The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions kicked off the LPGA’s 2022 season and alongside the 29 winners on the circuit from a year ago were 50 celebrities, including Annika Sorenstam, who lives on the 16th hole at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando.
The former World No. 1 knows the course and even in cold, rainy conditions, she still knows how to play the game.
With a 34-point final round under the modified stableford scoring format, including the final clutch points coming on the 18th hole, Sorenstam tied former Major League Baseball pitcher Derek Lowe at the top of the leaderboard. Lowe closed with 36 points in his final round and each finished the four-round event with 138 points in regulation.
Sorenstam kept on Lowe’s heels throughout the day on Sunday. She made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to reclaim a share of the lead. After falling back again, she made another birdie on 15 to tie Lowe once again. On 16, she missed a par putt to fall two points back with two to go. On the final hole, she made a clutch up-and-down to tie Lowe.
On the first playoff hole, Lowe closed it out with a long putt.
Derek Lowe makes a long par putt on the first extra hole to defeat Annika Sorenstam and win the celebrity event at the #HGVLPGA pic.twitter.com/4UoGthzhnQ
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) January 23, 2022
Another former MLB pitcher, Mark Mulder, finished third at 129 points. Chad Pfeifer, who survived an IED explosion in Iraq and plays on a prosthetic leg, posted 128 points to finish in a tie for fourth with former NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick.
