BY CHIA HAN KEONG

ABOUT to walk away from competitive golf for good, women's golfing great Annika Sorenstam has this advice for younger professionals: Take your time.

The 38-year-old, in town for this weekend's Lexus Cup at the Singapore Island Country Club, will play one more tournament, the Dubai Ladies Masters which begins on Dec 11, before retiring from a glittering 16-year pro career.

She said: "I keep telling people that there's no hurry.

"The important thing is to be prepared for the long run. It's a big adjustment from amateur golf - all the travelling (and) doing your own schedule arrangements.

"One should take time to experience the different levels of golf. I grew up playing for my home club, then district, regional and country.

"I mean, I've tried everything, and that's how you learn."

She did not name anyone, but she could be talking about the ill-fated career of Michelle Wie.

The much-touted amateur star struggled to win tournaments after turning professional in 2005, despite getting millions from sponsors, who even sent the 16-year-old to compete unsuccessfully against men.

Eventually, she lost her sponsors and had to start from qualifying for the LPGA Tour again this year.

Sorenstam, on the other hand, took the tried-and-tested path to golf stardom.

It took her three pro seasons to make her golf breakthrough in 1995, when she won her first Major title, the US Women's Open.

That marked the start of one of the most dominant golfing careers, as she won 72 LPGA titles - 10 of them Majors - and a record US$22 million (S$33 million) in career earnings on the Tour.

She also won the LPGA Player of the Year award a record eight times and holds various scoring records, including the lowest season-scoring average: 68.6969 in 2004.

Yet, when asked about her proudest moments, the first two she named were her magical round of 59 in 2001 - the lowest score of any women pro golfer - and playing with the male counterparts at the Colonial Invitational in 2003.

Sorenstam remains adamant that the time for her to retire is right, although she confessed to being overwhelmed by well-wishes from fans since her announcement in May.

She said: "I actually made my decision in February, and I still think I've made the right choice. When you start to lose the urge to win, to improve, then you know that it's time to retire."

And what lessons will she take with her into her next stage of life, where she has plans for golf academies and course designing?

"Golf has taught me to trust myself," she said."I'm confident about following my dreams, and being focused and determined about them.

"I'm excited. I can't wait to start this new stage of life."

For more my paper stories click here.