She may have been the best there has ever been. At the very least, if Annika Sorenstam is not indisputably the greatest player in the history of women's golf, she has unquestionably earned the privilege, along with Mickey Wright, of being a part of that discussion. The numbers the 37-year old Sorenstam has compiled since she began playing the LPGA Tour regularly in 1994 are impressive to say the least; 72 victories, 10 major titles, eight Rolex Player of the Year Awards, six Vare Trophies for lowest stroke average and numerous other accomplishments. But in short order, those numbers will be merely lines of type in the record book and targets for other players to take a shot at. In light of Sorenstam's announcement that she is stepping away from the game as an active participant, we choose to focus not so much on her achievements, but how she went about accomplishing them.

On the golf course, she was a model of consistency. She was never the longest driver on tour but she was longer than most, and when she decided to increase her level of fitness after her appearance at the Colonial in 2003 her distance off the tee increased proportionately. She was accurate as well. Off the tee, she always seemed to find the fairway and more often than not arrived at the green with a makable birdie putt. It was on the greens themselves that she was perhaps most vulnerable. Her putter let her down at times during her career, but perhaps this was a case of the golfing gods rendering a form of justice. While Sorenstam made her share of putts, if her skill with the flat stick had matched the rest of her game, she might have been unconquerable. Yet, for most of her career, she always seemed to make the key putt when she needed to, which speaks to her competitive instincts and just plain toughness. They have been her greatest attributes of all. Whether setting the pace or stalking the leader, there was no one more dangerous than Annika when she was near the top of the leaderboard. Even when she ran off the tracks, she would find a way to right herself.

Our most vivid memory of Sorenstam the player was forged at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Del. at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, a tournament she has won three times, twice at DuPont. Late in the final round, Sorenstam was holding the lead, but seemed to be running out of gas. She came to the short par-5 16th hole and pushed her drive left behind a row of trees, then played a recovery down the left side, leaving her with a pitch over the trees for her third shot. With the tournament in the balance, Sorenstam launched a wedge high over the trees. Her ball landed eight feet past the hole and spun back to within four feet. She dropped the birdie putt, and with two holes to go it was game, set, match Sorenstam. At crunch time, she was a fierce competitor. Off the course, she carried herself with quiet dignity. When she first rose to prominence, there was a shyness about her and she seemed more at ease speaking with an interviewer by phone than sitting down one on one.

Later on, particularly after the Colonial, she became more comfortable in the spotlight, but even in the wake of dealing with personal issues, never lost her sense of dignity. In of 2006, when Sorenstam was preparing to defend her title at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in South Jersey and was playing as well as she ever has, we did an interview with her that touched on her career accomplishments and her continuing search for excellence. She was gracious and accommodating and that story is one of the most memorable we've ever done. In some ways, it never seemed to be just about titles for Sorenstam, or a number-one ranking or certainly public acclaim. Her journey, most of all, was about playing golf as well as she could. Like Mickey Wright, she leaves the athletic arena with some outstanding golf still in her. But she has promised to stay involved in the game and we suspect will be as competitive in her future endeavors as she has been on the course. Her absence will leave a void however, but the memories she leaves behind will sustain all of us who have been privileged to watch her.