KAPALUA // Annika Sorenstam's storied career is quickly coming to a close and the 72-time US LPGA Tour winner has no second thoughts about her decision to retire at the end of the season.
"Once I make a decision I stick to it," Sorenstam said as she prepared for the inaugural Kapalua LPGA Classic, the season's final full-field event in the US.
"This is a decision I made a long time ago. It's the right one and I'm excited about my next chapter, and golf will always be part of my life."
Sorenstam, however, still has a lot of game left and acknowledges she feels "healthy and strong".
She has three wins this year and is third on the money list with US$1,605,186 (Dh5.9m). She's coming off a 15th-place finish in the Samsung World Championship. The Swede opened the season with a victory in Hawaii at Turtle Bay and finished fourth the following week at Ko Olina.
"Looking back at the year, of course I'm happy with the three wins, and playing some good golf," she said. "It would be nice to finish a little better than the way I played the last few months."
Sorenstam is greeted with warm words from players and fans everywhere she goes. It's not that unusual for a player who has dominated for so long. But this time, Sorenstam is soaking in every moment and smile.
"I've been to so many places and just really enjoying the farewell tour and trying to say goodbye," she said. "This tournament is the last, or one of the last for a lot of players."
Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa will play together in the opening round, along with Morgan Pressel, Kapalua's touring pro.
"Every time I play with Annika, it's very special," Ochoa said, herself having a stellar year with seven victories. "I think you can always learn from her. And now that these are her last few tournaments, I think me and all of the people are trying to just enjoy her as much as we can."
The field of 132 includes Yani Tseng. Not entered this week are the Fields Open champion Paula Creamer and South Korea's In-Kyung Kim, who won her first tour at Danville last week.
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
