Houston, Oct 09: Sorenstam was one of the best amateurs in Sweden when she decided that she wanted to join the LPGA tour. The moment came when Liselotte Neumann - a fellow Swede - won the 1988 US Women's Open.
"When I came on tour, I didn't really know if I could win a single tournament," she said. "And here I am 10 years later and I've won 47."
"I come from a little town just like she does," Sorenstam said. "So for her to travel all the way from Sweden and live your dream, when I saw that headline, I said, 'That's what I want to do.'"
Sorenstam has done it better than anyone. She already had won 43 times when she participated in a PGA tour event this season in an effort to improve herself. It worked.
While Sorenstam missed the cut at the Colonial, she faced more pressure than she ever had, which prepared her for the LPGA tour's majors, two of which she won. She also noticed how hard the men work on their short games and followed suit.



"I learned a lot from seeing the guys and how they practiced, how they approach it and just learning from them," Sorenstam said.



Amazingly, Sorenstam still thinks there's more she can learn, which might just help her reach Kathy Whitworth's LPGA tour record of 88 wins. She will need about five titles a year for the next eight seasons.



"That's the way I push myself now, just to become a better player," she said. "And if I can become a better player, hopefully I can stay on top or even distance myself a little more."


Bureau Report