Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald J. Trump on March 23.

The two legends join Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Charlie Sifford and Tiger Woods as the only golfers who have received the honor.

The award is the nation’s highest civilian honor and is given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Notable recipients include Muhammad Ali, Nancy Reagan, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I am extremely honored to have been chosen to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” said Sorenstam in a tweet. “This is America’s highest civilian honor and certainly the most distinguished honor I’ve ever received. I am enormously grateful to the president for this honor and all it represents to me, to my family, to the LPGA and the Annika Foundation. I am proud to be the first female athlete who is a naturalized American citizen to be recognized in this way. It is an overwhelming feeling. I am grateful, I am humbled, I am moved, and I am blessed.”

Sorenstam, 49, won 72 times on the LPGA, including 10 majors. The eight-time LPGA Player of the Year was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003. She’s the only player in LPGA history to card a 59.

Born near Stockholm, Sweden, Sorenstam won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open title, her third, 19 days after she was sworn in as an American citizen at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida. Back then, Sorenstam said that she kept the American flag the government gave her on Flag Day displayed in her kitchen, a most beloved spot for a woman who authored a cookbook.

Player, 84, won 165 titles worldwide, including 24 on the PGA Tour and nine major championships. He also won nine majors on the senior tour. Player became the third golfer in history to complete the modern career Grand Slam, following Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. Only Nicklaus and Woods have since followed.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Player has long been heralded as golf’s ultimate global ambassador. The 5-foot, 7-inch Player remains a marvel when it comes to health and fitness, even in his 80’s, and was dubbed the Black Knight because of his all-black ensembles.

Now all of golf’s Big Three – Palmer, Nicklaus and Player – will have received the honor.

Photos: Gary Player at the Masters