Humble pioneers who are driven to succeed and inspire

When Annika Sorenstam was 22, she was wrapping up a successful college career in Arizona and turning pro. She was just beginning a historic career that would end with 97 professional wins and 10 LPGA majors.

32 years later, Sorenstam sits next to a 22-year-old Caitlin Clark at the Annika Women’s Leadership Summit – two women who are very different, but also share similarities as some of the best athletes in the world and pioneers in women’s sports.

In 2024 alone, Clark, who is currently one of the most popular athletes in America, led Iowa to a second consecutive NCAA runner-up finish, was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever and quickly had a historic rookie season in the WNBA. acclimating to the pros and continuing her journey as a dominant scorer and passer. In her first season, she set a WNBA record with 19 assists in a game, became the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double and earned WNBA Rookie of the Year.

One of the common threads between Clark and Sorenstam is their Why – their motivation – and no, their goal was not to become pioneers and sources of inspiration. They just wanted to be the best at what they were most passionate about.

For Clark, she played a bunch of different sports, including golf, before focusing on basketball in high school.

“I wanted to practice, and I think that was different,” Clark said Tuesday at The Annika, an LPGA event hosted by the golf legend. “I wanted to get better at it. I wanted to spend time working on my game. And that was probably what set (basketball) apart from all the other sports I played – (the other sports) were just for fun with my friends.

Clark was still competitive no matter what sport she played, but she didn’t take extra time to work on her game or really desire to be better than everyone else – until she focused on basketball.

How to watch Caitlin Clark at the LPGA’s Annika pro-am event

The WNBA superstar will compete in the pro-am on Wednesday at The Annika.

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“I think it was just the will that I had to get better at it – I like to just practice it, and I sometimes think that’s not something that everyone really likes to do or wants to do, or is passionate about something they love.”

Wanting to practice and put in the hours, enjoying the process, is what told Clark she wanted to have a future in basketball. She was simply motivated by ‘wanting to be the best’.

In Sweden, a few decades earlier, Sorenstam had tried skiing, tennis (inspired by Bjorn Borg), and “every (other) sport except basketball.”

In golf, Sorenstam was driven by the challenge: how difficult the sport is, especially with so many variables.

“Whether you’re working on your driving style, your irons, your approach shots, putting or chipping, there are so many different shots and they’re so different every day – different on the grass, on the lie, in the wind, everything is so different,” Sorenstam said. “And I just like the challenge of trying to hit it.”

A bonus for the shy Sorenstam growing up: golf is “usually very quiet.”

These are two athletes who have found their calling and embraced every obstacle on their way to greatness, yet are humble both inside and outside their field.

While Clark usually just “prays to break 100” in golf, Sorenstam says three-pointers weren’t really her thing — where Clark laments the court star Sorenstam might have been. That sums up another common thread between the two: humility and respect.

When all eyes are on them it can be easy to get big headlines, but Clark and Sorenstam pride themselves on staying true despite the accolades and fame.

“Life has obviously changed a lot, but I try to live exactly the same way I did when I first went to college and stepped onto campus and try to be the same authentic person that I am,” Clark said. “For me, I feel like I’m living in a dream, but at the same time it’s special – I try not to let it pass me by.”

Both women are inspired by the next generation, the young women and girls at events, the ones who could be the future of their respective games and beyond.

“I know a lot of women who are retired from sports and (who are now) in C-suites,” Sorenstam said, adding, “I think everyone talks about the effect we have on them, but they also have the same effect on us.”

“That’s the reason you play,” Clark added. “It’s not the wins and the points you score; it’s the amount of joy you can bring to people and the young girls who will one day grow up to hopefully be whatever they want to be.”

Sixteen years after her retirement, Sorenstam may no longer be busy winning tournaments full-time, but she certainly still has a reason to remain a force in the golf world. That’s actually her biggest fear: “Waking up and not having a goal, that would be terrible.”

What seems to separate the generational talents from the rest is not just their abilities, but also what they do with those gifts – the choices they make.

“(Caitlin) is just starting her round of golf, if you know (what I mean), her journey,” Sorenstam said. “She just teed off on hole one or two. I have already made the turn.”

If Sorenstam has accomplished so much since he was 22, it’s mind-boggling to think about what lies ahead for young Clark, especially at a time when women’s sports are booming.

Imagine who she will pave the way for in another 30 years.