Ava is a willing student. She soaks up mom’s instruction so much, in fact, that practically after every shot she asks what she’s doing wrong. While Will is a lefty, Ava plays right-handed.
“She has quite a lot of clubhead speed,” said Sörenstam. “You know, she’s working around the green. She can hit par 4s in one and then walk away with six.”
But mom also reports that Ava has put in the work, high praise coming from Sörenstam, known for her meticulous work ethic.
“I think she’s excited about the bag and outfits and, you know, having fun,” said Sörenstam. “You know, there’s always some cute boys on the golf team. There’s a lot of reasons to play.”
The golf bug bit during a hectic time in high school, with college visits, essays and applications in the works. Ava wants to go to an SEC school. Mom was an NCAA champion at the University of Arizona.
On Friday, Sörenstam’s kids flew by themselves for the first time from Orlando to Detroit to watch their parents work inside the ropes.
“We figured it’s nonstop, what can go wrong?” quipped Sorenstam.
Mike McGee has caddied for his wife in this championship from the start. For Sörenstam, coming out of retirement to try and win another major was about growing the game and helping to solidify a championship that was a too long in the making.
But it was also always about family.
“I think it’s good that our kids see that I work,” Sörenstam once said years ago, “because I want them to understand that what we have today didn’t just show up in the mail.”
And, as Ava is now beginning to learn, the challenge can be fun, too.
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