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ORLANDO, Fla – Annika Sorenstam has spent more than 12 years without playing on the LPGA Tour. Now she has two more days.
Sorenstam birdied three after making the turn on Friday at Nona Lake and posted a 1 under 71 in the Gainbridge LPGA. And even with the bad decision the night before that led to one more stroke, she still reduced the number.
“I did what I could,” Sorenstam said. “The goal was to shoot below par and I did it, and that’s all I can do.”
She was still 12 headshots away as Lydia Ko posted a score of 3 under 69 and took a one-shot lead over Nelly Korda (68). Ryann O’Toole had his second 68 in a row and was another shot behind.
Sorenstam, making a one-time appearance because the LPGA Tour is on his way, finally got a few putts to drop and birdied three in his second nine. She completed 36 holes at 2 of 146 and was right on the cut line.
And then she had to wait for the other half to play in the afternoon, wondering if that decision in the first round would come back to cost her the weekend.
Sorenstam took a triple bogey on the fifth hole of the first round when his tee shot avoided going out of bounds by a fraction. But it was directly under the gate of a wrought iron fence, the border. She asked about opening the door, but was told that a stipulation in the rules did not allow it.
So she chose to take a penalty, threw down the fairway and three 18-foot putts in her round of 75.
It turns out that was one of the rule of golf modernization changes in 2019, the biggest overhaul ever. The door is now treated as a movable obstruction – meaning it could be opened, provided it was not locked (it wasn’t).
The penalty could not be waived because Sorenstam played at a different location.
Rules manager Dan Maselli was devastated and apologized to Sorenstam after the second round. Sorenstam was not bothered, saying the rules are so new that it’s easy to go wrong in such a bizarre situation.
“He wanted to apologize. He said he was wrong. I could have opened the door and I could have played,” Sorenstam said. But he said, ‘This is going to hurt me. It eats away at me inside. “I said, ‘Please don’t feel like this.’ I appreciate it. He said, “I won’t make that mistake again.” I said, “Well, I won’t knock over there.
“You know, these things happen. The rules have changed, ”she said. “This is how it goes.”
Even though she wasn’t playing – making the cut meant finding someone to take her daughter Ava to volleyball – the 50-year-old Swede did what she wanted.
Sorenstam, who retired after a three-game winning season in 2008 to start a family, described it as an appearance, not a comeback. She wanted a bit of competition as she considered playing the US Senior Women’s Open this summer, and she said she wouldn’t have played an LPGA Tour event if it wasn’t on her course at home.
It wasn’t about trying to add to his 72 career wins. But for someone out of competition for almost as long as her career on the LPGA Tour, she still has plenty of play.
“The goal was to be a little more aggressive. I was sometimes, not as much as I should have,” she said. “Overall I’m very happy. A little chip-in there didn’t hurt. But yeah, I consider it a great trick. I’m not going to analyze it too much.”
Attention is drawn to Ko, a former teenage prodigy and No. 1 in the world who won her first LPGA Tour event at age 15. Ko has been almost three years since his last win, although his game has been on the rise.
“No matter what happens this weekend, I think it’s good to keep putting myself in these positions,” Ko said. “I think you feel more comfortable with that, and more there you are, I think the more likely it will happen in the end for you. “
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