and so on. It really is very impressive and that has been a big change over the last 10 years for sure."
YOUTH INITIATIVES PAVED THE WAY
Sorenstam, whose ANNIKA Foundation impacts more than 450 girls each year through junior golf days, an intercollegiate tournament and five international events for top-tier players, believes the burgeoning success of youth initiatives has paved the way for players such as Ko and Henderson to flourish.
"With all these junior initiatives that have been put in place, we are now really seeing the results," said Sorenstam, who is also a spokeswoman for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program's initiatives.
"You plant the seed, and then you get the tree and finally the fruit. It just shows how important it is to start girls playing golf at an early age to really educate them, whether it's the technique or the etiquette of the game or just how to handle themselves in an official position.
"It's not as easy as they (players like Ko and Jutanugarn) make you think because you can have just one good round or good tournament but what I am seeing is consistent good play from all of them and therefore they are the best in the world."
For Sorenstam, whose ANNIKA Invitational was held for the ninth year in a row at Reunion Resort outside Orlando earlier this month, a vital component of any junior golfing initiative is to place the focus on much more than just the game itself.
"We always talk about introducing the game to these young girls and you have to make it in a fun way," said Sorenstam. "There are so many other interests or activities for these young girls to do.
"So how do we lure them into the game of golf, how do we plant that seed where it's fun, how do we make it interactive for them and something that they want to try again?"
That formula has certainly been a successful one if you go by recent statistics for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf initiative, which has grown from a relatively small program of 5,000 girls in 2010 to a large entity serving over 60,000 in 2016.
Founded in 1989, Girls Golf has a target of engaging 100,000 girls with the program by 2020.
“The most important thing for me for girls aged from six up to 13 is to have fun, get to meet some friends and nibble in the game," said Sorenstam. "Obviously we want to continue that.
“Once they have a club in their hand, once they go out once a week or once a month, we want to make sure that they continue to play and sometimes that can be even harder than getting them into the game."
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