Golf Question of the Week: Is the Time Right for Annika to Walk Away?

She’s hinted at it in years past, and as recently as last month at the Monday After the Masters charity golf tournament in North Myrtle Beach:

Golf great Annika Sorenstam made it official earlier today, announcing her retirement from the LPGA Tour at the conclusion of its 2008 season.

ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel and Golf World’s Ron Sirak, among others, don’t express much surprise over the news. What’s left to prove? With 72 career LPGA wins (including 10 major titles and 18 additional international wins), more than $22 million in career earnings, eight Player of the Year honors and the only 59 ever to be recorded by a woman in competition …Why not leave at or near the top of your game – a facet of greatness that nonetheless eluded such American sports icons as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali?

Instead, Sorenstam joins the likes of other sports icons – Rocky Marciano, Jim Brown, Sandy Koufax and Barry Sanders – who departed on their own terms, and punctuated historic career achievement by stating loud and clear that they had nothing left to prove.

Fact is, though, that Sorenstam’s announcement doesn’t come on the heels of a half dozen missed cuts. It comes two days after obliterating the competition by seven shots at last weekend’s Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, including the LPGA’s top-ranked Lorena Ochoa. Doesn’t exactly evoke images of a gimpy Joe Namath hobbling around the Los Angeles Coliseum on two bum knees, does it?

In fact, as much of a fitness maven as she’s been throughout her career, and with Sorenstam proving 37 to be the “new 27,” who’s to say that she couldn't keep playing, continue to win, and shatter Kathy Whitworth’s career record of 88 LPGA Tour victories?

But when your achievements have earned you a worldwide popularity with just one name – the same way we identify with Arnie, Jack and Tiger – who’s anyone to question what she thinks is best for her?

Remember, Tiger still needs nine more wins before we can quit referring to him as “the PGA Tour’s Annika.”