Courtesy: Fairways.ca

You could say she's going out on a high note.

Annika Sorenstam has announced she will retire at the end of the year. But she's not going quietly.

She has won three times this season, most recently this past Sunday, and can now boast 90 career victories. Included in that superlative figure are 10 majors.

Sorenstam was plagued by injury in 2007, the year that Lorena Ochoa took over the world number one spot.

Sorenstam is engaged to be married for the second time in January; she wants to start a family and concentrate on her golf-related business interests.

At the age of 37, her biological clock is ticking to a deadline. But perhaps she realizes that her stated aim of regaining the world number one ranking this season is impossible given how well Ochoa is playing.

Sorenstam is ranked number two in the world and she's probably convinced that's as good as it's going to get at 37. Throw in her neck and back problems - the bane of professional golfers - and her decision is a good one.

Ironically, her impending retirement will clear away the one obstacle in Ochoa's path for some years to come.

Assuming injury doesn't catch up to the Mexican world number one or her swing doesn't desert her, Ochoa can count on being at the top of the women's game for some years to come.