Strokes? She don’t need your stinkin’ strokes. Professional golfer Jesper Parnevik jokingly asked his playing partner during a Colonial practice round Tuesday how many shots they wanted.

The individual fired back, &8220;I’m not here to get any shots.&8221;

Annika Sorenstam’s walk up history’s 18th that began when she accepted a sponsor’s exemption back in February took an unspectacular, but nonetheless, impressive step Wednesday with a 1-over 71 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sorenstam’s crashing of the cavemen’s party isn’t groundbreaking from tee to green.

Fifty-eight years prior to Sorenstam, Babe Zaharias became the first woman to play on the PGA Tour when she made the cut at the Los Angeles Open.

But while Babe surely got some knickers in bunches and gave journalists something to write about instead of the impending end of World War II, Annika has opened the floodgates of attention and somebody misplaced the stopper.

The Colonial’s defending champ Nick Price called it a publicity stunt. Vijay Singh said if he got paired with her he’d take his golf balls and clubs and pout home. Then Singh, after winning the Byron Nelson Championship last week, says he’s going to watch the tourney from his couch because he told his wife he would (I wonder who wears the Footjoys in that pair?).

The world’s No. 1 &045; arguably the most recognizable face on this planet &045; Tiger (he needs no last name) took his name out of the Colonial weeks ago.

Woods, the man who turns his colleagues whiter than an Aspen peak, felt inferior … to a woman.

Using the diversion of saying he’s resting up for June’s U.S. Open, the next major, is a crock.

He knew every eye of Texas and the more than 600 journalists that have packed &8216;Big D’ this week wouldn’t be there for him.

Some sorry excuses for men we have here if you ask me. I thought the purpose of sports was to be better than they next guy.

Annika has been better than every other gal for years now, winning a jaw-dropping 13 tournaments last year alone.

Obviously she has buried the women of the LPGA like a ball plugged deep in one of those pot bunkers at St. Andrews.

Why shouldn’t she be allowed to compete with the studs? Singh said she’s taking the spot of a golfer who’s trying to earn a decent living.

Ppppplease. If Singh believes Sorenstam is taking the women’s liberation road, then he needs to get off the freeway.

This week’s Colonial is not any different from last year’s Colonial, or last week’s Byron Nelson, or any other non-major tournament played this year.

You’ve got the best of the best in professional golf teeing it up, looking to earn a big paycheck and it just so happens Annika Sorenstam is a woman.

Vijay, Nick and Tiger if you don’t like it, Annika would like you to grab her an adult beverage to go along with that nice heaping of Texas’ finest chicken fried steak that you fixed for her.

Hold the gravy &045; it goes straight to her thighs.

Chuck Corder

is a sportswriter for The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 445-3633 or by e-mail at

chuck.corder@natchezdemocrat.com

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