During a Thursday morning chat over an outdoor breakfast at The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Annika Sorenstam, surrounded by nine kids from First Tee programs around the country, confided that she was “extremely shy growing up.”

How shy?

Knowing that junior tournament winners had to give a speech, Sorenstam intentionally missed putts coming down the stretch so that other kids would win and have to do the public speaking.

It’s hard to believe that the Annika Sorenstam at The Broadmoor on Thursday for the inaugural CoBank PEAK Performers event is that same person. For half a day at the site of her 1995 U.S. Women’s Open triumph, she regaled the teenagers with all sorts of stories with valuable life lessons, shared laughs with the kids, made sure to personally connect with every one of them and chatted it up with media folks and with her caddie, a guy familiar to folks at The Broadmoor — aside from the caddie bib — longtime director of golf Russ Miller (below).

“She’s a talker. That’s pretty cool,” said 14-year-old Hunter Swanson from The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, one of two Coloradans who had the chance to play six holes with Sorenstam, who switched off among three threesomes of kids. (Swanson is pictured above with Sorenstam.)

Sorenstam is one of the greatest players in the history of women’s golf, with the ’95 U.S. Women’s Open win at The Broadmoor being the first of her 72 LPGA Tour victories as well as the first of her 10 wins in major championships. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame 15 years ago.

But it’s been almost a full decade since the Swede ended her competitive career, even though she’s still only 47. But a year before exiting the LPGA Tour, Sorenstam founded the ANNIKA Foundation “with the goal of developing women’s golf around the world and encouraging children to lead healthy, active lifestyles.” Sorenstam has long worked with The First Tee to help accomplish that goal.

“The thing I do with my foundation is I tell people there’s no other sport like golf where you have great ambassadors like these young kids,” Sorenstam said during a brief Q&A with ColoradoGolf.org prior to her round. “These are the next generation of leaders or influencers — or whatever you want to call them. It’s so cool that they play golf. I think we really need to take advantage of these opportunities. I love being part of it — to see how focused these young kids are.

“I think they inspire me as much as hopefully I inspire them.”

If the reaction of the Colorado kids who took part in the CoBank PEAK Performers event is any indication, Sorenstam certainly hit the mark.

“It was kind of surreal. She’s so nice,” said 15-year-old Colorado Springs resident Sarah Abercrombie, who’s been part of The First Tee of Pikes Peak since it was founded. “When I opened up the email (saying she’d been selected to participate in Thursday’s event), I just freaked out.”

Added Swanson, a First Tee GVR regular for nine years and a varsity golfer at Northfield High School: “Once I figured it out at the beginning — that we’re actually going to meet her and play with her — the best women’s golfer ever … It was COOL. It’s way different seeing her in real life. You see how good she is in real life and see how far she hits it. It’s crazy.”

Sorenstam spoke with the kids as a group for about 20 minutes during breakfast (left), hitting on all sorts of topics through personal stories — from her childhood, from her playing career … you name it.

So what is her primary message to the kids?, she was asked later.

“You have nine kids from different parts of the country, different ages, different walks of life so to speak,” she said. “I don’t know what would stick in (a given) kid’s head. But a lot of it is just follow your dreams, do what you like, work hard, no shortcuts to success and learn from your mistakes. That’s some of the things that I have done. It’s kind of finding your own journey. There’s no set journey. Create your own and make it worthwhile.”

For instance, that same Sorenstam who was “extremely shy” growing up, she not only learned to talk in front of a group after winning tournaments. Later, she accepted an invitation to speak to an audience of 10,000.

She wasn’t thrilled with the exercise, “but that’s how you get better — not by running away,” she told the kids on Thursday.

All this — the planting of little seeds if the minds of kids such as these — is part of a plan “to inspire the next generation to be on the right path. But these kids, they’re extremely mature and very determined and very accomplished already.”

Sorenstam (pictured directing Abercrombie) seemed to leave competitive golf while she was still in the prime of her career. She was asked if the decade since has been what she imagined it would be.

“I don’t compete, but I’ve been a lot busier than I thought,” she said. “I’ve been lucky. I’m still able to do fun stuff and be relevant after 10 years. A lot of people just kind of fall off the earth. I’m glad my phone is still ringing.”

And, of course, she still manages to fit in some relaxation. That was part of plan in coming to The Broadmoor, in addition to inspiring The First Tee kids.

“I’ve been back here a few times (since her 1995 victory), but not that many. This is my third time (back),” she said. “This brings back some great memories for sure. This is kind of where my career started. It’s a beautiful spot and it’s neat to be out here. This time I’ve got my family with me, which makes it even more special to be able to share with them kind of where I started.”

Thursday was a culmination of a four-day, all-expenses-paid golf event for the nine First Tee kids, who visited some of the spectacular sites around the Colorado Springs area, in addition to staying at the five-star Broadmoor Resort. The event was sponsored by Denver-based CoBank, The Broadmoor and The First Tee of GVR.

The teenagers were selected after submitting applications that were judged based on the kids’ academic and leadership records, playing resumes and essays about their experience at The First Tee and the impact the program has had on their lives.

The CoBank PEAK Performers winners that played with Sorenstam on Thursday were , in addition to Abercrombie and Swanson, Jackson Boldt and Luke Boldt, both 16 and from The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas; Andrew Santiago Caldwell, 16, from The First Tee of Pine Mountain in Kentucky; Nina Goodrich; 16, from The First Tee of Greater St. Louis; Joshua Lim, 17, from The First Tee of Greater San Antonio; Victoria Slawinski, 17, from The First Tee of Pittsburgh; and Borina Sutikto, 14, from The First Tee of Silicon Valley.

The PEAK Performers event was the brainchild of the folks who conduct and sponsor the CoBank Colorado Open Championships each year at GVR and who run The First Tee of GVR.
 

The nine juniors include two from Colorado — 15-year-old Sarah Abercrombie of The First Tee of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, and 14-year-old Hunter Swanson from The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch in Denver.

The PEAK Performers event — co-sponsored by Denver-based CoBank, The Broadmoor and The First Tee of GVR — was open to First Tee members nationwide. Applicants were judge based on their academic and leadership records, playing resumes and essays about their experience at The First Tee and the impact the program has had on their lives.

Those selected will play golf on Aug. 23 at The Broadmoor with Sorenstam, who won the 50th U.S. Women’s Open at the resort in 1995. After a breakfast meeting with the kids, she’ll play six holes each with three threesomes at the East Course. Also on the agenda for The First Tee kids will be a four-day, three-night stay to The Broadmoor (Aug. 21-24), including visits to the Air Force Academy and Pikes Peak, and leadership instruction oriented around The First Tee’s nine core values.

“I am honored to meet and play golf with these nine wonderful participants from The First Tee on the course that really kick-started my championship career at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open,” said Sorenstam, a national spokesperson for The First Tee. “The Broadmoor means a lot to me and sharing this experience with these kids on this beautiful property is very special indeed.”

The CoBank PEAK Performers winners that will play with Sorenstam on Aug. 23 are, in addition to Abercrombie and Swanson, Jackson Boldt and Luke Boldt, both 16 and from The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas; Andrew Santiago Caldwell, 16, from The First Tee of Pine Mountain in Kentucky; Nina Goodrich; 16, from The First Tee of Greater St. Louis; Joshua Lim, 17, from The First Tee of Greater San Antonio; Victoria Slawinski, 17, from The First Tee of Pittsburgh; and Borina Sutikto, 14, from The First Tee of Silicon Valley.

The PEAK Performers event was the brainchild of the folks who conduct and sponsor the CoBank Colorado Open Championships each year at GVR and that run The First Tee of GVR.
 

Obviously, the main event is going to be the U.S. Senior Open that The Broadmoor Resort will host June 28-July 1.

But while the best golfers in the 50-and-older set will be in Colorado Springs, a high-profile PGA Tour player, Matt Kuchar, will be putting on an exhibition for kids on June 30 from 11 a.m. to noon at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. The event — sponsored by CoBank, the title sponsor for the Colorado Open Championships — will be open to all kids, free of charge. And junior attendees can play the GVR par-3 course after the exhibition and autograph session. The First Tee of GVR is hosting the festivities.

Kuchar (pictured), who will also participate in other functions on June 29 as part of the event, owns seven PGA Tour victories in his career, including the 2012 Players Championship, the 2013 WGC Match Play Championship and the 2013 Memorial. Last week, he made a hole-in-one at this year’s Match Play, were he advanced to the round of 16. All told, the affable 39-year-old has won more than $42 million on golf’s top circuit. Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion, is currently No. 20 in the World Golf Rankings.

Kuchar’s appearance will be one of two hosted in Colorado in 2018 by The First Tee of GVR and sponsored by CoBank.

Annika Sorenstam — who won the first of her 72 LPGA Tour titles (third most all-time) at the 50th U.S. Women’s Open, held at The Broadmoor in 1995 — will return to the Colorado Springs resort to participate in the “CoBank PEAK Performers” event on Aug. 23. On that day, she’ll play a round of golf at the East Course with nine selected First Tee members (six holes each with three threesomes). Sorenstam, a national spokesperson for The First Tee, also will have a breakfast meeting with the kids. Eight of those nine First Tee members will be selected from the eight First Tee regions in the continental U.S., with the final participant coming from The First Tee of GVR.

In previous years, tour players who have conducted CoBank-sponsored junior exhibitions in Colorado have included Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer and Paula Creamer in 2016, and David Duval, Lexi Thompson and Mark O’Meara in 2017.

To register for the Kuchar exhibition, CLICK HERE.
 

The lineup in 2016 featured Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer and Paula Creamer. Last year, David Duval, Lexi Thompson and Mark O’Meara were brought in by CoBank and The First Tee of GVR.

Put those years together and you had two World Golf Hall of Famers (Irwin and O’Meara) and the winners of 52 events on the PGA Tour, 47 on PGA Tour Champions and 19 on the LPGA Tour.

But there will be no resting on laurels in 2018. Officials expect to host at least one exhibition in Colorado — with a to-be-determined tour player — this year. But beyond that, one of the game’s all-time greats will be coming to the Centennial State to participate in an event that will be different than usual and bigger in scope.

Annika Sorenstam — who won the first of her 72 LPGA Tour titles (third most all-time) at the 50th U.S. Women’s Open, held at The Broadmoor in 1995 — has agreed to return to the Colorado Springs resort to participate in the “CoBank PEAK Performers” event on Aug. 23.

On that day, she’ll play a round of golf at the East Course with nine selected First Tee members (six holes each with three threesomes). Sorenstam, a national spokesperson for The First Tee, also will have a breakfast meeting with the kids. (Sorenstam is pictured above with two kids at the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.)

Eight of those nine First Tee members will be selected from the eight First Tee regions in the continental U.S., with the final participant coming from The First Tee of GVR. Applicants are limited to kids age 14-18.

“The impetus (for the event) came from last year with Mark O’Meara coming to The Broadmoor” for a First Tee exhibition, said Kevin Laura, CEO of The First Tee of GVR and of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. “It made a big impact on Mark and on the kids. CoBank got great feedback and The Broadmoor is such a great setting. (CoBank officials) said afterward they want something bigger and broader after what we’ve done the last two years.

“The Broadmoor liked this idea and The First Tee thought it was a great idea. And Annika loves The Broadmoor. Besides winning a U.S. Women’s Open there, she vacations there” on occasion.

CoBank, The Broadmoor and The First Tee of GVR are co-sponsoring and hosting “CoBank PEAK Performers”.

First Tee kids from across the country — boys with handicaps of 10 or less and girls with 12 or less — can apply if they’re interested in playing with Sorenstam as part of the all-expenses-covered event, which runs Aug. 21-24. Included for the participants will be three nights at The Broadmoor. The First Tee is expecting 200 or more applications.

Participants will be chosen on the basis of an essay, their answers to various questions, their golf resume, their schoolwork and activities, and letters of recommendation. The First Tee national home office will forward worthy candidates to the Colorado Open Golf Foundation selection committee, which will pick the winners and announce them on June 27.

Besides playing with Sorenstam, the participants will spend a day visiting some of the top landmarks in the Colorado Springs area, including the Air Force Academy.
 

First, he qualified for the 3A state high school championship by tying for fourth individually in a regional touranment and helping his Kent Denver team cruise to a regional title.

Then he not only had the opportunity to play one of the most famous and beautiful courses in the world — Pebble Beach Golf Links — but with one of the best players on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, Scott McCarron.

And to cap it all off, Manzanares and McCarron were in contention on Sunday for the pro-junior team title at the PURE Insurance Championship PGA Tour Champions tournament. The two ended up finishing fourth in the gross best-ball competition. After rounds of 62-68-67, they posted an 18-under-par 197 total, three strokes behind winners Bernhard Langer and Justin Potwora. Manzanares even received some air time on the Golf Channel, which showed his tee shot on the par-3 12th hole on Sunday.

“He’s got a bright future ahead of him,” McCarron said of Manzanares on the Golf Channel.

Manzanares was one of two representatives of The First Tee of Denver who competed in the PURE Insurance Championship, where 81 First Tee kids from around the country are paired with PGA Tour Champions players during championship rounds at Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills.

Cole Drew of Centennial teamed with Steve Flesch, but they didn’t make the 36-hole team cut, checking in at 4-under-par 139.

Colorado residents Craig Stadler and Aaron Woodard won the pro-junior in this event in 2004, when Stadler was the professional champion.

The juniors — age 14-18 — who competed were picked based on their playing ability and comprehension of the core values and life skills The First Tee teaches.

–– Saunders Drops to 24th Place in Web.com Tour Finals in Quest for Better PGA Tour Status: Despite missing the cut in the DAP Championship, former Fort Collins resident Sam Saunders remained in the top 25 with one event left in the Web.com Tour Finals.

Saunders will go into next week’s Web.com Tour Championship in 24th place in the four-event finals. Should he finish in the top 25 in the standings, he’ll regain full status on the PGA Tour.

Meanwhile, Denver native Mark Hubbard will need a very strong finish at the Tour Championship to make it into the top 25. He placed 54th on Sunday in the DAP Championship, which left him in 57th place in the standings.

Both Saunders and Hubbard were regulars on the PGA Tour in the 2016-17 wraparound season.

— Former DU Golfer Kempter Posts Symetra Tour Top 10: Former University of Denver golfer Katie Kempter finished a season-best 10th Sunday in the Symetra Tour’s Guardian Championship in Prattville, Ala. Kempter posted rounds of 70-69-70 for a 7-under-par 209 total, which left her five strokes behind champion Lindsey Weaver. 

It may be just a coincidence, but since the year Lexi Thompson was born — 1995 — the percentage of American junior golfers who are females has doubled.

Obviously, it’s not all due to Thompson — to say the least — but it’s not an overstatement to say that the young Lexi has more than done her part to grow the game, particularly among girls.

For the record, the growth statistic, according to the National Golf Foundation, is this: In 1995, 17 percent of all junior golfers in the U.S. were female. Now, that percentage is 32.7.

Thompson knows the figures, and they bring a smile to her face. On Saturday, the No. 2-ranked female golfer in the world conducted a First Tee kids exhibition — presented by CoBank — at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. Though the event, which drew more than 200 people, wasn’t limited to girls, they were the vast majority of attendees.

Thompson wants to help golf grow on all levels, and among both females and males, but the trend among girls in the last couple of decades is particularly gratifying for players such as her on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s amazing,” the 22-year-old said. “That’s what we want. We want to see little girls pick up a club early and get involved in the game because it is an amazing sport. You learn a lot about yourself. We want to grow the game, so it’s great to see.

“The thing I’ve noticed is the number of little girls wearing the program shirts or hats that are out following us. There’s so many little girls out following us and that’s what we want to see. We want to see smiles on their faces when we sign something for them or are giving them high-fives between holes. Knowing that they play the game as well, and we have an impact on that, it means the world to us.”

Thompson points to organizations such as The First Tee, PGA Junior League and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf as key reasons the percentage of girls among junior players has grown markedly in the last couple of decades. For her part, Thompson serves as an ambassador for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf. The program features more than 400 sites around the world, reaching roughly 60,000 girls. Just in Colorado, 13 sites host LPGA*USGA Girls Golf programs. There are locations in Aspen, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Evergreen, Loveland and Pagosa Springs, besides seven in the Denver metro area. The CWGA coordinates and helps run the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program based at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. For all the Colorado sites, CLICK HERE.

“Obviously I want to accomplish what I do on the golf course, but I want to give back to the game and grow it as well,” Thompson said. “Being part of that program is a huge honor. To get the girls involved in the game at a young age, and to see how excited they are to be involved with it, it means a lot to me to be part of it.

“I definitely embrace it. I notice the little girls that follow me the whole day (during rounds on the LPGA Tour), and I’ll sign and give them golf balls between holes and everything because it means a lot. They took time out of their lives to come out and watch me and support me. The least I can do is give them something signed. I really embrace it because I’m following my dreams and that’s what I want to show to them.”

And, perhaps more than most LPGA Tour players, Thompson can make a connection with girls. After all, at age 22, she’s not very far removed from being a girl herself. But she definitely took a more accelerated route to considerable success in the game than most.

Thompson qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open as a 12-year-old. She won the U.S. Girls’ Junior as a 13-year-old. She turned pro at 15 and won an LPGA Tour event as a 16-year-old. Now, at the grand old age of 22, she owns eight LPGA Tour victories, including one major. Thompson has captured one title this year, with five runner-up finishes.

“My No. 1 goal is to be in the Hall of Fame,” she said. “Besides that, the people I look up to like Nancy Lopez and Juli Inkster, it’s not only because of what they’ve accomplished, but what they do for their fans, for their sponsors and how they’ve grown the game. People look up to them. That’s what I want to accomplish in life. I want people to look up to me and respect the game because they watch me play. I can accomplish all I want on the golf course, but if I give back to my fans and grow the game, that’s all I want.”

Thompson vividly remembers her first up-close interaction with LPGA Tour players, when she qualified for that first U.S. Women’s Open at age 12. And she keeps that in mind when she mixes with youngsters these days.

“At the Open I got to see Annika (Sorenstam) and Lorena (Ochoa) and Juli (Inkster); that was amazing on its own,” Thompson said. “I didn’t talk to them too much — I was a 12-year-old — but to see them on the range and the putting green, I was like, ‘I just watched you guys on TV last week or a few weeks ago.’ I looked up to them. That’s what drove me to be out there. I’m like, ‘I’m playing beside my role models.’ That’s what I want to be to the kids watching me.”

Indeed, whether she’s conversing with girls or boys, Thompson tries to provide a little inspiration to the impressionable kids.

“I always say to the little girls and boys to follow their dreams whether it’s in golf or anything they want to do in their lives — to go after what they want,” she said. “It takes a lot of hard work to achieve your goals in life, but don’t let anybody get in the way of that. Do something that you love; that’s the most important part.”

Although the LPGA doesn’t have a regular tour stop these days in Colorado, it was in this state where Thompson says she was the most nervous she’s ever been. That was at the 2013 Solheim Cup — the women’s version of the Ryder Cup — at Colorado Golf Club in Parker. Thompson was 18 at the time, and playing in the U.S. vs. Europe matches for the first time.

“I remember the first tee shot very vividly” with LPGA legend Lopez in the stands among those leading the fans in support of the U.S. team, Thompson said. “It’s pretty intense, a lot of adrenaline. It was the best feeling to hit that tee shot. Just to hear the USA chants … We didn’t play that well that week, but it was an incredible experience.

“That first tee shot there was the most nervous I’ve ever been. You’re playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team, you’re playing for your country, so there’s a lot more on the line. But I thrive on it. I love it.”

Next week in West Des Moines, Iowa, Thompson will participate in her third Solheim Cup. And if her excitment and that of the other competitors rubs off on girls — and boys and adults — perhaps golf will take another incremental step in the right direction.

Thompson’s exhibition was the second conducted by a big-time player this summer at Green Valley Ranch. David Duval did the honors in June — just as Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer and Paula Creamer did last year. And on Aug. 25, Mark O’Meara will be putting one on for The First Tee of Pikes Peak at a Colorado Springs site to be determined.