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There is absolutely no doubt that Annika Sorenstam is now firmly perched on top of the women's golf world. With an established track record of success that exceeds anything Tiger Woods, or any other male golfer currently has done on the men's tour, Sorenstam continues to set a standard that women's golf has never seen.

Halfway now to sweeping the four ladies majors in the same year, Sorenstam cruised Sunday to a three shot victory at this week's LPGA Championship. It was the third straight McDonald's LPGA title for Annika, making her the first women to ever achieve such standing. The title was also gave Sorenstam her ninth major championship.

Building on her recent string of exceptional golf, Sorenstam played her first three rounds under seventy, something the Swedish golfer does with exceptional regularity. She then was able to comfortably take home the title despite shooting a final round 73, one over par. Extraordinary amateur Michelle Wie, at fifteen years of age, was the closest competitor at eight under.

Along with winning the first two majors, Sorenstam has now won six of the last eight LPGA tournaments she has entered. The only exceptions were at Kingsmill, where Annika's bid for a record sixth consecutive victory was stalled by a tie for 12th, and the Corning Classic, where she had the flu and managed only to tie for second.

Sorenstam now has 62 career victories, 39 of them in the last five years. When she won the Nabisco in overwhelming fashion earlier this year, experts noted that LPGA majors have not always come easily for Sorenstam. It was only two years ago that she managed to win two majors in a single season. That year Sorenstam won both the LPGA and the Women's British Open, two wins that gave her the career Grand Slam.

At the time of the Nabisco, the win was Annika's fifth straight on Tour. Amazingly, though Sorenstam had entered just three events in 2005 at the time of the Nabisco, Sorenstam had won all three tournaments. Given that she had also won her last two starts in 2004, Annika had established that when she tees it up, everyone else is thinking second place.

And now in her last 10 majors, Annika has 5 wins, 2 second-place finishes, and a fourth-place finish. All told, in 43 majors, Annika has 9 wins, 5 second-place finishes, 3 third-place finishes
and 25 top-10 finishes.

Sorenstam has made no bones about seeking to win all four women's majors in the same year. Earlier this year, at the first of the Ladies Professional Golf Association major championship, Sorenstam routed the field, winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship by 8 shots. She took home the LPGA by another three shots and is now poised for the second half of the grand slam.

Though Annika would fail earlier this year in her bid to win six straight tournaments, she now has clearly set the stage for the single season grand slam. A little more than a week from now, she will begin pursuit of the US Open, scheduled to begin June 23rd in Englewood, Colorado.

If Sorenstam can manage another title in Colorado, then she will seek the first ever women's single season grand slam in late July, at the Weetabix Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport, Merceyside, England.

Given her performances to date in 2005, Annika will head to these tournaments as the favorite, and with it the chance to add to an already growing legacy.