FORT WORTH, Texas -- Annika Sorenstam got a sneak peek at the Colonial Country Club golf course Sunday and found out how tough it can be.
Sorenstam, the world's top-ranked female golfer, shot a 5-over-par 75 in her first round at Colonial. When she competes in the Bank of America Colonial in May, Sorenstam will become the first female to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias competed in the Los Angeles Open in 1945.
Sorenstam called upon the insight of 1995 Colonial Champion David Frost, who played in the group along with Sorenstam's husband, David Esch; Colonial tournament director Dee Finley; and Colonial Country Club president Jim Thigpen. The group played from the back tees, from which the course measures more than 7,100 yards.
Although Sorenstam won 11 LPGA Tour events last year, her foray into competition with the world's top men has been hotly debated. At Colonial last year, golfers needed to shoot a two-round total of 143 or below to survive the cut. If Sorenstam had posted two rounds of 75, she would have missed the cut by seven strokes.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
