Should be fun to watch this week.
And I think it's interesting that Vijay withdrew, although it's not uncommon for a player to withdraw from the next tournament after a win (unless the next is a major). He has nothing to prove, golf wise and if anyone thinks he was scared of losing to her, they're drunk. I think he withdrew because he didn't want to be bothered by the press. Pretty shitty. If you're going to make the comment, don't run from it.
Here is an interesting breakdown of Annika.
(And Less, that 14 year old is a freak. With her skills, strength and attitude, I would expect her to win on the PGA tour. She won't, though, because she will make so much more money on the LPGA.)
And here's a link to an ESPN article about Sorenstam and other female atheletes who've tried to cross over in other sports.
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/story?id=1556014
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In the Crosshairs: Annika Sorenstam
By Ivan Maisel
Monday, May 12
Updated: May 18
6:16 PM ET
Born: Oct. 9, 1970 (Stockholm)
Size: 5'6", 139 pounds
Key Stats: Missed only four cuts since 1995 -- all in majors
She's the best (woman) golfer in the world. She tops the (LPGA) money list. She's the highest-profile (female) competitor in her sport. Annika Sorenstam rules (women's) golf. But on May 22, she'll leave the paren-theses in her locker and tee it up against the best (men) in the world at the Colonial, one of the oldest, most prestigious stops on the PGA Tour. The only question is: Why? With 43 victories and nearly $12 mil in career winnings, she's got nothing to prove -- except to herself. Unlike Billie Jean King taking down a mouthy Bobby Riggs on behalf of women everywhere, Annika's only cause is Annika. "I want to be a better player," Sorenstam says. "I love the way the guys play. They hit farther. They're stronger. I want to learn from that." Juli Inkster, the defending U.S. Women's Open champ, says it's simple: "She wants to see how good she is." But however pure her motives might be, the fallout from her success -- or failure -- will be felt far beyond the course.
MARQUEE PLAYER: If Sorenstam plays well -- doesn't get rattled, makes the cut, competes -- it could boost ticket sales for the LPGA along with appreciation for its best player. Stodgy male golf fans might even tune in to watch the women play. But if she shoots 72-72 (the cut last year was 143) and has to throw the sticks in the trunk on Friday afternoon, there'll be knowing nods about the deficiencies of the women's game, whispers that "their" best can't even keep up with "our" middle of the pack. And don't think the middle of the PGA Tour pack won't be busting their butts to make sure that's exactly what happens.
PERFECT FIT: A casual remark in January about testing herself against the opposite sex netted nine invitations to PGA Tour events. She chose Colonial for the same reason local hero Ben Hogan won the Fort Worth tourney five times: The tight, 7,098-yard, par-70 track favors laser precision over pure power. "It's a great shotmaker's course," says Meg Mallon, who won the U.S. Women's Open at Colonial in 1991. Distance-challenged Corey Pavin is a two-time champ; defending champion Nick Price, also a two-timer, ranks 134th in driving distance on the PGA Tour. Off the tee, Price (278.7) is a little longer, Pavin (269) a little shorter than Sorenstam. But while most of her fellow competitors will pull a lofted club for approach shots, Annika will be trying to hold Colonial's hard, postage-stamp greens with a middle iron.
FOR SHOW: Annika started building a power game two years ago, and has added nearly 25 yards off the tee. She's currently averaging 275.4 yards. Tops in the LPGA, that would be only 158th on the PGA Tour. She's become a devoted iron pumper, and she's been playing from the tips at Lake Nona, her 7,011-yard home course in Orlando. (That's 700 yards longer than the typical LPGA tourney track.) On the range before an LPGA event, caddie Terry McNamara stations himself at 100 yards and catches Sorenstam's wedges with a baseball glove. To prepare for Colonial, he moved out to 160 to shag her 7-irons.
FOR DOUGH: Sorenstam's never been a great putter. She hits it straight enough and close enough that she hasn't had to be a master of the flatstick. Right now she ranks 62nd in putting; last year, she finished 39th; the year before, 100th. Not surprisingly, she regularly switches from a conventional grip to cross-handed and back again. (Currently, she's left-hand low). "Judging by how she's putting lately," Mallon says, "I wish she'd played Colonial last year." Despite her struggles, putts per greens in regulation remains her favorite stat. "When I'm better than 1.7, I win," Sorenstam says. "I'm at 1.74 right now. It sounds like such a little number, but it adds up." Proof? This time a year ago, she had three wins. This year, just one.
ONE AND DONE: Let's say she brings her A-game to Fort Worth. Let's say she feeds off the pressure and the hype. Let's say she makes the cut. No, let's say she tops the mark set by Phil Mickelson, who said off-the-cuff earlier this year that she could finish 20th. What then? That's easy: back to the LPGA Tour. In February, Sorenstam said she was open to playing more than once against the guys. After four months in the media maelstrom, she called herself "naïve" and said Colonial would be her last venture onto the men's tour. One reason: her competitive edge. "I want to win tournaments," she says. "That's why I play on the LPGA."
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TM
Edited to add second link. 
