Sorenstam no longer at top, and she couldn't be happier

Imagine Tiger Woods being the No. 2 player in the world, and being OK with that.

You're right, there's no way to fathom such a scenario. Woods would probably hang up his golf shoes before he'd settle for being second best.

LPGA begins, sponsorship outlook on the rocks

Ochoa star on, off course

But Annika Sorenstam, who was the No. 1 in women's player on the LPGA long before Tiger arrived on the scene, doesn't seem too upset about her new role as "Avis.''

Going into this week's Safeway International at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club near Gold Canyon, the sweet-swinging Swede seems, if anything, comfortable with just being herself.

"I think I'm just in a different situation, a different place in my life,'' said the 37-year-old Sorenstam, who owned the top spot in women's golf for much of the past decade until Lorena Ochoa wrested the title away early last year.

"Last year, (a back) injury sidelined me for two months, and I got a different perspective on life. ... But then this is my 15th year on tour, and a lot of things have happened. I'm not the best player out here, but I've achieved a lot.''

Along those lines, Sorenstam has 70 wins and needs 19 more to break Kathy Whitworth's all-time record. She's been in the LPGA Hall of Fame since 2004, and has been the tour's player of the year eight times.

Sorenstam has been especially adept in the Safeway International, a tournament she has won three times. It's also where she earned her nickname - "Ms. 59'' - by becoming the only women's golfer to shoot that number when she won the title in 2001 at Moon Valley Country Club in northwest Phoenix.

But what's happening on the course these days doesn't seem to carry quite as much urgency as it once did, primarily because Sorenstam is doing other things that she enjoys.

Most notably, she has her Annika Academy in Florida, which is dedicated to teaching the game to youngsters, and her second career as an architect is blooming as she recently signed a deal to design her fifth golf course.

But the biggest distraction of all, at least when it comes to possibly breaking Whitworth's record - which gets more difficult each year considering she has only won three times in the past two seasons - is her pending marriage.

She was engaged to Mike McGee, her manager and boyfriend of two years, in December. The couple plans to be married next April, and Sorenstam has often said that her next big thing will be to raise a family.

That's why I believe her when she says, "I could not be happier.'' After going through a messy divorce in 2005, one that seemed to drive her even harder on the golf course as she visited the winner's circle 10 times, Sorenstam has found that inner peace we all seem to covet. For those who follow women's golf, and Sorenstam in particular, the change from the take-no-prisoners player of the past to the graceful champion of today has been an amazing one.

But that doesn't mean for a second that Ochoa, or Paula Creamer, or Suzann Pettersen, or any of the other 140 women entered in this $1.5 million tournament won't have to watch out for Sorenstam in the next four days.

"Of course I'd like to get back to the top,'' she said Wednesday. "But I'd also like to enjoy the moment.''

How it all plays out remains to be seen, but Sorenstam certainly seems to be in a different frame of mind these days.

"Last year, it was hard to get motivated because things had come so easily (in the past),'' she admitted. "But I think things happen for a reason, and I'm at a pretty good place in my life, and I'm just enjoying it.''

Contact Bill Huffman: (480) 898-6525 or bhuff56765@aol.com

Safeway International

When: Through Sunday

Where: Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Prospector Course and Lost Gold Course, 8000 E. Club Village Drive, Superstition Mountain

Purse: $1,500,000

Defending champ: Lorena Ochoa

Schedule: Today - 6:50 a.m., Safeway International first round on Prospector Course. Friday - 6:50 a.m., Safeway International second round on Prospector Course. Saturday - Safeway International third round on Prospector Course; SRP Pro-Am on Lost Gold Course. Sunday - Safeway International final round on Prospector Course; Heather Farr Pro-Am on Lost Gold Course.

TV: The Golf Channel, 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. today and Friday; 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: Good-any-day ticket (admission for one day only) $20; weekly tournament ticket (admission all week) $50; children (17 and younger) free. To purchase tickets, visit www.safewaygolf.com, call (503) 626-2711, or go to the Safeway International ticket office at the entrance to the course.

Parking: Free parking is located on the south side of U.S. 60, with free shuttles to the tournament entrance.

What to bring: Sunscreen, hat, comfortable shoes, binoculars and a blanket to sit on.

What not to bring: Cell phones, cameras, coolers and umbrellas are prohibited.

Autographs: It is generally easier to get autographs of LPGA players than their male counterparts on the PGA. Just don't interrupt them before or during their rounds. A good place to catch them is at the practice range. There is also an autograph tent near the range where golfers will give autographs.

Weather forecast: Today - Sunny, high 84; Friday - Partly cloudy, high 83; Saturday - Sunny, high 83; Sunday - Mostly sunny, high 83