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Sorenstam denies rumors that she is thinking of quitting

World No.1 Annika Sorenstam from Sweden gestures after finishing the 2nd hole on the first day of the Lexus Cup in Singapore on Dec. 15. Sorenstam on Friday denied rumors she was about to quit the game. PHOTO: AP

Annika Sorenstam said a Swedish newspaper took out of context her plans to quit golf and have children.

"I am not announcing my retirement and I am not announcing the start of a family," Sorenstam said on Friday. "I am very much looking forward to the start of the season and the various business ventures that I've become involved in."

She issued a statement through her agent, Mark Steinberg of IMG, because both were inundated with calls about a story in Aftonbladet that quoted the Swedish star as saying, "I'm pretty tired of golf. I want to have kids, and if we decide to do that, the time is now and I probably can't combine that with a golf career."

The 36-year-old Sorenstam is dating Mike McGee, a golf agent and son of former US touring pro Jerry McGee. She divorced David Esch two years ago.

She won three times last year on the US LPGA Tour, including the US Women's Open for her 10th career major, and remains No. 1 in the women's world ranking. But it was her least productive season since 1999, and 24-year-old Lorena Ochoa ended Sorenstam's five-year run as the US LPGA player of the year.

Sorenstam makes her debut this year on March 9 in Mexico at the MasterCard Classic, where she is the defending champion.

"As always, I will assess my season at year's end and decide what the future holds at that time," she said. "That is no different from how I handled things last year, in 2005 and all previous years."

Sorenstam is the tournament host at two events -- one on the US Tour, another in Sweden -- is designing golf courses and is about to open a golf academy near Orlando, Florida. She also is producing a fitness DVD and has been working toward developing "Annika" as a brand.

Sorenstam told Aftonbladet that she barely practiced last year and still won six times around the world, but "being sloppy like that doesn't hold up in the long run."
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