The Associated Press

Sweden's Annika Sorenstam signs autographs after a practice round at Colonial Country Club Tuesday. (Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

FORT WORTH, Texas - Annika Sorenstam marched to the first tee and quickly removed her rain jacket, like a fighter taking off a robe after stepping into the ring.

At the start of her practice round Tuesday with Jesper Parnevik and Sergio Garcia, she needed to know how much money was at stake.

"Jesper asked me how many shots I wanted," Sorenstam said. "And I told him, 'I'm not here to get any shots.' He didn't say much more after that."

She did not walk into this cauldron at Colonial Country Club seeking strokes, much less sympathy. She wanted only to see how her game - best in women's golf - would stack up against the men.

After years of dreaming and three months of hype, she's about to find out.

On Thursday, Sorenstam will become the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour, a challenge she compared to climbing Mount Everest. "If I wait another week, three months or three years, I won't be any more prepared," she said. "I'm ready to go."

Only one other player commands this much attention in golf, and Tiger Woods isn't anywhere near Colonial this week.

"When I accepted the invitation, I must have been very naive," Sorenstam said, looking out at some 300 people at her news conference. "I'm doing this to test myself, and I didn't think everybody else wanted to test me at the same time."

Sorenstam will play in the first two rounds with a pair of PGA Tour rookies - Dean Wilson and Aaron Barber - who might be under the same scrutiny.

"She's going to beat some people, no doubt," Barber said. "I'm worried about 113 people beating me every week. It's a great opportunity for us to be part of history."

Wilson wore a "Go Annika" button that is being sold for $3 in the pro shop at Colonial. "It's exciting; it's history," he said. "It's a privilege to be part of it."

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The Colonial
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Colonial Country Club (7,080 yards, par 70).
Purse: $5 million. Winner's share: $900,000.
Television: USA (Thursday, 9:58 a.m. to completion of Annika Sorenstam's round; 4-6 p.m.; Friday, 2:30-7:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Defending champion: Nick Price.