Fans deserve years, not months, of Sorenstam v. Ochoa

Golf Betting Lines

05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Annika Sorenstam was laying out her reasons for wanting to walk the earth, and I couldn't help but think what that means for the rest of us.

Just as the LPGA Tour had finally discovered a foil for its biggest star (ask the PGA Tour how hard that is), Sorenstam mapped out her exit strategy, then unveiled it with all the steely coolness of one of her Sunday marches.

On Wednesday, Sorenstam announced her intentions to retire at the end of the season -- leaving, as she always said she would, much earlier than we'd all expect.

"I'm not going away. I might not be inside the ropes, but I'm looking forward to another part of my life where I can help in different ways," said Sorenstam.

And while the Hall of Famer from Sweden, perhaps the best women's golfer of all time, owes nothing to the rest of us -- not the LPGA Tour, not golf fans, not the media, not her competitors -- it's hard to imagine a worse time for her retirement.

Last Sunday marked the first time in five tries this season that Sorenstam won with Lorena Ochoa in the field. For the first time in more than a year, Sorenstam competed at a noticeably higher level than the woman who replaced her as the No. 1-ranked player in the world.

Guess which two names were featured in most headlines Sunday, despite Ochoa's finishing 12 shots behind Sorenstam at the Michelob Ultra Open?

"Sorenstam pulls away from Ochoa for win," read one of them. Never mind the fact that 10 players finished between them.

Finally, Sorenstam looked completely recovered from the back injury that sidelined her for much of last season, leaving Ochoa to run roughshod over the women's game without a true rival.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen won five times last year, but there's only one Scandinavian with talent enough to challenge Ochoa on a regular basis. And that's something we're all excited to see.

The thing is, she's not interested in what we want.

Sorenstam, who is set to get married early next year, will probably play 17 more times this season, including this week's Sybase Classic, from which she made her announcement on Wednesday. But seven more months just isn't enough time for her to overtake Ochoa for the No. 1 ranking again.

It took Ochoa about a year to pass Sorenstam, and she needed seven wins to do it.

Sorenstam has three wins already this season (and 72 for her career, third all-time on the LPGA Tour), but Ochoa has won five times in that span, and there's no reason to think she's done winning.

Ochoa's spot as the No. 1 player in the world was solidified by Sorenstam's injury last year. It was an injury that made Sorenstam appreciate what she'd achieved since her rookie season in 1994: 88 wins worldwide, 10 major championships, playing against the men in the 2003 Colonial.

A desire to return to her former playing self seems to be one of the reasons Sorenstam didn't retire sooner.

"I wanted to leave on my terms when it felt right," she said. "I didn't want an injury to take me away from this game. Now I feel at peace. This is the right thing to do, and I'm healthy and that's the way I wanted it to be."

Sorenstam, 37, will leave women's golf in better shape than it was when she arrived 14 years ago, even if she doesn't leave on top. But it could be so much better. A few more years of Sorenstam vs. Ochoa could take it to a higher level, bringing more popularity, more money, more fans.

But Sorenstam doesn't care that we think we deserve more. She read the break a long time ago.

"Lorena's playing some fantastic golf, there's no doubt. She's been dominating for two years. But that doesn't motivate me to keep on going," said Sorenstam.

"I enjoy playing with Lorena. She's definitely taking the tour to a higher level and I enjoy the time I play with her," she continued. "It was a lot of fun last week, and I think we're going to have more of those type of events the next coming months."

It was the word "months" that stuck out. And also how committed to the idea of retirement Sorenstam seemed, even if we all think she'll be back some time in the not so distant future.

Said Sorenstam: "I've been fortunate to have a hobby as my job, and I've been able to travel around the world and met some wonderful people and seen some wonderful places. Without golf I wouldn't have any of that."