WEB PAGE TOOLS ~ Print this article ~ E-mail your opinion on this article Sorenstam to play with the big boys Shane Suzuki Ebbtide Reporter So, a woman is going to play on the PGA tour and a bunch of golfers don't like it. Well, too bad. This weekend marks a historic event as the number woman golfer; Annika Sorentstam is going to play in the Colonial, a golf tournament held in Fort Worth, Texas. She will be the first woman golfer to play in a PGA event since 1945 when Babe Zaharius missed the cut on day three. Zaharius qualified for the Los Angeles Open and made it to Saturday when she shot herself out of the tournament with a 76. Press Photo   Sorenstam is the best female golfer in the world, a winner of 43 tournaments, including four majors, and holds a scoring record with a round of 59. No active PGA member can say that. "I like to compare myself maybe with a mountain climber," she said. "This will be Mount Everest for me, and I believe I have practiced for this for years. I feel like I have nothing to lose. Nobody expects anything from me." Four months ago when her decision was announced, the sporting world was taken by surprise. They were just starting to deal with Martha Burkes wild ride with the Masters and for the first time, had to deal with the issue of women and golf. Golf has long endured the image of a rich white man's game and has only recently begun to shed that image as Tiger Woods as evolved into the spokesman for the sport. Many courses and country clubs around the country have only recently ended rules about segregation for blacks, Jews and other minorities. There are still many clubs that are men only. Augusta National, home the Masters tournament is one of them. Sorenstam, who has long dominated the LPGA has repeatedly mentioned to the press that she is looking for new challenge, and that the talent in the LPGA is not enough to satisfy her competitiveness. It seemed like only a matter of time before she accepted the challenge of a PGA tournament. However, even she didn't expect the media firestorm that has surrounded this decision. "When I accepted the invitation, I must have been very naive," Sorenstam said, looking out at some 300 people at her news conference. "I'm doing this to test myself, and I didn't think everybody else wanted to test me at the same time." The controversy had died down a bit until last week when PGA player Vijay Singh made his views of Sorenstam's entry known. "I hope she misses the cut," Singh told the Associated Press during last weeks tournament. That, along with other derogortory comments made be him and other PGA players have made her playing a national story and a topic dominating the sports radio airwaves. Numerous stories have been printed in newspapers across the nation, garnering front page status in some locals. This has led to enormous media presence in what would otherwise be a ho-hum tournament. Almost 600 media credentials have been passed out; almost quadruple the usual amount for the tournament. The only other player used to this kind of media attention is Tiger Woods, who called Annika to give support. "He told me he would be watching, so I better play well," Sorenstam said. Despite some players objections, many fans and other players are showing support. Playing partner Dean Wilson has been seen sporting a "GO ANNIKA" button while on practice rounds this week. He, and other PGA rookie Aaron Barber will be playing with Sorentstam on Thursday. "She's going to beat some people, no doubt," Barber said. "I'm worried about 113 people beating me every week. It's a great opportunity for us to be part of history here." © 2003 Shoreline Community College™