Annika Sorenstam, who grew up in Sweden, remembers being a big fan of the Winter Olympics, especially the more daring sports like bobsledding, skeleton and ski jumping.
“It’s anything I wasn’t used to seeing,” Sorenstam said. “It’s fun to watch. “
Golf was her game and Sorenstam grew to become one of the LPGA’s most decorated players, someone who left a legacy for aspiring young golfers around the world.
But Sorenstam, 53, was never allowed to compete in the Olympics. Two days after winning her 72nd LPGA Tour, she announced that she would retire at the end of the 2008 season, 8 years before the game she loves so much returned to the program at the Summer Games.
However, she has a leading force in the Olympic movement, first as a global ambassador alongside Jack Nicklaus and lately as president of the International Golf Federation. Sorenstam has high hopes for the competition, which will be held outdoors in Paris in August. at Le Golf National, which also hosts the DP World Tour Open de France and hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.
“I think it takes a little bit of time for golf at the Olympics to come out for other people to realize that it’s a big deal,” he said. “We have momentum on our side. So, I think coming to Europe and coming to Paris will make a difference. I think the enthusiasm is there.
«. . . We played at Le Golf National. Es known for other championships. . . So I know some players will be excited. They’ve already played on the field. But I also think that golf in France is booming. Let’s think of Victor Perez, but also of Céline Boutier, of the LPGA, whom he did so well.
“I think they’re going to get more attention and obviously they’re going to get more enthusiasm in the competition,” he added. “So yes, I think 2024 in Paris will be fantastic. “
Golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro after a 112-year absence. However, the proximity of the Zika virus kept many of the more sensible players away that year, and when the 2020 Games were held in Tokyo, the World Cup in Tokyo was the first to be held in Tokyo. This time no enthusiasts were allowed to attend.
In the years since the decision to reinstate golf as an Olympic sport, Sorenstam has noticed renewed interest (and investment) from national federations eager to showcase their most productive players to an estimated 3. 2 billion television audiences worldwide.
At the last Summer Games in Tokyo, 40 other countries were represented in the men’s and women’s competitions. Golfers from five countries won medals; the double fall came here in the United States, where Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda won gold.
And there were bronze medal playoffs between seven teams: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Team USA’s Collin Morikawa and Team Ruscan. Rory McIlroy of Ireland, Paul Casey of Great Britain, Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, Mito Pereira of Chile and eventual medalist C. T. Pan of Chinese Taipei.
McIlroy, a former world number one, was ambivalent about the Olympics when golf’s return to the Games was announced, but later said he had never tried so hard to finish third.
Sorenstam believes McIlroy’s interest grew after chatting with friends such as Justin Rose, who won gold in 2016, and Ricky Fowler, who tied for 37th that year but had the Olympic rings tattooed on his right forearm to commemorate the experience.
“When he heard and saw the good luck of Justin Rose or Rickie Fowler, I think it changed his mind,” Sorenstam said. . . . And you’ve just learned that it’s important. And to be a component of something, I think it’s almost bigger than the game itself because we’ve had the Olympics for a long time and we can allow those athletes to interact with other athletes.
“And I also think that the Olympics, I mean, I don’t forget watching them, the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics, and it’s just the Olympics that resonate with other people. And for us, being a component of That, I think is important. And as a result, I think the seed has been planted, and I think other people are starting to recognize that it’s a smart thing to do for golf.
However, as in sports, some stories transcended what happened on the golf course, on the track or in the pool. A prime example for Sorenstam is the pride of a country that lifted India’s Aditi Ashok, who finished one shot shy of the medal in Japan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to send his congratulations via X (formerly Twitter): “Well done @aditigolf!You’ve shown ordinary skill and determination in #Tokyo2020. Se narrowly missed out on a medal, but you were more than any Indian and led the way. Best wishes for your long-term endeavors. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind also sent a similar message.
“I think the Olympics have shown that they are a wonderful platform to develop not only participation or leadership, but also a festival between men and women from all over the world,” Sorenstam said. “And if you think about it from an athlete’s point of view there’s some compelling stories that we’ve noticed in the first two, whether it’s Aditi Ashok of India, she didn’t win a medal, but she was recognized, I think, through someone at the highest level, maybe the prime minister. which is a great story. And then also C. T. Pan. . . Chinese Taipei, he did very well (won bronze).
“And those are countries that, again, are new to golf. So, stories like that are just engaging and inspiring for a lot of things.
The host country of the upcoming Games has recently experienced a renaissance in golf. And the appearance in the last year of Frenchmen Céline Boutier, Mattieu Pavon and Victor Perez at the world level is sure to generate excitement in France in August.
Boutier is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he won four times, adding the Amundi Evian Championship on home soil. The 30-year-old Duke graduate now has six wins, including one primary, on the LPGA and five on the Ladies European Tour. .
“I think it’s imperative for a French player to succeed because it grabs attention, it brings stories, it brings enthusiasm,” Sorenstam said. “And she will clearly constitute France in a very intelligent way. But I think it’s smart for the host country to have a star that aspires to the medal.
It’s possible that Pavon and Perez will also be in the mix. Both are playing their first full season on the PGA TOUR after earning their cards thanks to the DP World Tour Top 10. Perez came to the U. S. He is the first player in the USA with 3 victories on the DP World Tour. And Pavon, who has a DP World Tour win to his name, earned his first TOUR win at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year.
Sorenstam added: “The year 2024 in Paris will be fantastic. “