Annika Sörenstam takes up membership at Augusta National

Irish Golfer

25th October 2023

Swedish legend Annika Sörenstam has become the first LPGA professional to join Augusta National as a member.

The 72-time LPGA Tour winner and ten-time major champion continues to break ground and she became a member of Augusta earlier this month.

The club has not commented on the recent news such is their history of not commenting on issues surrounding membership.

The 53-year-old who is widely regarded as the greatest female golfer of all time, began her membership when the club opened for the season at the beginning of October and she joins former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina philanthropist Darla Moore, who both became the club’s first women members in 2012 under then-chairman Billy Payne’s watch. The club was founded in 1932.

Joining the club is just another accolade to a never ending list for Sorenstam who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003 – the same year she became the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since 1945.

She retired from competitive golf in 2008 after 90 worldwide winds and she still competes occasionally, having played in the PNC Championship and US Women’s Open this year.

Sorenstam is the only woman to shoot 59 on the LPGA Tour having achieved that feat in 2001.

Co-chair of the Pebble Beach Co. Heidi Ueberroth, former USGA president Diana Murphy, former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and executive chairman of the Santander Group Ana Botin have all since joined the club which hosts the iconic Masters Tournament every April which is the first of four men’s major championships.

“They have been great contributors to our organization, both I would say substantively and things they are doing to help us, both with the Masters and otherwise,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said when asked about female membership prior to the 2022 Masters. “But I think, more importantly, our culture is better. And I’m confident in saying to a person: we are a better club, we are a better organization and we’re very proud to have women among our membership.

Ridley then concluded his answer by saying, “our women members are a very important part of our membership, and you will continue to see over the years, if you look, more green jackets that are women. I’m going to make sure of that.”Sorenstam is no stranger to Augusta National having been one of the honorary first tee starters at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019.