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JOHN Q. HAMMONS HOTEL CLASSIC

September 18, 2005

Annika Sorenstam

TULSA, OKLAHOMA

PAUL ROVNAK: Thanks for coming in and speaking with us. Congratulations on your seventh win this year, 63rd of your career.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thank you.

PAUL ROVNAK: It was a day when you just had to play conservative golf and not make any mistakes, is that the game plan today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It turned out to be my game plan. I thought I started, played pretty good. Couldn't really make any putts on the front nine and I was just very steady, and, you know, watching the leaderboard very, very closely on the back nine. Luckily I had a little cushion, and at the end it seemed like I needed it. So that was a good thing today.

Q. It did look like you were kind of putting it on cruise control there for a while, you were making par putts, you were making pars and no one seemed to be coming at you at all, did you feel that way a little bit that, hey, I just keep making these pars, I'm going to be all right?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I wasn't trying to just make pars, because I figured there's some birdies out there, and the last thing you want to do is just go out there cruising and all of a sudden somebody catches you and it's tough to change gear at the time.

It was difficult today. The wind was blowing a little bit. It was swirling, actually, quite a bit and just makes this golf course a little tougher.

So, you know, I thought as long as I don't make too many mistakes, I'm going to be all right. I was trying to make a few more birdies but didn't happen. And then on the end, I noticed I bogeyed two of the last three. Wasn't maybe the finish I wanted, but like I said, sometimes you just take what you've got.

Q. Because of the conditions, did you feel like if you stayed pretty steady, that the field wasn't going to catch up to you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it looked like Paula was making a little charge. I saw she birdied the par 3, 13, and I believe 14, as well. My lead was just down to two shots and anything can really happen.

I missed a short putt on 13 myself and I had a great birdie chance on the par 5, didn't really take advantage of it. So I felt like I was trying but couldn't really get it going, and then I guess she finished kind of the way I did.

But anything can happen on this golf course. It's really that tricky, especially when the wind is blowing the way it was today.

Q. Your second shot on 16, did you try something there, what was your thought there?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I really saw a little punch shot between the trees, just try to get to the front of the green and go from there. Actually where I ended up after three shots, that's where I wanted to be after two. The ball just shot up a little higher than I expected to the right and hit a tree and came back. Obviously it wasn't what I had in mind and it was a little bit of a risk I took, but luckily my fourth shot was a good one.

Q. How different was the course today, as compared to even yesterday, it seemed like only eight or nine players that shot under par and the best score was just 3 under, was it that much more difficult than it has been?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I thought the day was difficult. Then again, the wind plays a big role here and today it was a little warmer, a little more humid. The conditions were tougher, they really were.

I'm not sure about the pins but seemed like they were a little tucked behind some ridges. I think if you add those things together it made it tougher, it really did. And it's Sunday; the pressure is also there.

Q. Coming out, girls right behind you made bogeys real quick and gave you a two shot lead, three shot lead early on, did you feel more comfortable after you had a little bit of an edge there? And you did just keep making par after par after par.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, you know, it's not really maybe the start that would favor anyone, because obviously in Michelle's case, she didn't get off to the start she wanted.

For me, I like to have the pressure on early on, so for me it didn't really help either. Because if we would have seen some birdies in our group, I think maybe the golf would have been different. Then it wasn't until the back nine that Paula was climbing and I was playing steady. And I saw Maria in the front was making some mistakes; one of those days where you just really had to survive.

Q. Have you ever had a final round performance like this with no birdies, yet you're able to walk away with the trophy, like one of those U.S. Open victories?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it's not many times that this happens. We do have to remember that this is a tough golf course, and like you said, the U.S. Open has been here. If you're in this rough, it's just very difficult. And I think with the wind, like I said again, it makes the fairways look a lot more narrow, and I'm sure that's what was happening to a lot of players where it was difficult to hit greens and make putts. You know, some tournaments are just like that, they are tournaments where I've shot lights out and still haven't would be.

For me, a win is a win. I'm so thankful to win this week. I mean, I thought I played excellent the first two days. It's a tough golf course and a lot of things are shaping up at the end of year. So this meant a lot to me.

Q. You did have a win back home in Sweden last month and this is your first win in the States since June; hard to fathom that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I mean, the competition is tough out here, and I've played quite a bit in Europe. You know that's another reason why I was happy to win again. I just turned around some of the bad golf I had in the middle of the summer. I've worked a lot with my coach the last two months, both in Europe and over here last week when he was visiting for the Solheim.

So I feel like I'm turning things around, I'm striking the ball well and I'm putting well, so it's nice to see.

Q. People are going to ask you, what's the secret to Cedar Ridge because you played here both years and you've won both years. I mean, is there a secret to getting around successfully out here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think the key is patience. There are a lot of holes here where I don't hit driver. One is No. 16 and one of them is the third hole.

You have to place it in the right spots here. It turns out you're going to have longer irons in, which makes it tougher around these greens, but I think that's just a strategy that I've had. I'd rather be in the short grass than have a long green than trying to play aggressive off the tee, and then you stand there with maybe a bad lie in the rough or you have to hit over a tree. Even though you have a shorter club in, you just can't score that way.

I think the key for me this week has just been patience. I've told my caddie that at times, where he says should we go for the green in two, and I've said, "Let's just play smart," and it paid off.

Q. One of your big par saves was No. 9, talk about that how that really kept the round going for you.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, that was the key putt no, doubt about it. I missed my tee shot on left and punched it through over the green, I just had a horrible lie and I said, you know, I just want to get a chance to putt here. It was probably, you know, a 12 footer which I made, it was a key putt. I was still at level par and I could make the turn and maybe make a charge. I just kept the momentum going for sure.

Q. It looked like the second shot that went to the back of the green, did it bury just to the bottom?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, actually a similar lie happened to me on the first hole. It seemed like there were little pockets, and you can get some horrible lies here with this grass; the bermudagrass is very unpredictable and tough to play out of. That's what happened to me on 1 and 9.

PAUL ROVNAK: Can you talk about last year this tournament kind of jump started the end of the season for you? You had from this tournament a year ago to this tournament now, 11 wins, just outlook for rest of the season?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, for me it's important to play good at the end of the year. There's a lot of things that are at stake. We're talking Money List, Player of the Year, Vare Trophy, those are goals of mine and they mine a lot. A victory here would set me up a little closer to my goals.

We still have more tournaments, and I think we've got another six to play in. So the season is far from over for me and for some other players. So, you know, it's key to play well in the end. It's great to get off to a good start, but I think it's also important to finish well.

I'm off to a Skins Game tomorrow in Boise and I've got a few days off, I've got another celebrity golf thing on the weekend and then off to L.A. So my schedule this fall is very, very busy and it feels good to play well and hopefully I can continue this momentum.

Q. This is the 43rd time in your career where you've won after bringing a lead into the final round. Roughly two thirds of your victories out here have been with you entering with the final round lead, talk about being able to finish and do that on a consistent basis.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, to me I think that's very, very important, not just for my own confidence, but I think for other players, knowing that your stats are good in that area. You know, it just shows that you're a good closer. It's all well and good to start well, but if you can't finish, it really won't take you anywhere. I'm proud of those stats, especially out here when the competition is so tough and it's not always so easy to be leading and then to finish it because you're in the limelight, eyes are on and you so forth.

I feel like the pressure is more on the leader than anybody else. If you come from behind, a lot of times you can play a little bit more relaxed, and nobody really is looking at and you all of the sudden you stand there and you win. That's really what happened to me at the U.S. Open in '95, my first victory. If I would have been leading going into that, who knows what would have happened. But it's very important I think to be able to close.

Q. The Top 10 players, the first eight holes, everybody else went in the other direction, was that as difficult as you've seen or is it just Sunday pressure?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A lot of it is Sunday pressure. A lot of it is the golf course, as well. There are players up there today starting the day that had not won in a while or who had never won, and it's not going to be easy on a course like this. It doesn't mean they can't do it, but it makes it tough, especially when the wind is swirling like this. You really have to have good ball control to play here. You need to know the trajectory of your shots and so forth. Under pressure sometimes you don't have control over that.

Q. Five players finished under par, is this a course that you enjoy playing, the challenge?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I totally love it. That's one of the reasons that I'm back here. I love a challenge. You've got to hit the ball well, and this is not a course where you can hit the ball poorly and walk away and still finish good. The people that you see up on the leaderboard, they have done well.

You know, courses like this is where you elevate your game, especially on a Sunday when the wind is blowing like this, it really tests you, and that's what you need for a major championship and other big events.

Q. Do you wish there were more courses like this on your tour where it is not a birdie fest every week and you have to have everybody facet of your game in tune or you're not going to find success?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I like it when the courses are tougher. I like it when it puts a premium on the driving and the iron shots. You know, there are courses that we play sometimes where it comes down to a putting contest. I've never liked those events. I think you need to be able to hit every shot in the bag to do well at a tournament and this course really demands that. I mean, I've hit more 4 irons this week than I have, what, two months. I've had some tricky chip shots around the greens. It's just a tough golf course. That makes you a better player long term, for sure.

Q. I know you didn't play with her today, but Paula Creamer it seems once again is just adding to her young resume. Is this what we can see from her in the years to come just making Sunday charges, being always up there at the top of the leaderboard?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I would think so. That's what it looks like. I mean, there's no doubt that she is very, very talented. She knows how to play under pressure. She has won I believe twice this year. You mentioned her resume; it's pretty impressive already.

She's one of those players that for the next generation that will be here for a long time. It's great for women's golf and obviously the LPGA.

Q. Would you talk a little bit about last weekend, you guys finished 1, 2 this week, can you see a rivalry or do you feel like she's going to be pushing you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I'm sure she'll be pushing me. I mean, she seems like she sets very high goals. She works very hard, and, you know, I think she's going to continue to win tournaments.

I love the spot where I'm at and I don't want to give it away too easily myself. So I'm sure we're going to have many chances like today where we go head to head. And it's funny, because I'm playing in the Skins Game tomorrow and Paula is my partner, so tomorrow we're good friends.

Q. Can you elaborate a little bit about being young and

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I am competitive, really doesn't matter who it is. I mean, I love to compete and that's one of the reasons I think I can continue to play at this high level because I enjoy the challenge. I love the feeling and the adrenaline that pumps when you have a chance to win. Whether it's Paula, whether it's Lorena, whether it's Grace Park or Cristie Kerr, you name it; to me, it's just another player, it's somebody that I like to beat to be able to stay on top.

Q. At what point does the adrenaline really start?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, a little bit in the end of yesterday's round and then early this morning, and then in the end for sure. Sometimes it seems like I kind of get in a groove in the middle of the round. There are times when I look back and I can't remember playing a few holes. There's just a few holes that I really remember which mostly is the first few because that's when I'm kind of setting the pace and in the end it's where you have to close.

Q. Were you a little sapped from all of the Solheim Cup stuff last week, the emotion and adrenaline, coming into this week were you able to get over that quickly and get refocused for this week?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think what helps was that I was defending champion here. That really helped me and then again it's a tough golf course and I got here, it was time to focus on individual golf this week and get back in the groove.

I'm thinking a lot about the awards at the end of the year. I think that helped me, too. I must admit that I got a little tired in the end today. It was extremely slow out there; it was hot. I think from last week, it probably took a little bit of energy out of me and I felt like I just wanted to finish and play here. We came up to the next hole and we had to wait and hit our drives, and then we had to wait. Just there was no flow and I think that was hard.

Q. You said you like to get in a groove where you just don't remember things, did you ever get into that groove today at all?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, there's a few holes in the middle there where I was making pars, and I mean, once I got past the third hole, which I think is very difficult, it was just I felt pretty comfortable then. You never know what's going to happen there. When I was making the turn, you know, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and then when you get to 11, I find it's a tough hole. It's almost like a start and stop several times through the round.

PAUL ROVNAK: Can you take us over those two bogeys today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: The 16th hole I hit a 4 wood to the right and I tried to punch an 8 iron. Got caught in a tree, came back and then I hit another 8 iron again just in front of the green and chipped it up to about two inches, so I made that for bogey.

Then on 18, the last one, I hooked my driver in the left and hit a 7 iron over the green and chipped and putted from about six feet.

Q. How far on 16, that second shot, the first one out of the rough, how far were you able to advance it?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it came back. Seemed like I only advanced it about ten yards maybe, 15 at the most.

Q. You mentioned the 4 iron, how many did you hit?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Today I didn't hit any, but the previous two days I hit probably a total of five. I believe three the first day and two the second day.

Q. What holes?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 18 was one of them. I hit one on 8 was another one.

Q. Do you like that style

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Obviously it's a test to hit long irons, but it also makes the course a little longer where you might take a risk of hitting a driver off the tee instead of maybe a 4 wood, so it tends to a little bit, which I think is the sign of a good golf course where you can have a lot of variety off the tees.

Q. Coming back in September next year?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'll be here. I'll see you then.

End of FastScripts.

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