Less than 24 hours after pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol building and stalled congressional efforts to certify electoral college votes for President-elect Joe Biden, US President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to golfers Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and the late Babe Zaharias in a closed-door ceremony on Thursday (Friday NZ time).
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, considered the nation’s highest civilian honour, is awarded by the president “to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours,” according to the White House.
Player and Sorenstam were announced recipients last March, but the ceremony was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion and eight-time LPGA Player of the Year winner, is regarded as one of the best golfers in history.
A 2003 Women’s Golf Hall of Fame inductee, her 72 LGPA Tour wins are third-most all-time.
Player won nine major championships including the Masters in 1961, 1974 and 1978 during a professional career that spanned nearly six decades.
He became the fifth golfer to win the modern career Grand Slam with his 1965 US Open victory and is the only non-American to win all four majors in a career.
