The Star (Sunday December 7, 2008):
Sorenstam to help design course at the Mines Golf City
KUALA LUMPUR: After eight years, Swedish golfing superstar Annika Sorenstam is back on Malaysian soil.
And this time, she is here to help design what is acclaimed to be the South-East Asian version of the Mission Hills in China — the Mines Golf City.
Swede presence: Annika Sorenstam (right) with Mines founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew at the press conference yesterday. - UU BAN LEONG/THE STAR
Sorenstam will design the first 18 holes of the sprawling 63-hole golf course, which will be the first and largest in South-East Asia.
It will not just be of championship standard, but also a luxury green development encompassing over 2,100 acres of land near Bukit Beruntung.
The former world No. 1 flew in yesterday and took a helicopter ride to view the location of what will be her first attempt at designing a golf course in the region.
Sorenstam first came to Malaysia for the Women’s World Cup at Mines Resort and Golf Club in 2000. She partnered her sister Charlotta and they finished as runners-up, two strokes behind Australians Karrie Webb and Rachel Hetherington.
“I’m honoured to be back here. I am proud to be involved with such a world-class development. They have cleared two holes to give me a feel of what’s ahead. My hope is to capture the natural character of the landscape and the end product is to give every golfer a test to remember,” said Sorenstam, who is due to retire after playing her last professional tournament in Dubai next week.
The 38-year-old has certainly been one of the most dominant players in women’s golf in the last decade and has 72 wins on the LPGA Tour, including 10 major championships.
Sorenstam said her immediate plans after retirement would be to concentrate on her business and to get married in January.
“Something that I will not miss is the daily grind of competition. I have felt the pressure of performing in recent times. Having achieved everything, I feel it’s time to move on,” said Sorenstam.
She, however, said that she would definitely miss the adrenaline rush she gets from playing against the best in the world.
Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, the founder of Mines, said he took up the challenge to launch the project despite the current economic climate as he believed that properties within a golf community, like waterfront communities, would always be sought after.
“It is my aim to create a Mission Hills-type for Malaysia for the world to take notice.
“There have been no new golf projects in the last 10 years but I believe this will work. It is also a great honour to have Annika accept my invitation to help in the project,” he said.
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