Annika Sorenstam was 17 years old and still living in Sweden when Liselotte Neumann, who was only 22, won the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open. While the passion to pursue perfection already raged in Sorenstam, seeing Lotte become the first Swede – male or female – to win a major championship helped Annika to dream big.

Seven years later, after Sorenstam had moved to the United States to attend the University of Arizona, she matched Neumann by winning the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. For both, it was their first win on the LPGA Tour.

On Sunday, the old friends and friendly rivals will be paired together for the fourth consecutive day in the final round of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open as they both chase another major championship.

“She’s a great player,” Sorenstam said about Neumann. “She’s a role model growing up, and when she won the Open there in 1988, I will never forget. I saw her photo on the billboard and that’s what inspired me to really believe in myself. It’s kind of I would say special to really be able to play with her now as seniors, to be together.”

On Saturday at Brooklawn Country Club, Sorenstam shot an even-par 72 to go into Sunday at 8-under-par 208. Neumann’s 71 – her third consecutive subpar round – left her in second place at 210.

“Unfortunately, finished up with a three-putt, but overall it sort of got better and better as the day went,” Neumann said about her effort on Saturday.

“Probably be pretty nervous tomorrow,” she said. “It’s a good feeling. I just love golf and love to compete. It’s just the most fun thing we can do being out here, and being able to be in the last group, it’s pretty special.”

Neumann, who won 13 times on the LPGA Tour and took another 10 championships on the Ladies European Tour, was third in the U.S. Women’s Open twice and second five times in the other LPGA major championships.

Like many denied competitive opportunities in the year of the pandemic, Neumann found that the one thing you can’t practice is playing under the pressure of competitive conditions. Like any athlete, golfers can only get their game legs by playing in games.

“The only thing I’ve competed in in the last I guess year and a half, I went down to Southern California to play in the Southern California Open,” Neumann said. “Sort of just wanted to see what it was felt like to be under a little bit of pressure, keeping score. It’s hard to feel that competitiveness when you’re just at home.”

That rustiness has shown. While Neumann is T-13 in the field in driving distance, she is T-45 in driving accuracy and 33rd in greens in regulation. What has saved her is the putter. She’s best in the field by three with 85 putts through 54 holes and has used the putter a whopping 13 fewer times than Sorenstam.

“If I can play like how I did on the back nine, you know, my putting has to be on top and I just need to keep the ball in play a little bit better,” Neumann said about her prospects for the final round.

“I did get more comfortable at the end of the day and I hit some really, really nice drives coming in,” she said. “So, it’s in there somewhere. Just need to really slow it down. Get a little anxious out there and things get a little quick.  I feel good about my game.”

There is an interesting similarity to Neumann this week at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and the younger version of herself who won the U.S. Women’s Open 33 years ago.

“Definitely the putting,” Neumann said when asked what she remembers most from Baltimore Country Club in 1988, when she established a 72-hole scoring record in defeating Patty Sheehan by three strokes, a record that was eclipsed by Sorenstam in her second U.S. Women’s Open victory eight years later. “I putted so well that week.”

And that gives her an extremely friendly mental image to take into Sunday.

“[Baltimore C.C.] reminds me a little bit of these greens with the really quick back-to-front,” Neumann said about her putting performance in winning the U.S. Women’s Open.

“You just got to stay below the hole, make sure you have some uphill putts,” she said about Brooklawn Country Club. “If you get it pin-high you have those big sliders. So, yeah, kind of remember all the good putts I made. Hopefully I can make a few tomorrow.”

Neumann opened the door for Swedish players to compete on the LPGA and Sorenstam knocked it down, winning 72 times, including 10 majors. For both, a victory in the U.S. Women’s Open kick-started their careers.

On Sunday, they square off in a different USGA championship – the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. For both, winning would be another major accomplishment.

Ron Sirak is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer who frequently contributes to USGA digital channels.