She surprises by saying that her proudest moment of all was in taking on the men of the PGA tour at the Colonial in 2003, the first woman to do so since 1958.
"I wanted to see if my game could hold up against the best male players in the world, to see if I could play their courses. I wanted a challenge, something that would push me a little harder and take my game to the next level," she says.
And although she didn't play her best golf -- carding 71 and 74 to miss the cut by 4 strokes -- she won a lot of friends and improved her game too.
Sorenstam has rejected further invitations to try again, saying that her enjoyment comes from winning. And she denies that her actions have paved the way for other women to follow suit, a trend that if continued would seriously weaken the women's tour.
"The only player that really does it is Michelle Wie, and I don't think that it will happen more in the future because our tour is getting stronger," Sorenstam says.
Sorenstam is a lot of fun to be around, but it's easy to see why she's gained a reputation for being cold, calculating and robotic. That's how she's been so successful on the golf course. But you don't have to spend long her in company to see the warm, humorous and compassionate side of the world No. 1.
exhausting
Clearly this kind of lifestyle won't last forever. Sorenstam turns 36 in October, and admits that already it is exhausting: "It can't carry on at this level. The travel and the stress get tougher and tougher every year. But when you're enjoying something you really don't want to think about a timeframe."
Since Sorenstam claims she's not motivated by the pursuit of records, there's only one thing that will force her to ease back on her golfing commitments -- children. And since she doesn't do anything in half-measures, that could mean the end of her playing career.
Her caddie certainly thinks so. Terry McNamara says we should enjoy the Sorenstam show while it lasts: "If she has a family then she's going to do that 100 percent. Just like her golf. I don't think she'll play unless she can do it at the top level. As much as she loves it, she doesn't want to be second."
Shortly after this interview, Sorenstam won her own tournament in Sweden -- the Scandinavian TPC -- at her home course in Upplands-Bro. To celebrate, she and her sister jumped fully clothed into the lake by the 18th green, the same lake where they used to fish for balls in their schooldays.
In many respects, she's still a child inside. Sorenstam may be driven, focused and incredibly successful, but she's humble and reserved, and only if you're lucky will you catch a glimpse of her impish and sassy persona. She's genuinely flattered when the accolades are heaped upon her.
I'll leave the last word to Mike McGhee, her boyfriend, who says: "She's a better person than she is a golfer."
Don Riddell anchors CNN's World Sport and Living Golf programs. Riddell's exclusive Living Golf profile of Annika Sorenstam airs on CNN tomorrow at 7:30pm and on Sunday at 3:30pm and 9:30pm.
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