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Feb
06
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Annika is a great friend of mine. I first met her at a Pro-Am that I was invited to play in when I was 12. I drew her name when she was fresh from the University of Arizona (the school I also attended) and a rookie on tour. She was really sweet, wished me well and signed a photo for me that said, “Follow your dreams”. Thirteen years later I gave a speech at Annika’s “Stepping Away” event about our friendship and the influence she has had in my life.
I have played along side and against Annika for 8 years on tour. We immediately became close friends that first year and our friendship has continued to grow over the years. I was her assistant captain several times in the Lexus Cup and also played against her for the USA in the Solheim Cup. I watched her shoot 59, play in a mens event, win her 89th worldwide event in 2008, and recently watched as he announced that she would be stepping away from womens golf a few weeks ago. She was in the twosome during the final round when I won my first event in France, beat me on the 18th hole to finish second in Sweden, and continually inspired me to work hard and be a better player and competitor.
We have also shared many wonderful moments off the course. We have a tradition of renting a home for the British Open where we often sit in the morning on our computers and have breakfast. We would also take turns deciding who would cook in the evenings. I don’t think many people know how funny she truly is. I often laugh to the point of tears when she is around. She is smart, witty, and classy, as well as one of the most caring people I have ever met.
This January I watched her marry a wonderful man, Mike, who brings out all of her best character traits. She is incredibly happy around him andI have really enjoyed getting to know him as well. She is now closing this chapter of her life and looking towards the next. One goal she has is to grow her state of the art Annika Academy in Orlando. She also wants to reach more fans through her website and blog site, grow her Annika Jr. Invitational, and put more time and energy into her golf course design, as well as sponsors and company. She wants to do all this, while enjoying her marriage and starting a family.
Even though Annika has stepped away from the game, she will leave a wonderful legacy behind. She has won 89 times and is argueably the best to ever play our sport. She has inspired millions of golfers and fans of all ages. Today, I was again blessed to be part of the Annika Celebration event, saying goodbye to one piece of Annika, the professional golfer.
Don’t think for a second that she is not still competitive. She won three times in ‘08 and can still out drive me by 20 yards. She can also hit 4 irons to 5 feet. On the final hole of play last week, Lorena Ochoa, our #1 player in the world and I had her and Paula Creamer one down. She grinded every shot and made a 15 footer to take us to a play off.
Let me tell you about today. The match was competitive and fun. Lorena and I were a team against Annika and Paula Creamer. The front nine was a scramble and the back nine, a better ball. We played for a $100k. All four of us are competitive and know each other well. Lorena and I were teammates at the University Of Arizona. Paula and I have played in two Solheim Cups and represented the USA as a two person team in the World Cup and Lexus Cup. I see these girls every week on tour, but we never pass up a chance to compete!
I don’t want to give away what happens but it comes down to two putts, a 15 footer for Annika and 5 footer for me. The event will air on the Golf Channel on March 31st from 9-11pm. You will have to watch and see!
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Tags: Natalie Gulbis, LPGA, Golf, Golf Calendar,
