Some of the top current and former female golfers in the world, including Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Annika Sorenstam, have expressed serious reservations over the LPGA’s decision to stage an official tournament event in which the entire purse will be “imaginary.”

(Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel may skip ill-conceived tournament)

Randall Mell of The Golf Channel - via Geoff Shackelford - reported this week the details of the inaugural RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, which was created by new LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan “to honor the pioneers who founded the tour and to fund the LPGA-USGA Girls’ Golf Foundation. The event is scheduled March 18-20 in Phoenix as the first American event on this year’s schedule.”

Now for the weird part:

The unique tournament format will feature a $1.3 million “mock purse.” That money is all imaginary. Read more…

The world’s #1 women’s tennis player, Justine Henin, tossed her racket in her bag for the last time professionally, retiring immediately with a week before the French Open. We can think of numerous reasons to avoid France, but this is rather extreme.

(And now there is.)

While some may choose to speculate about a Hingis-esque retirement party or a Jordan-like trip to field hockey, we prefer to compare it to yesterday’s news that Annika Sorenstam will be stepping out in her relative prime as well. We believe we’ve tracked down the reason for both women to bail on their respective sports at such an odd time.

Read more…

We say a solemn sayonara to Annika Sorenstam, who’ll soon be swinging off into the sunset at season’s end.

• During the heat of battle, LeBron politely asks his mom to sit down.

• Jonathan Papelbon plays like crap(s) at Detroit’s Comerica Park.

• This guy must have mistook the sand trap for a water hazard.

• Kelvin Sampson is a blameless, misunderstood creature.

• Plans punched up for a Woody Hayes statue have been knocked down.

Read more…

Annika Sorenstam is packing up her putter & storing away her seven-iron. The golfing giantess announced that she’s retiring from the links, effective at the end of the season.

During a news conference Tuesday, the 37-year-old Sorenstam said she got the inspiration to complete her career after watching another long-time playing athlete call it quits - Brett Favre: Read more…