Charlotta Sörenstam

Charlotta Sörenstam
Personal information
Full namePetra Charlotta Sörenstam
NicknameLotta
Born (1973-04-16) 16 April 1973 (age 51)
Stockholm, Sweden
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Sporting nationality Sweden
ResidenceSarasota, Florida, U.S.
Career
CollegeUniversity of Texas
(one year)
Turned professional1994
Current tour(s)LPGA Tour (joined 1997)
Former tour(s)Ladies European Tour (1995–2008)
Professional wins3
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour1
LPGA of Korea Tour1
Other1
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron Championship5th: 1999
Women's PGA C'shipT30: 2004
U.S. Women's OpenT27: 2000
du Maurier ClassicT14: 1998
Women's British OpenT61: 2002
Evian ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
Mary Bea Porter Award2004
Honda Broderick Award1993

Petra Charlotta Sörenstam (born 16 April 1973) is a retired Swedish professional golfer. As an amateur competing for the Texas Longhorns, she won the NCAA Division I Championship individual title. As a professional, she won one tournament on the LPGA Tour and represented Europe in the Solheim Cup. Her elder sister by three years, Annika, is a Hall of Fame golfer.[1]

Early years

Sörenstam was born in Bro near Stockholm, Sweden.[2] Her father Tom was an IBM executive and her mother Gunilla worked in a bank.[2][3][4][5]

The Sörenstam family began playing golf at Viksjö Golf Club in Jakobsberg, north of Stockholm and later switched to nearby Bro-Bålsta Golf Club, opened in 1980, initially with a 9-hole course. At the age of 9, she shared her first set of golf clubs with her sister. Annika got the odd numbered clubs and Charlotta the even.[2]

At the European Tour tournament Scandinavian Enterprise Open in Stockholm in July 1986, the Sörenstam sisters tried to be volunteer caddies and was asked to stand in a line with all other candidates. When all male volunteer caddies finally had been chosen by the tournament professionals, three teen-age girls were left without a bag yet. It was Charlotta, Annika and Fanny Sunesson.[6]

Amateur career

As an amateur, Sörenstam won the 1992 Ängsö Ladies Open on the professional Swedish Golf Tour, at the time named the Lancome Tour. She represented Sweden at the 1993 European Ladies' Team Championship in The Hague, Netherlands. She finished 5th at the 1993 individual European Ladies Amateur Championship in Torino, Italy.[7][8]

In 1993, Sörenstam competed for the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. She won the 1993 individual NCAA Division I Championship title, two years after her elder sister won the same tournament.[9] She also earned All-America honors. While at Texas, Sörenstam was named the winner of the Honda Sports Award for golf.[10][11]

In 1994, Sörenstam was part of the winning Swedish team at the European Lady Junior's Team Championship at Gutenhof Golf Club, Austria.[12] She also finished second, losing in the final to Maria Hjorth, at the Swedish Match-play Championship at Uppsala Golf Club on the Swedish Golf Tour.[8]

Professional career

Sörenstam turned professional at the end of the 1994 season and played on the Ladies European Tour in 1995 and 1996.[13][14] At the end of 1996, she finished second at the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for 1997. She moved to the United States to play on the LPGA Tour, while continuing to play occasionally in Europe.[15]

She has one LPGA Tour win, the 2000 Standard Register PING,[16] and two runner-up finishes, the 1998 Friendly's Classic and 1999 The Philips Invitational. Annika and Charlotta Sörenstam became the first two sisters to both win $1 million on the LPGA Tour.

Her best finish in Europe is second, which she achieved at the 2005 Samsung Ladies Masters and consecutively at the McDonald's WPGA Championship of Europe at Gleneagles in 1996 and 1997.

Sörenstam received the 2004 Mary Bea Porter Award from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association for saving Donna Caponi from choking during the 2003 LPGA Championship.[1][17]

Sörenstam represented Europe in the Solheim Cup in 1998 and served as non-playing European captain for the European girls' team in the Junior Solheim Cup in 2005.[18]

Teaching

From 2007 to 2016, Sörenstam was Director of Golf Operations and Head Teaching Professional at The Annika Academy, a luxury golf school located south of Orlando, Florida, run by Sörenstam's sister, Annika. The Annika Academy closed on 31 May 2016.[19]

Sörenstam was also a recognized instructor for persons with lower back injuries. From 2018 to 2020 she was the Director of instruction at Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club in North Port, Florida. Since 2021 she worked for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as a Performance Golf Coach.[20][17]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (3)

LPGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 19 Mar 2000 Standard Register PING[21] −12 (72-64-72-68=276) 2 strokes Australia Karrie Webb

LPGA of Korea Tour wins (1)

  • 2001 Hyundai Securities Ladies Open

Swedish Golf Tour wins (1)

LPGA Tour career summary

Year Wins Earnings ($) Money list rank Scoring average
1997 0 118,195 60 72.32
1998 0 261,207 31 71.51
1999 0 233,954 36 71.62
2000 1 421,687 20 72.23
2001 0 132,917 69 72.80
2002 0 172,942 53 72.85
2003 0 62,920 103 73.17
2004 0 29,643 139 74.31
2005 0 55,125 107 74.29
2006 0 20,421 145 73.87
Career 1 1,509,011

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Source:[8]

Solheim Cup record

Year Total
matches		 Total
W–L–H		 Singles
W–L–H		 Foursomes
W–L–H		 Fourballs
W–L–H		 Points
won		 Points
%
Career 4 1–2–1 0–1–0 1–0–0 0–1–1 1.5 37.5%
1998 4 1–2–1 0–1–0 lost to K. Robbins 2&1 1–0–0 won w/ L. Davies 3&2 0–1–1 halved w/ L. Davies
lost w/ L. Neumann 2&1 		1.5 37.5%

References

  1. ^ a b Hellsten, Carl Magnus (June 2005). "Intervjun Charlotta Sörenstam, Lillasysters hundliv" [Interview Charlotta Sörenstam, Little sisters dog life]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. pp. 104–108. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Annika Sörenstam with the editors of Golf Magazine: Golf Annika's Way, Gotham Books, 2004, ISBN 1-59240-076-0
  3. ^ "Charlotta Sörenstam Profile". LPGA. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
  4. ^ Claes Lind with Annika Sörenstam, Våga bli bäst or Dare to be the Best, Sportförlaget i Europa AB, 2003, ISBN 91-88541-56-8
  5. ^ "Sorenstam designs new mountain golf course". LPGA. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  6. ^ "After 20 years, it's definitely her bag". The Irish Times. Dublin, Ireland. 30 May 2006.
  7. ^ Kindred, Dave (2000). "Finally, sisters in arms- Charlotta Sorenstam and Annika Sorenstam". Golf Digest. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  8. ^ a b c Jansson, Anders (2004). Golf – Den stora sporten [Golf - The Great Sport] (in Swedish). Swedish Golf Federation. pp. 192–193, 195, 198–199, 202, 209, 248–249, 252–255, 263, 264, 266, 278. ISBN 91-86818007.
  9. ^ "Division I Championship History" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 3. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Charlotta Sorenstam (2015) - Hall of Honor". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Golf". CWSA. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Results 1994 European Lady Junior's Team Championship" (PDF). EGA. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Facit 1995, Fakta från American Express Tour (Slutställning)" [Season 1995, Facts from American Express Tour (final standings)]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 12. December 1995. p. 73. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Facit 1996, Fakta från AmEx Tour, Penningligan (Slutställning)" [Season 1996, Facts from AmEx Tour, Money leaders (final standings)]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 12. December 1996. p. 89. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Charlotta Sörenstam, Bio". LPGA. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  16. ^ Nilsmark, Fredrik (May 2000). "Tävling, "Ny" Sörenstam vann i Phoenix" [Competition, "New" Sörenstam won in Phoenix]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 5. pp. 198–199. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Petra Charlotta Sörenstam, Golf Performance Coach". IMG Academy. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  18. ^ Cutler, Bethan (22 August 2005). "Captain announced for PING Junior Solheim Cup". Ladies European Tour. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  19. ^ Hellsten, Carl Magnus (7 June 2016). "Därför stänger Annika sin akademi" [That's why Annika closes her academy] (in Swedish). Svensk Golf. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Charlotta Sörenstam stays competitive through teaching at IMG Academy and Legends Tour". LPGA. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  21. ^ Nilsmark, Fredrik (May 2000). "Tävling, "Ny" Sörenstam vann i Phoenix" [Competition, "New" Sörenstam won in Phoenix]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 5. pp. 198–199. Retrieved 25 February 2024.