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UL INTERNATIONAL CROWN

October 3, 2018

Incheon, South Korea

AL LUNSFORD: It is my pleasure to welcome into the media center here at UL International Crown Team Sweden. I'll introduce everyone on the team. To my left I have Anna Nordqvist; I have Caroline Hedwall; I have Madelene Sagstrom; and Pernilla Lindberg. Welcome to the media center, you guys.

Start off with a question for Anna. You have an unbeaten record here in the UL International Crown and a very good record at the Solheim Cup as well. What do you like about match play tournaments and why do you think you've been so successful in the past?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I love match play because I obviously have a lot of experience playing it growing up, being on Solheim Cup teams. But I just love the format. I think I'm a very consistent player, so probably a tough competitor to play against. But I just like the fact that you can never count out your opponent.

AL LUNSFORD: Caroline, Team Sweden finished second in their lone appearance in 2014. You were a part of that team, and so was Anna and Pernilla. How happy are you to be back in the competition, and what's the chemistry like with you guys having done this before?

CAROLINE HEDWALL: Well, it's always a lot fun, especially playing for Sweden. I grew up playing with both Anna and Pernilla. Madelene is a little bit younger, but we're really happy to have her on the team. I think we just have a great team spirit and we're jurist looking forward to this week. It will be a lot of fun.

AL LUNSFORD: Madelene, you are the rookie on this team and also the rookie at the Solheim Cup for Team Europe. How do you think that experience is going to help you going into this week? And a follow up, how did you get your hair to be so blue?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: Yeah, my hair is definitely blue. It's fun to be a part of to the scene, too. I love representing my country and representing Europe in Solheim Cup. I think it's an honor to be here. I'm just going to enjoy every minute and spend time with these girls. It's just fun to be here. This is really what we play for, to represent big stuff.

And my hair, I think I thought about going to a different level. Just decided to do my hair a little bit blue to represent Sweden more.

AL LUNSFORD: Pernilla, speaking of representing your country, you've done that at the Olympics; you've played in this competition. I don't know if you watched the Ryder Cup this week, but your fellow countrymen were able to come up with a big win. What's it like playing with a Sweden flag on your hat and shirt? Did you get any inspiration last week?

PERNILLA LINDBERG: Oh, absolutely. I was back home in Florida both Friday and Saturday during Ryder Cup, and I was such a dedicated fan. I got up at 2:00 am both those days to watch. I love watching that. It for sure gave me some good inspiration.

And playing for Sweden, it's just something that I've had the honor to do for a long time, starting with being on the national team. It's actually pretty cool. It's exactly ten years ago this year that me and Anna and Caroline won the World Amateur Championships together in Australia. We really beat everyone pretty good that week.

So hopefully we can have a good ten year anniversary here this week.

AL LUNSFORD: Team Sweden will be playing United States tomorrow, the defending champions, and the pairings as you see them. Anna and Caroline together and Madelene and Pernilla together.

Open it up to questions.

Q. Anna and Caroline, I know, and you Madelene as well, you've played the Solheim Cup. How would you rate the sort of atmosphere and experience to playing in this event?
ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, we played in the International Crown in 2014. Back then I thought it was a really cool event with the walk-up songs and everything. I think what UL and the International Crown, what's been created is a really cool event.

I think being European -- and I've been on five Solheim Cup teams -- I think it's always a different kind of experience and a little bit different atmosphere at a Solheim Cup.

Here I feel like it's a little bit more spread out. I think there are two really spectacular events. Just very different and very different to prepare. Having played in a lot of Solheim Cups and knowing what the crowd has been like, it's always going to be very special.

I heard the crowds here are going to be really cool this week. Sure looking forward to this week, too.

Q. This is for Pernilla. You've had quite a one-on-one experience already this year at the ANA. Who knows what Sunday will bring with the singles here. Should you be paired against a Korean, for example, how much would what happened at the ANA come into play to help you you think this week?
PERNILLA LINDBERG: Absolutely a tremendous amount. Obviously at ANA I really felt I had the crowd on my side. That would probably be a different story if that scenario came up here.

But, no, I just gained so much confidence obviously from that experience. That would be the biggest thing that I would take with me.

I would be happy to take on that match on Sunday.

Q. This one is for Anna. So on paper you guys seeding-wise would be the underdogs tomorrow. Do you feel like underdogs? Obviously Team Europe at the Ryder Cup on paper was an underdog as well. How much does that really matter?
ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I mean, the U.S. is a strong team. Based on ranking they're ranked quite higher than we are. I feel like that's the beauty with match play. You play them one-on-one basically. So I feel like we're a strong team. We have two great pairings. Me and Caroline has played before quite a few times and had I think a lot of confidence in each other.

I mean, Jess and Michelle tomorrow is going to be a great match. Playing Japan on Friday and Thailand on Saturday. You know, I feel ranking doesn't really matter a lot when it comes down to the match, because for the day that's the only task you have ahead.

So I think we're excited for the week. Based on ranking we're definitely underdogs. I think we believe in each other and we've had a good week so far.

Q. Could I just put this to Caroline, please. Could you just describe how you came up with your pairings? I know you had a fantastic record in the Solheim Cup in Denver. Was that anything to do with pairing with Anna? How did you go about it?
CAROLINE HEDWALL: Well, I think, yeah, Anna and I have always felt really comfortable playing together, and I know Pernilla and Madelene are really comfortable playing together, too. Honestly felt quite given to how we wanted it to play. I think, yeah, we're just really excited, and I think everyone -- we believe in each other. Just looking forward to the matches now coming up.

Q. This is for anyone who wants to answer it. Were any of you kind of bummed that you're not squaring off against Korea in the first two days to just kind of experience the overall crazy atmosphere?
PERNILLA LINDBERG: It could go both ways. In one way it would be extremely cool to get to experience the crowds out there. Hopefully some them will come out and watch the other matches too, but I know obviously most of the people will be around those two groups.

You love as a golfer just being in that atmosphere. So absolutely. Who knows? Could be obviously over the top crazy, too. Maybe we can just get on with our business on a different part of the golf course instead. Just square up with them on Sunday instead.

Q. Madelene, you'll be playing alongside a major champion tomorrow in Pernilla. For the sake of team chemistry, would you like Pernilla also to have her hair blue tomorrow?
MADELENE SAGSTROM: I mean, I tried to persuade her a few weeks ago. She didn't buy into that one unfortunately. I figured if I can have blue hair, she can have her blonde hair, and we become Sweden anyway.

It's going to be an honor playing with Pernilla tomorrow. We're great friends. She's got great energy out here. I just love spending time with her. I think we're a good matchup. It's going to be a lot of fun to go out there and represent our colors tomorrow.

AL LUNSFORD: Last question. What is the process like picking a walk-up song? Who had the most influence on your song, your pick?

CAROLINE HEDWALL: Well, to me, as soon as I got it I thought -- just I immediately thought of Avicii, you know, since he's Swedish and what happened this spring. And all of his songs, they're all so good and they also give you a lot of energy.

So to me it was quite obvious, and all our teammates were on, too. It just felt pretty given to have one of his songs.

PERNILLA LINDBERG: Yeah, and as soon as Caro suggested that we were all on the same page. She was the brain behind it, we didn't have to think too hard.

AL LUNSFORD: Thank you guys for coming up here today, and best of luck this week.

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