![Former pro golfer Annika Sorenstam hits a shot out of the bunker, pictured here, during her first tour win in 1995. "It was a big turning point because all of a sudden it's like ... I felt like I belong out here," she told CNN. <strong>Look through the gallery for more moments from Sorenstam's record-setting career.</strong>](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-229490.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Former pro golfer Annika Sorenstam hits a shot out of the bunker, pictured here, during her first tour win in 1995. "It was a big turning point because all of a sudden it's like ... I felt like I belong out here," she told CNN. Look through the gallery for more moments from Sorenstam's record-setting career.
![Sorenstam posing with her historic scorecard showing a 59 at the Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona in 2001.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-622422.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Sorenstam posing with her historic scorecard showing a 59 at the Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona in 2001.
![Sorenstam pictured here on the practice range before playing in a PGA tournament at the Colonial on May 22, 2003. She said the opportunity came about after a reporter had asked her if she'd ever compete against men, to which she said "I was like, well, why not, like sure I would love to do that. So it was very spontaneous."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-2054838.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Sorenstam pictured here on the practice range before playing in a PGA tournament at the Colonial on May 22, 2003. She said the opportunity came about after a reporter had asked her if she'd ever compete against men, to which she said "I was like, well, why not, like sure I would love to do that. So it was very spontaneous."
![Sorenstam, pictured here holding the "Player Of The Year" trophy in 2003, has won this award eight times during her pro career, which remains the record.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-2754084.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Sorenstam, pictured here holding the "Player Of The Year" trophy in 2003, has won this award eight times during her pro career, which remains the record.
![Since her retirement in 2008, Sorenstam has dedicated much of her time to empowering the next generation of young female golfers through her foundation, the ANNIKA foundation.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-476555878.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Since her retirement in 2008, Sorenstam has dedicated much of her time to empowering the next generation of young female golfers through her foundation, the ANNIKA foundation.
![In the past few years, Sorenstam has played in a few tournaments, thanks in large part to her son Will's interest in the game. Sorenstam's husband, Mike McGee, said, "I credit him a lot with her getting back into it because he wanted to go practice and she thought, 'well, I might as well practice too.'"](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-1860180323.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
In the past few years, Sorenstam has played in a few tournaments, thanks in large part to her son Will's interest in the game. Sorenstam's husband, Mike McGee, said, "I credit him a lot with her getting back into it because he wanted to go practice and she thought, 'well, I might as well practice too.'"
![For Sorenstam, golf is more than just a game -- it's a family affair. "Mike's dad played on the tour and that's how he met his wife. So golf is more than just one generation," she told CNN.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-1401929885.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
For Sorenstam, golf is more than just a game -- it's a family affair. "Mike's dad played on the tour and that's how he met his wife. So golf is more than just one generation," she told CNN.
![Sorenstam speaks during a clinic at the U.S. Women's Open in Colorado, 2011. As for where she would like to see women's golf a few decades from now: "more coverage on TV, bigger purses and more competitions," she said, "and just getting the recognition I think many of them deserve."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-118319281.jpg?c=original&q=h_447,c_fill)
Sorenstam speaks during a clinic at the U.S. Women's Open in Colorado, 2011. As for where she would like to see women's golf a few decades from now: "more coverage on TV, bigger purses and more competitions," she said, "and just getting the recognition I think many of them deserve."