Steve Helber / AP Annika Sorenstam, who will retire at the end of the season, has 72 career wins on the LPGA Tour.

The fire to win still burns brightly within Annika Sorenstam.

But recognizing she no longer has the drive to put in the time and effort required to be at her best, Sorenstam announced on Tuesday she is retiring from golf at the end of the 2008 season.

As Sorenstam watched Green Bay Packers great Brett Favre announce his retirement a few months ago, it struck her many of Favre's observations were also her own.

"Some of the things he said, you know, he loves the competition, he is just tired of the daily grind and I feel the same way," Sorenstam said during a news conference at the Sybase Classic where she is competing this week.

The face of women's golf for the last decade, Sorenstam is within striking distance of several of the LPGA's most prestigious records, including Kathy Whitworth's record of 88 career victories. Sorenstam is at 72.

However, Sorenstam is willing to forgo the chance to add her name to LPGA record book a few more times, in order to do something few athletes get a chance to do — retire on their own terms.

I applaud her decision. Far too many athletes must have the uniform, or in this case, golf club, ripped away from them because they refuse to acknowledge they can no longer play at a high level.

That is certainly not the case with Sorenstam, who showed last week she can still compete with the best.

Her seven-stroke victory at last week's Michelob Ultra Open, a tournament where she shot 5-under-par 66 on the final day to set the tournament record at 19 under, reminded many of how dominant a player Sorenstam has been.

But for many years Sorenstam has said she has other interests beyond golf, some business and some personal.

She and her fiancee, Mike McGee, are getting married next year and they want to start a family.

At 37, she figures it's time. While she could certainly become a mother and then go back to playing, it would be difficult for her to remain as one of golf's best and still spend the time she wants with her child.

Starting with her win at the 1995 Women's U.S. Open, Sorenstam quickly proved she was above most of her competitors.

She dominated her sport like few athletes have. From 2001 through 2005 she won 43 times, including 11 victories in 2002. In each of those years she earned more than $2 million.

Just as important, she gave the LPGA a headliner during a time when the tour had very few names to count on. Her dominance allowed women's golf to stay relevant until the influx of young talent hit the tour and made it a more attractive game for fans.

You had to love the fact Sorenstam was never afraid to accept a challenge. The greatest evidence of that was her decision to play in the 2003 Colonial Invitational on the PGA Tour.

Under incredible pressure, Sorenstam barely missed the cut, but handled herself with grace through several trying days.

As a result, she served as an inspiration to many young girls and continued to be a role model for younger players on the LPGA Tour.

With Lorena Ochoa blossoming over the last few years, it would have been interesting to see her and Sorenstam battle for the No. 1 spot. Selfishly, that's what I would love to see happen.

Sorenstam has been a credit to golf and will leave as the greatest player her sport has ever seen.

Golf fans everywhere should stop and enjoy her final year and also applaud one of the sport's best players.

— Bob Buttitta is The Star's golf columnist. He can be reached at bbuttitta@VenturaCountyStar.com.