Women actually do excell in some sports beyond men. For example, long distance swimming. All records, past, present, future belong to women. Diving and gymnastics are also a couple of sports that women are better at than men. However, golf is not one of those sports.
As far as the game being mental, Sorenstams mental game is considered the best in the entire sport. Better than men as well. I was reading in Sports Illustraded about her. The stats I read were pretty amazing. There was a comparison to tiger woods and it showed that tiger would get himself into tight places but has the ability to get out of them. Sorenstam doesn't get in tight places. Her accuracy is phenomenal. As I have said before, Annika did not show her real talent at the Colonial. She is a much better golfer than what she played yesterday.
For those who say she should go back the LPGA and stay there, I don't think we know enough about her game to say that yet. When you were learning to drive stick shift in a car, did you kill the engine three times in a row and then quit? Did you decide that it was just to hard? I think that we need to see her in a couple of tournaments before we can totally write her off. She now knows what she is up against so next time she will be better prepared. Remember she shot 71 on her first round. That is good enough for a mid pack finish.
Someone said earlier that it was her short game that failed her. I couldn't agree more. Her putting is usually awsome but the second round, she couldn't put to save her life.
I think there is even more pressure on her to redeem herself now. She MUST do this again next year in order to save womens golf. By finishing 96th, she has put women to shame and has shown that the best women atheletes compaired to the best male atheletes are mediocre at best. If she doesn't do the colonial next year, people will say the same things that many of you said, that she should "stay where she belongs". It will be a huge set back if she isn't on the colonial next year for womens golf. If she does well, it will merely prolong the debate.