ORLANDO • Annika Sorenstam could not remember the last time she made a triple bogey or when golf was this hard.

But the most dominant female golfer of her era could afford to smile after posting a seven at the par-four fifth hole and finishing with a round of 75 at the Gainbridge LPGA in Orlando.

The 50-year-old was playing her first competitive round since retiring in 2008 with 72 career wins.

"Score-wise, I would've loved to have to have been a little better," said the World Golf Hall of Famer.

"You know, if I look at it objectively it's one hole that really messed it up."

At the fifth hole, she took a drop for an unplayable lie and had to three-putt. The rest of her round comprised 15 pars, one birdie and one bogey to lie joint-77th - 10 strokes behind leader Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

Sorenstam showed she still has her moments. She averaged 240 yards off the tee on Thursday - 37 yards less than the longest hitter playing at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Anne van Dam of the Netherlands, but five yards less than Ko. Sorenstam found nine of 14 fairways and 12 greens.

The highlight came at the 14th hole, where her gap wedge from 95 yards landed 10 feet behind the hole and spun back to a foot away for a tap-in birdie, reported the Associated Press.

Fellow Swede and defending champion Madelene Sagstrom shot a 77 that included double bogeys at Nos. 15 and 18.

"Just playing with Annika, it's amazing," Sagstrom said of her first-round partner. "Her wedge game is so stupidly good still. I'm going to get some advice and then go from there."

Sorenstam, one shot off the cut, may yet make the weekend. Her aim was never to win this event.

The LPGA Tour came to her home course and she wanted to play. So close is her home from the course that she stopped along the 15th fairway to hug daughter Ava and son Will after they were done with school.

"My goal was to shoot level par or better, so I have a lot of work ahead of myself," said the eight-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year. "It seems a little bit more stressful, this kind of golf."

One player keen to end her title drought on her home course is Ko, who has a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda and Nanna Koerstz Madsen. It has been nearly three years since Ko, 23, won her 15th and most recent LPGA Tour title at the LPGA Mediheal Championship in April 2018.

But this is likely to be remembered as the event where she competed against the player she regards as the greatest of all time.

"Obviously so cool seeing Annika and just being in the group behind her, seeing her hit a few shots," the former world No. 1 told CNN. "I've always seen her on TV playing...

"Hopefully, this brings a lot of attention and hype back for us on tour and just into women's golf... Definitely cool for me to be in the same field as I think the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)."

REUTERS

GAINBRIDGE LPGA

StarHub Ch204, tomorrow, 1am