soft and fragile Didrikson showed that women could be strong tough competitors Didrikson was a star basketball player but she really made a name for herself in track and field When she was a teenager she read about the 1928 Olympics in the newspaper and vowed that she would compete in the Didrikson was an elite athlete who excelled in many sports but she had the most professional success in the golf world
Games one day She set out to qualify for the In 1938 Didrikson decided to challenge the top male golfers 1932 Olympics in the world by playing a few events on the Professional Golfers Didrikson qualified Associaion of America PGA Tour in five events but at the She played in three more men's tournaments in 1945 and made time athletes weren't the cut in all three She is the allowed to take part in only woman to make the cut at a more than three events at PGA tournament the Olympics Didrikson competed in the javelin throw 80 meter hurdles and high jump in Los Angeles She took the gold in the first two setting world records in the process She won a silver medal in the high jump Soon after she took up golf despite having never played the sport before To practice her game she hit up to 1 000 golf balls per day Her powerful swing allowed her to drive the ball approximately 240 yards 220 meters from the tee Before long she became known more for golf than track and field After marrying professional wrestler George Zaharias in 1938 the newly named Babe Didrikson Zaharias won her first professional tournament in 1940 Over the next
ANNIKA SÖRENSTAM In her 14 year career Annika Sörenstam was one of the most consistently excellent golfers on the LPGA Tour The Swedish star won 72 tournaments the third most of all time Her wins included 10 majors She won eight LPGA player of the year awards and was inducted into both the LPGA and World Golf Tour Halls of Fame a rare achievement for an active player Sörenstam retired in 2008 at the age of 37 still at the top of her game 15 years she won 41 Ladies Professional Golf Association LPGA Tour events including victories in 10 major tournaments A cancer diagnosis in 1953 did not slow her down She missed 10 months recovering from treatment but she came back to win the Women's US Open in 1954 Her cancer returned in 1955 Though she continued to play on the tour she grew weaker and died in September 1956 Four months later she was awarded the Bob Jones Trophy for outstanding sportsmanship in golf Despite having her career cut short Didrikson Zaharias still is in the top 10 in all time wins in women's golf Didrikson Zaharias holds the Women's British Amateur trophy after winning the event in 1947
