Sorenstam Returns "Home" for Welch's/Circle K Championship

By Ryan Finley,
Contributor

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, and a current resident of Incline Village, Nev., Sorenstam will return home on March 9th to the place where she spent her collegiate career---Tucson, Arizona. The blue-eyed blonde played her college golf at the University of Arizona and will return to Randolph Golf Course in an attempt to take home the 2000 Welch's/Circle K Championship title.

At a reasonably young (29) age, the Swedish native's statistics read like that of a 50 year-old. In her short time on the tour, has won the Rolex Player of the Year honors three times, is one of only two players to win more than a million dollars in two consecutive years, and has won more tournaments (18) than any other player in the 1990's.

That's a pretty good lifetime----and Sorenstam is only 29. Sorenstam, as devastatingly good as she is in the pros, was equally dominant in college.

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Recently, Sorenstam has fallen on hard times, winning just two tournaments in 1999.

Unlike many athletes, Sorenstam knows she was a disappointment last year, despite finishing last season fourth on the LPGA's money list.

"I wasn't happy with how I played last year, even though I finished fourth on the money list," Sorenstam told LPGA.com.

"You've got to perform to get the attention. I'm not jealous-I've got to earn it. I want to be back and I've worked very hard in the off-season."

Sorenstam is currently leading the TakeFuji classic in Hawaii by one stroke.

Following dominance in college, the Swede is finally learning to take the bad with the good. Simply, things can't always go her way.

"In the past, everything went my way when I was playing," she said. "Last year, I didn't perform as well and when you don't play a lot, it's hard to stay on top."

Sorenstam will have an advantage in this week's tournament, however---Tucson's Randolph Park Golf Course, the links where the tournament is held, was her home course during college.

Hopefully, the home-course advantage will bring Annika Sorenstam something she's been lacking throughout the past year: a break.

That would make her feel at home.