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Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley has confirmed that LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam has become a new member at the club.

Sorenstam, 53, is believed to be the first LPGA pro to be accepted into the famed club, which began inviting women as members in 2012.

The Swedish icon, who won ten majors and 72 LPGA titles during her garlanded career, was recently fitted for a green jacket when the club opened for the new season.

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“I’ve known Annika for quite some time, and I think she is going to be a great addition to the club,” Ridley said on Thursday at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Melbourne. “I can tell you, she can still play, and she was just a delight to be with.”

Ridley added: “We have a number of women members and we have for quite a few years. I think it made us a better club, and they are an integral part of our culture.”

Augusta National is renowned for its secrecy regarding membership matters, with the prestigious club’s list of members kept under wraps.

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and investor Darla Moore were the first women welcomed after the club changed its rules to allow female members to join.

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And while it is uncertain exactly how many women members there are, it is clear that Sorenstam has joined an extremely exclusive club.

Speaking ahead of the 2022 Masters, a decade after the first female players joined Augusta, Ridley said: “Women members are a very important part of our membership, and you will continue to see over the years, if you look, more green jackets that are women. I’m going to make sure of that.

“We have a number of women members who we are delighted are part of our organisation.

“They have been great contributors to our organisation, both I would say substantively and things they are doing to help us, both with the Masters and otherwise.”

Sorenstam had been the honorary starter at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur event in 2019.

She retired from the LPGA Tour back in 2008 and returned on a special invite at this year’s US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, where she missed the cut.