Feb 02

Surprise! Karrie Webb will challenge Annika Sorenstam for LPGA dominance

Funny how things change, yet remain the same. In 2000 Karrie Webb was clearly the No. 1 female golfer in the world, and only 25 years old. In 2001 at age 30, Annika Sorenstam started working long & hard in the gym to Tiger-ize her body and it paid off in spades by 2002. What Annika has done in the last 4 years has left everyone scrambling to see who can be number 2. It’s not even close.

While Annika’s game has hit stratospheric heights, Karrie’s has gone the other direction. Until now.

Word from Down Under is that Karrie has finally accepted the challenge and spent the off-season in the gym. While she admittedly “hates it", she will love the results. Another telling item is that Karrie has acquired a coach to help her with the mental side of the game. No longer does she intend to just rely on natural talent. She wants to see just how good she can be.

We should remember that she only recently turned 31 - the same at which Annika made her physical adjustment. Webb is already in the LPGA Hall of Fame - the youngest ever to qualify. Apparently that induction set off a period of soul-searching. And it says here that the golfing world will soon be excited by the results of her efforts.

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24 comments

§ Paul W said on : 02/02/06 @ 11:35
Hope she does well, she had a strong start last year winning the ANZ Ladies Masters, but kind of puttered out.
§ fred said on : 02/02/06 @ 12:03
Reading past blogs I was under the impession girls peaked at 16. Does that only apply to Michelle Wie because she is special?
§ RonMon said on : 02/02/06 @ 12:38
mental coach ... read Zen Golf and the one by Gio Valiante.

the gym ... read sean cochran's book and work out once with Tiger (Karrie could swing the date.)
§ One-Putt said on : 02/02/06 @ 12:57
I'm waiting for Christina, Pat and Laura to hit the gym in an effort to counter to this new strategy by Kerri.

Caterers all over the LPGA tour are preparing for massive layoffs after these gals stop eating.
§ Nobody Important said on : 02/02/06 @ 13:06
Go back to Karrie's interviews at the early season Australian events in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. You'll find she's pretty much said the same thing every year, and every year her results have gotten worse. This may be the year she turns it around, but she'll have to do something to prove it before I believe it.
§ Shanks® said on : 02/02/06 @ 13:08
I remember Jack Nicklaus once dropped a lot of weight and said that he lost so much that he couldn't hit the ball the way he wanted to. Personally, I think that was just some nonsense he told Barbara so she'd get off his back about all the ice cream sundaes.
§ trip said on : 02/02/06 @ 13:13
Fred you must have got the memo about having one Wie loser inject her name in every single blog. This blog is reserved for conversation about Karrie Webb and the role fitnes may or may not play in her climb back to the top. If you must talk about Michelle, check out Bangkok Al's blog. Let's leave the converstaion here to women that have won LPGA tournaments, or any tournaments for that matter.
§ One-Putt said on : 02/02/06 @ 13:23
Right on trip! Keep the blog focused on the "LARGER" issue.

Wie needs to hit many more LPGA Sponsor's Buffets before she could ever catch up to the girls I mentioned above and compete.

I would say Michelle doesn't deserve to stand in their shadow, but unfortunately they "eclipse" everyone around them.
§ mamboking said on : 02/02/06 @ 14:17
Ron, are you trying to pull another "Loren Roberts" prediction out of your hat??
§ Norman said on : 02/02/06 @ 14:19
Thanks to TravelGolf.com for appointing Trip as there blog moderator.

As regards Karie Webb, I too am skeptical. I think Paula Creamer will have a better year than Karie Webb in the season ahead.

Oops, are we allowed to mention Paula Creamers name. Maybe the new blog moderator could let us know. Careful.
§ Norman said on : 02/02/06 @ 14:42
Shanks,
Sorry to go off topic, but since nobod has a Dubai tournament topic, I just want to predict here that Ernie will take the title again.

For his round he hit 17 greens in regulation, which shows that he is swinging very well.

He had 33 putts, which is huge for him. I think he will find his range over the remaining rounds and his score will improve, and pull him away from the field. Go Ernie.
§ Shanks® said on : 02/02/06 @ 15:02
You already know I think Els will have a monster year, but not too sure about this week. After any sizable layoff, putting is usually the last thing to return. Four under par on 33 putts is VERY strong indeed. So you may be onto something. He will be a handful this year - I can feel it in my bones.
§ Norman said on : 02/02/06 @ 16:14
Here's another one:
Tiger will not win more majors than Ernie this year. Probably 1 each.

Funny what you said about the lay off. Last night on Euro Tour weekly, they were going through the odds and Goosen was 4th favourite, & they said he doesn't have any chance cause he hasn't played in 6 weeks, and they were really dismisive of him saying it would be throwing money away to back him. Then he shoots 8 under.

I agree with the point on coming back after injury, and it taking a while. It was the putting stat versus all the rest that amazed me. 17 GIR shows he's striking it exceptionally well.

I hope the way he loves Dubai will help him to adjust to the green over the next day or two, and anyone will be hard pressed to stop him.
§ trip said on : 02/02/06 @ 16:28
It's hard to root against Ernie Els. By all accounts he seems to be very bit the getleman he appears on Television, but before his injury he was having one of his worst years on tour and while he is playing well to start this year it is a bit early to predict how many majors he will win. Norman, why don't you just pick Ernie to win every tournament he enters, eventually you will call one correctly.
§ Norman said on : 02/02/06 @ 18:11
Trip, what are you talking about?

Last week I backed McGinley for the title and Els was in the same field.

I reckon Els will win this week, although with golf the chances of picking a winner are always difficult.
§ John said on : 02/02/06 @ 22:05
Norman, the odds are rarely worse than 170 to 1 or thereabouts :-)

With respect to Karrie Webb, the difference this year might be that rather than thinking about what she has to improve, she has committed to a course of action that might bring her thoughts to fruition. That seems to have happened to several plays on the Men's Tour.

I hope so, things aren't really interesting unless there are three or four horses in the race. If you add Karrie to Annika, Paula and "She Who Must Not Be Named" the races could get pretty interesting.
§ Jim COULTHARD said on : 02/03/06 @ 19:50
At the halfway mark at the ANZ, Karrie Webb trails a 16 year old Korean by 4 strokes. This one is Amy Yang.
§ David said on : 02/04/06 @ 08:23
Karrie Webb is the 'David Duval' of women's golf.
§ Vincent Vega said on : 02/04/06 @ 10:19
Wait a minute ... Karrie Webb still makes all the cuts.
§ David said on : 02/04/06 @ 14:28
It's easier to make an LPGA Tour cut than a PGA Tour cut, as Michelle Wie knows very well.

:)
§ Vincent Vega said on : 02/04/06 @ 14:37
DOH!!! No you didn't .....
§ One-Putt said on : 02/05/06 @ 13:38
Karrie Webb defending champion of the ANZ Australian Ladies Masters had her butt kicked by another sixteen year old Amy Yang and finished tied for 33rd with Britain's three-time Masters winner Laura Davies at 3-under.

Go ahead and hit the buffet with Laura, that exercise stuff is overated Karrie.
§ Shanks® said on : 02/05/06 @ 23:40
The reports I have are that Webb played well but putted like Stevie Wonder. I don't think the gym will cure a balky putter. I'm still going to monitor her progress.
§ Norman said on : 02/07/06 @ 17:02
How about Se Ri Pak. She is hoping to make a good comeback and has taken up martial arts and is fintess training something like 23.5 hours per day.