President Trump will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, the White House announced Friday.
The medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, will be awarded on March 23. Sorenstam and Player will join Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Charlie Sifford and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to receive the commendation.
The Medal of Freedom is awarded by the president to citizens who make an “especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Sorenstam helped raise the profile of women’s golf during her illustrious 15-year career, achieving 89 worldwide victories, including 10 Major championships, and garnering awards including the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the Golf Writers Association of America Female Athlete of the Year.
Player has won 165 professional tournaments, and is one of just five male players to achieve a career grandslam. His Player Foundation and the Gary Player Invitational raise money for underprivileged children around the world.
Trump has given the Medal of Freedom to several athletes, including Woods, NFL Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Alan Page and the late New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth.