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On This Day: Sörenstam becomes 1st woman to play PGA Tour in 59 years

On May 22, 2003, Annika Sörenstam became the first woman in 59 years to compete in a PGA event.

By UPI Staff
Annika Sörenstam reacts to making birdie on the 2nd hole at the Bank of America Colonial PGA Golf tournament May 23, 2003, in Fort Worth, Texas. On May 22, she became the first woman in 59 years to compete in a PGA event. File Photo by Joe Mitchell/UPI
1 of 4 | Annika Sörenstam reacts to making birdie on the 2nd hole at the Bank of America Colonial PGA Golf tournament May 23, 2003, in Fort Worth, Texas. On May 22, she became the first woman in 59 years to compete in a PGA event. File Photo by Joe Mitchell/UPI | License Photo

On this date in history:

In 1868, seven members of the Reno gang stole $98,000 from a railway car at Marshfield, Ind. It was the original "Great Train Robbery."

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In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt established Crater Lake National Park in southwest Oregon, the fifth-oldest national park in the United States. The defining feature is Crater lake, the remains of Mount Mazama, a volcano that collapsed after a major eruption thousands of years ago.

In 1972, Richard Nixon became the first U.S president to visit Moscow.

In 1987, a tornado flattened Saragosa, Texas, population 185, killing 29 residents and injuring 121.

In 1990, South Yemen and North Yemen united, forming the new Yemeni Arab Republic.

In 1992, Johnny Carson ended his nearly 30-year career as host of The Tonight Show.

File Photo by Mike Hill/UPI

In 2002, authorities in Birmingham, Ala., convicted a fourth suspect in a 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls. Bobby Frank Cherry, 71, a former Ku Klux Klansman, was sentenced to life in prison.

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In 2003, Annika Sörenstam became the first woman in 59 years to compete in a PGA event but her 5-over-par 145 through two rounds of the Bank of America Colonial tournament failed to make the cut.

In 2011, the deadliest tornado to strike the United States in half a century roared into the heart of Joplin, Mo., with winds of 200 mph. It killed nearly 160 people, injured about 1,100 others and destroyed nearly one-third of the city. Damage was estimated in the $3 billion range.

File Photo by Rick Meyer/UPI

In 2015, voters in Ireland overwhelmingly approved a measure to allow civil same-sex marriage, making it the first nation in the world to legalize gay unions through a popular vote.

In 2017, a suicide bomber killed 22 people attending an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. More than 500 people sustained injuries.

In 2020, at least 76 people died in a fiery crash of Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK-8303 near Karachi's Jinnah International Airport.

In 2022, Justin Thomas beat Will Zalatoris by one stroke in a three-hole playoff to claim his second career major title at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

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File Photo by Kyle Rivas/UPI

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