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THE EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 10, 2014Suzann PettersenEVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE THE MODERATOR: We honor the champions here and you can't escape it, but just talk about returning back here as a defending champ and how special it's been. SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean it's always nice to come back to Evian, a little different to see myself on every poster around the city, but at the same time a very proud moment last year to put my name on this beautiful trophy and capture my second major. So this place has always been on my bucket list to win, and now my next thing on my bucket list is to put my name on that trophy twice. So happy to be back here. Feeling great and looking forward to getting started. THE MODERATOR: You said you didn't feel like you wanted to return that trophy just yet. SUZANN PETTERSEN: No. That's definitely a nice one to keep. But I'm ready for a new battle. I'm ready for a new fight, and I think we got four nice days ahead of us, so we can compete full rounds. We didn't do that last year. No, just came off the golf course. The course is in good shape. The greens are getting better and better. So we'll see what the scores are going to be like, but it's in good shape. THE MODERATOR: Perfect. Past couple of seasons you've finished off the years very strong, wins late coming in the year, a lot of top finishes. Playing very well again at this point in the season, do you feel like something is coming in this last run, the final events of the year? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah. I've definitely played some really good golf the last month. Unfortunately haven't been able to kind of take it all the way, but I've been there every Sunday, even though I kind of haven't played the best that day. But I think that's the better problem to have than not playing good at all. Sometimes golf is an easy game and everything kind of goes your way, and other times it's brutal. It can be very frustrating, but that's sports. That's why we love this sport because the good days makes up for so many like frustrating days. So for me it's been a good month. I'm feeling good. I've been able to kind of put in the work that I feel is needed, and it's nice when mind and body kind of cooperate. THE MODERATOR: Have you thought about maybe the issues that you've been having on Sundays, like you said, the goal is to be in contention on Sunday, but you said sometimes it's physical; maybe it's mental. Have you thought about it or pinpointed it? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I haven't tried to put too much thought into it, to be honest. I feel I have a great recipe of how to kind of close the deal, but like I said, I mean golf is a funny sport. You can have a great warmup and then you go out on the course and you feel like you're always fighting everything and the putter goes cold. But I think more than anything it's mental. You gotta try and bounce back, bounce back strong and just stick to the routine and get back in your own little bubble. THE MODERATOR: I'm sure we'll see some killer instincts. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Absolutely. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Suzann. Q. I watched you on the sixth tee. I think it must have been about 290 yards. Are you hitting the ball a lot longer than you were last year? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, I am. I'm probably ‑‑ with the driver I'm quite a bit longer, and with the irons I'm probably a club longer. I just think I'm more efficient with the speed, technique is pretty solid, so I'm generating more speed at the ball. That's about it. Q. But you looked pretty solid last year, so I mean‑‑ SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, but you can always get better. Golf is a perfectionist's sport. No, it's good that you feel you have yardage in the bag if you really need to. But I think the most important thing is to kind of control your distance control. I mean that's what this game is all about. So as long as you know how far you hit each club, I think that's the most important. Q. And I saw you had David Leadbetter out there with you. Is there anything you're working on? Seems to me like your game is pretty solid. SUZANN PETTERSEN: No. I mean not a lot. Not too much hard work at this point. I feel good. I feel fresh. I feel energized, which is probably the most important thing for me. When my body goes tired, my technique seems to kind of lack a bit of quality. But I feel good. I've rested up and ready to go. Q. And just on that Sunday thing, is it a question of the media sometimes latching on to things? Everyone is going on about Rory McIlroy not being able to play on a Friday, and then he went out and shot something like a 60‑‑ SUZANN PETTERSEN: Hopefully this is not going to continue. Hopefully this is something they can keep asking me about. So I'm going to try and put an end to it right here and right now. Q. Do you work on the mental side of thing? SUZANN PETTERSEN: For sure. I mean, I think golf, if you look at the depth of women's golf, I mean I think anyone out there can get the ball from A to B. Everyone can putt on a good day, so what differentiates the champ from second place, third place, tenth place is mental. So I think mental strength is definitely the key to success out here. Q. Okay. Good luck. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: You're in contention to win the Rolex Annika Major Award with a win here this week. Your goal, and you've always said it, is to do well at majors, win majors. What would it mean to you to put your name on that award the first year? SUZANN PETTERSEN: No. Definitely. I mean when you look at the schedule starting a new year, you always try to kind of map out the biggest events, the five majors, a couple of other key events. But those are the event you really want to try and perform well. Unfortunately I missed the first major, which was for me a huge disappointment, but at the same time you can only do what the body allows you to, and I've been trying to come back and play as good as I could the last couple. And been almost getting the job done, so thankfully we have one more major, and I would really like to be there on Sunday and try for that one more. THE MODERATOR: You said you feel well rested, but your week off you were pretty busy. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah. THE MODERATOR: You played hostess again, your third annual charity event up in Norway. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah. We had a fantastic tournament. Seven spectacular girls dedicating their time and effort and energy to come to Norway and support the Right to Play charity, and we raised twice the money we did last year, which was fantastic, and the crowd loves the girls. They're not only good golfers, they're also really good girls who putts on a great show for the crowd, so the public loves them. Everyone was happy. The sun was shining. I can't ask for much more. THE MODERATOR: You keep topping it every year. Next year, double the players? Double the ‑‑ I don't know. You have really nice cars driving them around; everything is luxury. How do you top it? SUZANN PETTERSEN: No. You know, I know what these girls are used to. We travel the world, and I know what we usually get every week, and I try to accommodate them as good as I possibly can. Being the hostess you really feel the pressure, but the girls are so easy and laid back, and we'll see what next year is going to be like, but I can definitely see maybe a change of format to kind of just tweak it so the crowd and the public kind of don't get bored with the format. So we'll see, but who knows. I got a huge vision for this tournament, and if it stays like it is, if it ends up being a regular tournament down the road, I don't know. But it's definitely an event for the future. So I'm not going to let it go. THE MODERATOR: And you always said it could possibly lead to bigger and better things for the growth of golf in Norway, possibly the LPGA. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah. You know what, Norway is in the bid for the 2019 Solheim Cup, so with that kind of on the horizon, that possibly happening, it's a great event to kind of kick‑start and try to boost the interest around golf in Norway. At the same time I think it's phenomenal how all the girls kind of dedicate their time and how we use the sport, which has given us so much, to help give back and make a difference, and in this case children's lives around the world. THE MODERATOR: Perfect. Any other questions for Suzann? Thank you for coming in. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Thanks. THE MODERATOR: Best of luck in your defense. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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