Annika Sorenstam named new president of the International Golf Federation

According to Julie Williams of Golfweek on Thursday, women’s golf legend Annika Sorenstam of Bro, Sweden, will be the new president of the International Golf Federation beginning in 2021. Sorenstam is taking over from Peter Dawson of Aberdeen, Scotland. Dawson has been the president of the IGF since December of 2010.

Sorenstam could be considered one of the finest female golfers of all-time. A 10-time major champion, she won the 1995, 1996, and 2006 United States Women’s Open, the 2001, 2002, and 2005 ANA Inspiration, the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Women’s PGA Championship, and the 2003 Women’s British Open.

In 2008 Sorenstam announced her retirement from professional golf after 72 career victories, which is third all-time. The only women’s golfers to have more wins have been Americans Kathy Whitworth (88 wins) and Mickey Wright (82 wins).

Since her dominance on the golf course, Sorenstam has been very active in the game of golf as a builder. Among her responsibilities have been designing a golf course in South Korea, an ambassador for golf during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and being the European captain of the 2017 Solheim Cup in West Des Moines, Iowa.

In her new role as the IGF President, Sorenstam will be responsible for making sure golf runs smoothly at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. One major problem at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, was to encourage many of the top men’s players to play. That problem did not happen much in women’s golf at the last Olympic Games, but it was a problem in men’s golf. It should be noted that golf is not yet guaranteed to be at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  

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