Is Annika Over the Hill?

[iacas]

I said last year on the podcast that this would be the year Annika started to slip as the dominating force that she is, and I think this year she's been quite susceptible to being beat. Karrie Webb is having a better year than Annika Sorenstam, of all people. Lorena Ochoa remains more consistent week to week. And even Michelle Wie beat Annika more often than not this year.

Annika was great. She was tremendous. Just a few years ago she won 50% of the tournaments she played in (10 for 20, I believe).

I'm not saying she won't win again, or that she won't win a few more majors, but I am saying she's over the hill. Annika will probably break the all-time wins record, but I think her best years are behind her. There's too much young talent (most of it Asian) on the LPGA Tour.

Your thoughts?

[aquacooled]

I wouldnt say over the hill.. I think she is has other things on her mind and that is effecting her game.. I think she will be back on top sooner then later.. she will hire herself a mental coach or something..

[Thrash13]

Her best years are definitely in the past, but she isn't over the hill quite yet. I guess you could say she is standing on the top of the hill trying to maintain her balance.

Also, Annika hasn't played great this year, but others have seriously stepped it up. Lorena Ochoa is playing out of this world, and Karrie Webb is playing like it's 1999.

When you add in the great young talent, it just makes it that much harder for Sorenstam to win each week. That being said, she only won one major championship this season which is a disappointment by her standards.

Like you said, she will probably eclipse the all-time wins mark, but she is starting to wear out a little. She will need to get back 100% focus this offseason and come back with a fury in 2007. If not, she may not even win one major next season.

[iacas]

she will hire herself a mental coach or something..

She has one. Or two. The whole "Vision 54" thing.

[aquacooled]

She has one. Or two. The whole "Vision 54" thing.

aahh what one can afford when his or her paycheck has PGA on it..

one can only dream..

[NCGolfer]

Her best years are definitely in the past, but she isn't over the hill quite yet. I guess you could say she is standing on the top of the hill trying to maintain her balance.

Spot on Cody. I'm thinking she is at the pinnacle of her career. Whether or not she starts sliding down the other side or not will be determined in the next year or so. It will be very hard with the young - and sometimes old - talent that is on the tour now.

[prutkows]

if im not mistaken, tiger was in a slump for a quite a while too. missing cuts, losing his temper on the course, etc... i think annika will figure out what shes got to tweak, win a few more, and then she'll be in a category like nick faldo, ready to move to a tour with less competition

[GoingfortheGreen]

I do think she is over the hill, BUT still has a lot of fight left in her. I posed a similar question about Vijay a few months back (before his first win), and I think they're both in the same space. I think age has caught up with Vijay, and he'll never have another 2004 - unless he uses flaxseed oil

Annika, like Tiger, has been so dominating in the past, that a few wins in a year is not going to cut it. People's expectations are too high. I believe it is a combination of age and better competition that has her stifled a bit. That being said, she is not that old, and is in great physical shape. I mean, it's not like she doesn't have a resurgence of competition out there - the Korean contingent, Webb, Ochoa, Wie, etc.

I predict that she will continue to get a couple of wins a year; I still give her a great chance to break Whitworth's record of 88.

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and views. No, I did not look up any stats to back up this.

[BigAl5150]

I voted no. I think she is merely back to mere "mortal" status. Her win totals for the last few years:

2006 2 wins
2005 10 wins
2004 8 wins
2003 6 wins

She set the bar unbelievably high for herself and that pace just cannot be kept up with age and the increase in better/more competition. She will end up with the most victories for an LPGA golfer barring injury or perhaps wanting to start/raise a family (she will be 36 in October).

[Xt1ncT]

No.

She'll be 36 later this year, which is not old for a golfer - in fact a lot of people think that a golfer's best years are their 30's.

I think she probably has a few things on her mind right now - she divorced recently, has just got US Citizenship (I think...).

Yes, there is a lot more competition these days, especially from the young brigade and this will probably spread the wins out a bit. But this doesn't mean she is over the hill, more that the competition is doing what the men don't seem to be able to do - that is step it up to catch the leader.....

[muskegman]

No, Annika isn't over the hill. Something has sure gotten into her head this year as she's played very inconsistently this year. She wins the first event of the year, a major, and doesn't really have much else to offer. She has been so consistent for so long that anything but 8+ wins in a year seems like a loss.

I'd say she's got some some more dominating to do if she can get a reign on her mental game. Perhaps the stresses of the last several years of competition have caught up to her. I think she's got the physical skills for many more wins but the question is: "Can she pull it together mentally?" It takes a tremendous amount of energy and focus to win like she's done in recent years.

[iacas]

Great timing:

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam shot a bogey-free 7-under 66 Thursday at the TPC of Scandinavia, breaking the record on her home course to take the first-round lead.

Link:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

[Rafcin]

"...STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Annika Sorenstam shot a bogey-free 7-under 66 Thursday at the TPC of Scandinavia, breaking the record on her home course to take the first-round lead...."

Looks like I was only 1 week off target by expecting her to win the britsh open, but you might be way off

[SubPar]

"...STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Annika Sorenstam shot a bogey-free 7-under 66 Thursday at the TPC of Scandinavia, breaking the record on her home course to take the first-round lead...."

Whatever hill she has gone over, I'd like to join her there.