How much is an ounce of gold?
As far as value, I couldn’t tell you. But I know I would rather have an ounce of gold than an ounce of flour.
How did you spend your first pay cheque?
I picked up balls on the driving range; then, when I was a bit older, I worked in the pro shop. The first thing I bought with my money was a wedge. My parents bought one set of clubs. I got the odds [9 iron, 7 iron, 5 iron etc] and my sister got the evens.
So that’s what I saved my money for: that particular lob wedge. It was a really big deal, to work hard and then spend your money on something you wanted.
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Did you always want to be a golfer?
Growing up I was a downhill skier. Then I played tennis. I started competing when I was five; Bjorn Borg was my hero. I wanted to be a tennis player, but my backhand is still crap. I was a late bloomer in golf: I didn’t start playing until I was 12, and I didn’t focus on it until 16.
What drove you?
Other than the love of the game, it was wanting to get better. I’m very goal-driven… I love the journey of putting in the effort and getting better. I’ve always been a numbers person, too. My dad worked for IBM and he would put us in computer summer school, where I learned programming.
We didn’t have Excel, so I created my own Excel-like program and that’s how I started implementing statistics in my golf – in 1987!
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Are you driven by other things now?
I’m a little bit of an entrepreneur; that’s what’s exciting to me now. Whatever we do, I analyse what we did, what we could have done better and how we can move forward. It’s just like a puzzle: you put the pieces in place.
Do you live to work or work to live?
I would say I work really, really hard. Because I know that’s what it takes in golf. And I mean, I don’t like losing, right? I want to do well. The last thing I want is to just do something halfway.
[See also: One Green Way Invitational welcomes golf legends at Portugal’s Quinta do Lago]
Are you a saver or a spender?
I’m a saver.
Maybe I’ve loosened up a little, but I’m not a materialistic person. I like to invest. I’m a big investor.
I remember, in 1997, I had $1 million in my bank account. It was great that I had $1 million, but I knew you shouldn’t have that much money in the bank. I didn’t have anyone to give me advice about that type of thing, so I bought Investing for Dummies.
I read it through and realised you should invest, especially when you’re young.
So I started to invest and bought every blue-chip in America – I bought IBM because my dad worked for IBM. I invest the way I play on the golf course: fairway, green; fairway, green. I’m not chipping through the trees.
What’s your worst trait?
I’m really hard on myself. I mentor several players and I always tell them: ‘Give yourself a break.’ I think I need to listen to that advice myself. Sometimes I work so hard that I just crash. So finding the middle ground, that’s what I would like to do.
[See also: Anne Robinson: Happiness is not an ongoing state]
What’s the trait you most admire in others?
To me, trust is important. Also people who are funny and have a good energy about them. And being hard-working. Those are the three that come to mind. I can’t stand people who are fake. I’m upfront, you know: call a spade a spade.
Life is too short to hang out with people who are negative and energy-draining. I don’t want to sound negative, but life is too precious.
What are you most looking forward to?
Spending time with my family. I love my family, I really do. I called the kids today and my son Will asked what I shot. I told him: four over. He gave a sigh [she laughs], but it really doesn’t matter what I shoot.
I have a wonderful family and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Annika Sörenstam was speaking at the One Green Way Invitational, a unique pro-am golf tournament staged in partnership with One Green Way, a collection of 89 luxury residences at Quinta do Lago, the luxury gated community on Portugal’s Algarve.
