05/13/2008 - Clifton, NJ (Golf Betting) - Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam announced Tuesday that she is 'stepping away' from the game of golf at the end of the 2008 season.
"After some serious consideration, I have made a decision to step away from competitive golf after this season," said the 37-year-old Sorenstam. "This is obviously a difficult decision for me to make since I love this game very much. But, I know it's the right one.
"I have given it all and it has been fun."
The Swede has 88 wins worldwide including 10 major championships -- winning the U.S. Women's Open, LPGA Championship and Kraft Nabisco Championship three times each. Sorenstam is just 16 wins shy of the all-time LPGA Tour record and five short of the record for major titles.
"To beat 88 wins is a huge achievement. I feel like I've achieved more than I ever thought I could, but to beat Kathy Whitworth's record (88 wins), does not motivate me," Sorenstam allowed. "I am very happy in my life and content with what I've achieved. I'm content and it just feels right."
Sorenstam made the announcement at the site of this week's event, the Sybase Classic. The announcement came as a surprise as the eight-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year is coming off her 72nd LPGA Tour win last week at the Michelob Ultra Open.
"There is plenty of golf to be played. I have another seven months left and my goal is to win tournaments, many tournaments, and majors," admitted Sorenstam.
Sorenstam, who joked she doesn't like that 'r' word (retirement), said now was the right time to make this announcement with the LPGA in very good hands with some great talent and a commissioner (Carolyn Bivens) that really cares.
"I feel like I have a responsibility to the LPGA, to my fans and I wanted to announce it as early as I could," stated Sorenstam. "The reason for this decision is that I have other priorities in my life. I have a lot of dreams I want to follow and live."
The Swede talked about her upcoming wedding in January as well as her wanting to continue to build her Annika brand of businesses, including her Annika Academy, her foundation, a golf course design project and her corporate relationships, hosting golf tournaments and her clothing line.
"While I am stepping away from competition, I will be very engaged and very involved in the game of golf, but in a different way," Sorenstam explained. "I want to make sure I give back to the game that has been great to me, by helping and inspiring young kids to develop and reach their dreams. I know I can do that with the growth of my academy and foundation."
A back injury last year limited Sorenstam to just 13 LPGA Tour events and she failed to win a tournament for the first time since her rookie campaign of 1994. She did, however, win a Ladies European Tour event.
The six-time Vare Trophy winner has won three times in eight starts this year and is second on the 2008 money list behind Lorena Ochoa.
"I've come back from an injury and I feel strong and healthy," she admitted. "The season has started out really well and I'm leaving the game on my terms. The injury made me appreciate what I've achieved and made me appreciate the game. I wanted to leave on my terms, when it felt right."
In 2003, Sorenstam qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame and the same year became just the sixth player in tour history to complete a career Grand Slam when she captured the Women's British Open.
Sorenstam also made history in May of 2003 when she became the first woman since 1945 to compete on the PGA Tour at the Colonial. She missed the cut, but garnered worldwide media attention in the process.
"I have several things that make me proud, but overall just the consistency, playing every year and being in contention and to be Player of the Year eight times is something I'm very proud of," stated Sorenstam when asked about her accomplishments.
"To single a few things out, to shoot 59, my performance at Colonial, winning 10 majors, including three U.S. Women's Open. I'm just thankful for a lot of things."
Last week's victory at Kingsmill made Sorenstam the first player in LPGA history to surpass $22 million in career earnings. She shares the LPGA mark of eight single-season money titles and has also been a part of eight Solheim Cup teams.
Sorenstam's final event on the LPGA Tour this season will be at the ADT Championship in November. Her final worldwide event in 2008 will be at the Dubai Ladies Masters, where she will defend her title.
"If it's forever, I'm not really sure, but its definitely for now," she said.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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