|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACERJune 5, 2016Anna NordqvistGalloway, New Jersey THE MODERATOR: It is my pleasure to welcome in the 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer Champion, Anna Nordqvist Anna Nordqvist. Congratulations, your first title defense of your career. I know you said, all right, let me let this one sink in a little bit, you almost didn't believe it when it happened. How special is this now, this moment? ANNA NORDQVIST: It feels very great. It is my first title defense of my career, so I'm very proud of the accomplishment. Seems like we are only in June, but this year has been kind of slow for me. I've been playing really well, but I just haven't got anything out of it. For a long time, it was hard staying patient, and you just kept working on things. And my team deserves a huge credit for just, you know, keep pushing me to stay patient and keep believing in myself. Because there were times where I was hitting it really well. Just couldn't get anything out of it. Sitting here now, it almost feels even sweeter, being back in the winner's circle, just knowing that I've been playing well, I have been staying patient, and it finally paid off. THE MODERATOR: Bogey-free 64 to finish, 17-under, tied for the tournament scoring record with Annika. Just a pretty awesome week for you overall. What was the game plan coming into this final round, and how much did you stick to it and how much did it work? ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I knew it was going to be similar conditions. It got really pretty windy yesterday afternoon. And then some of the girls didn't play in as much wind, so actually I think it helped me and my caddie a lot, just knowing that we played in it yesterday and it was a very similar wind direction today. You're just trying to hit a lot of greens. I hit 17 greens and I just missed the last one. Just tried to control the ball in the wind, hitting fairways, hitting greens, and I think that's always been one of my keys on this course. THE MODERATOR: You join a list of a pretty esteemed list right now at this event as the only multiple winner joining Juli Inkster, Betsy King, Annika and Stacy. What does that say about this event and how big of a test it is in golf, and how proud are you of yourself for that accomplishment? ANNA NORDQVIST: I'm very proud of myself for sitting here again. Just any time you can win on Tour, it's a special moment. It's just getting tougher. The competition is getting really tough out there. Like you said, it seems like this course or this place has a lot of winners that's been great players. So it definitely feels very special to join that group of ladies. Q. You've been scoring here for the last two years like crazy and we see people like Stacy score low, then go high, and we saw a great round yesterday. Why are you so consistently dominant on this course? Why have you scored so well over the last six rounds? ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, it's been a good last couple years. Well, I won last year, and I think I finished third the year before that. You just have to be consistent I think, and I think that's one of my strengths in my game week-in and week-out, like being good from tee-to-green. You can't really get away with bad shots on this course, especially this year, the rough is pretty thick, just off the fairway. I think it suits (ph) my game, just being consistent, hitting a lot of fairways and hitting a lot of greens, because you can't count on making 5- , 6- , 7-footers for par when the greens get a little bit bumpy. Q. You're tied now with Annika with two wins, and you've tied her record for a low 54-hole score. Growing up in Sweden, did you know of Annika, and what did you think of her game and the way she handled herself throughout her career and her dominance? ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I started playing golf back in 2000, and that was pretty much her primetime. Definitely grew up idolizing Annika and the way she practiced and the way she carried herself on the course. I definitely think it made me believe that someone from Sweden, you know, there's a lot of opportunities out there for us, even though we don't have the weather in our favor. But definitely, she's been a huge inspiration over the years and I'm looking forward to making her team, her Solheim Cup team, and playing under her next year. Q. Can you talk about your iron play today, please. You hit a lot of your irons close and a lot of your birdie putts were very makeable. It was enjoyable to watch. What's gone into the work you've done with your iron play this season? ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I've been working with Jorge Parada for almost three years now. We did a lot of changes back in 2014, and it's just been -- haven't really done anything different this year, because now it's just about maintaining. I'm tall, so for me, it's just a lot about connection and using my big body parts in the swing. But I've been hitting the ball really well all year and I think that was one of the keys this week; just knowing that I have been hitting the ball well, and when it gets windy, it doesn't seem to affect my ball as much. Q. You pumped your first twice when you made the last putt on 18. Can you tell us about your emotions and what you were feeling on 18 coming down the hole with a two-stroke lead? ANNA NORDQVIST: I looked at the scoreboard after I hit my shot and I knew I was I think 1-up after 15, and then I saw she didn't birdie either 16 or 17. I don't know, kind of made it a little more interesting for me. I was in a similar spot last year, so I knew it was going to be slow. But it was just a little bit hard to judge the wind there. 17 played probably 25 yards into the wind and 18 played a little bit less. I was in-between clubs and I was trying to hit a low run and I just went through the wind. So I just tried to put it up there and give myself a good putt for par. And you know, we've been reading the greens pretty well this week, and it was a pretty distinct left-to-right putt and just put a good stroke on it, and I was pretty excited to see it go in, not going to lie. Q. Were you pretty well focused mentally? You seemed really zoned in when we spoke with you yesterday, and even before your round started, you had that focus about you; did that carry on to the golf course? It seemed like it. ANNA NORDQVIST: Definitely. I think today, I was a couple shots behind, and I knew the final group to shoot a couple under par, so I knew I had to post a really good score. After a good start, I just tried to keep my focus, and can't really take anything for granted. You lose your focus a little bit, and that's when you are going to start missing shots. I just tried to stay really focused and focus on my game until the last putt. There's really nothing you can do about the other girls. I knew it was tight up there, so I knew every shot matters. I just tried to stay committed to all my shots and ended up on top, which was obviously very exciting. Q. The first time you came here, did you know right away that this was going to be a place for you? When did you get a sense this was a place for, hey, I seem to play pretty well here just about every time I go out there? ANNA NORDQVIST: I think this is the place where I got my -- I think I finished fifth there a couple years ago and I think that was my highest finish at the time, other than winning. It just fits my eye. I think smaller greens, it narrows down my focus a little bit. You really get distinct fairways here. I like wind and I like challenges. I wish I knew what the recipe was, or is, but I just feel very comfortable coming here and I feel very confident. I'm definitely looking forward to next year. I always seem to leave this place with a smile on my face. Q. You're still a young woman of 28, but you're the first winner over the age of 23. ANNA NORDQVIST: Yes! (Laughter). Q. What's it been like to watch all of these kids do all the winning here? I know you've only been out here since 2009 or 2008, but what's it been like to pull one in for like one of the more veteran players on the Tour? ANNA NORDQVIST: I'm definitely very impressed with the talent of the youngsters on Tour. I mean, Lydia Ko, she's been up there for a long time now and she's only 19. I guess, well, I'm turning 29 next week, so definitely made me feel old. But there's just so many good players these days, and at their age of 18 and 19, I wasn't even close to being as good as they were. I came out on Tour in 2009. I was 21, and I can't believe it's already my eighth year on Tour. I guess I do have a little bit of experience on those girls and hopefully I can use it to my advantage. Q. Some men are deciding not to play in the Olympics; what's your plan, and if you do, what will be the reason to play in the Olympics? ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, playing in the Olympics has been a dream of mine since it got introduced to the Olympics back in 2012. It's been a big goal for me, and it's going to be huge getting the honor to represent Sweden in the Olympic Games. I know there's a lot of cop concerns with the Zika virus, but I trust the doctors. I know the Swedish Olympic Committee, they have a lot of great doctors and medical team behind them. I'm going to listen to them. But other than that, I'm going to go and I'm really excited about it, and I'm doing my best these last couple months to prepare for it. THE MODERATOR: I saw your mom peeking in in the back. Is it Mother's Day, or around this time? ANNA NORDQVIST: It was Mother's Day last Sunday. THE MODERATOR: Having her here, good luck charm? How special was it to give her that hug afterwards? ANNA NORDQVIST: Definitely. I flew back from Sweden on Monday and she joined me. It's always great to have family on site, because I really don't get to see them that much. I went back for four days last week. That was the first time since Christmas I saw everyone, which was very exciting. It's hard not being there for my nieces and nephews and not being able to see them grow up. It's just one of those things; I've got to be over here to pursue my career as a golfer. But I did go back last week to be a part of a camp. The Swedish Federation had a camp for girls, and everyone who plays golf, from 12 to 18. So it was 90 girls. It was in a town called Linköping, about two, three hours south of Stockholm. It was great. Like I came back to surprise them, and hoping to help them in any way I could or hoping to inspire them. But they ended up inspiring me a lot more than they know. I left the course at 9:30 on Saturday night, and there was still 20 girls out there practicing. So it was really neat to see, and I'm really glad they are doing it, because I know how much it meant to me back in the day being part of those camps. It kind of reminded me of what a journey it's been ever since I was in their shoes, when I was 16 or 17, and now here a couple years later; I guess anything is possible if you believe in yourself and if you work hard. THE MODERATOR: You're in great form going into next week's major, and obviously this super-busy summer stretch. How happy are you to have your game in top form going into this stacked yesterday? ANNA NORDQVIST: I'm excited. It's going to be a busy summer. This obviously gives me a lot of confidence in myself and my game and knowing I'm doing the right things. I played Sahalee back in 2007. We had PAC-10s at the time, so kind of makes me feel old coming back. But it's a great course and a great place, and I'm catching a flight tonight. I'm just very excited. I have a great team around me that's been supporting me, and I'm just glad I'm sharing this journey with them. Q. When you were here for Media Day in May, you talked about, one, how cold it was, but two, that what you had seen from the course coming up, it was pretty different from the year before because the way the turf looked, the way the fescue had grown in, how green everything was. Did you notice anything during this week that said it was just like last year's conditions, or did you notice differences between last year's conditions and what you had to contend with this year? ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, coming here for the Media Day a couple weeks ago, I was impressed to see how far they had come. I know it was very cold and rainy, and it's very hard to grow grass very consistent in weather like that. So I was seriously impressed how the greenskeeper staff were able to pull off the course. It's about as good as I've ever seen it, and a lot greener. The rough were a lot thicker this year. But I think overall, it's maybe a little bit softer than what we've seen, but we got a huge downpour on Monday. Today the greens were really good, even playing later. You know, I think this is a great place. I know the weather, it's been a little bit longer winter, but this course is probably as good as I've seen it. Last year it played -- it was a little bit more wind consistent over the three days. I think the winning score was 8-under that time around, but I think we got to experience some of the wind from the back nine today similar to last year. THE MODERATOR: Again, congratulations. Thank you for coming in. Thanks so much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|