At the 2003 Bank of America Colonial, Annika Sorenstam made history.
She became the first woman to compete on the PGA Tour in 58 years, since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945, by receiving a sponsor’s exemption to play at Colonial Country Club alongside the men.
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This story captured the imagination of fans and media everywhere, as the best player in the women’s game was about to test her skills against her male counterparts, but not everyone was happy.
In fact, Vijay Singh threatened to withdraw from the tournament if the event organisers did one thing in particular.
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
Vijay Singh threatened to withdraw at Colonial if he was paired with Annika Sorenstam
Singh was so unhappy about Sorenstam playing in the field that he flat-out refused to play alongside her. The three-time major winner threatened to withdraw from the tournament if he was paired with her.
The Fijian said before the tournament, “She doesn’t belong out here. If I’m drawn with her, which I won’t be, I won’t play.“
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He was upset that Sorenstam had taken the place of a younger male player trying to earn his PGA Tour card, and this was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
But Sorenstam proved she was capable of playing from the back tees when she competed in the event.
How Annika Sorenstam got on at Colonial on the PGA Tour
While Singh got his wish and Sorenstam missed the cut at Colonial, she didn’t look totally out of her depth playing alongside the PGA Tour pros.
Despite facing immense pressure and scrutiny, Sorenstam shot an opening round of 71, beating Sergio Garcia on the opening day.
A second round 74 meant she did miss the cut, but she still beat the likes of Geoff Ogilvy at the tournament, showing she belonged on this stage.
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