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WEETABIX WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 27, 2005

Annika Sorenstam

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND

PAUL ROVNAK: Annika, thanks for coming in and speaking with us. We always appreciate your time.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thanks for having me.

PAUL ROVNAK: This is the fourth and final major this year and a win this week would give you ten majors for your career. It would also make you the fourth person in LPGA history to win three majors in one year. Can you share your thoughts on that possibility?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Obviously I'm excited about the possibility and I think that for me personally it would be a great thing. Obviously I would have a look back at that year and say, you know, I had set really tough goals, but I came a long way.

This is an important week. I'm happy to be here. I've always enjoyed playing the British Open. When you come to a course like this, it's just really a lot of fun. So I'm just thrilled to be here and looking forward to starting tomorrow.

PAUL ROVNAK: You've played the course, can you talk about that before we take questions?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I love the golf course. It's one of my favorites over here. It's totally a links course. It's just a lot of fun. You have to play here a lot to know it and my caddie has been walking the course twice; I've played it twice. It's all about placing it in the right places, and the greens are receptive to good shots I think. The fairways are bouncy which I expect when I come here, but the greens are a lot more receptive. I'm looking forward to playing. It's a challenge. You have to drive the ball well, you have to putt well, and of course the short game is the key around here.

Q. How disappointing was the U.S. Open for you inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I'm disappointed, but it's not that bad. I mean, the reason for that is because I came in and I thought I was prepared and thought I was ready to play and just didn't turn out. I have a lot of tournaments where things didn't turn out. Still disappointing but just not that bad. I don't really look at it that way, and I have a lot of highlights in my career. I try to think about those things and not think about the negatives.

Q. Do you still think inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, it's totally out of my system. As we all know, to win all four majors, it's very, very difficult. So if I set such a lofty goal, I have to be able to take the consequences. The season is long, there's a lot of great tournaments left, and this is one of them. If I can win three out of four, I would just think it would be one of the greatest seasons I've ever had.

So I'm not going to look back at the Open. It's a very lofty goal, and that's what I need right now to push myself to continue to play this game and to be motivated. The competition out here is very tough and I know that. If I don't play my best, then I don't have a chance.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, not really. I worked with my coach last week in Evian. That Evian course is nothing like this one. Just working on my swing, mostly fundamentals and my chipping and putting.

I came out early on Monday and practiced short game and just get back to the bump and run type of mode. Last two days has been great practice. You know, I'm ready. I look forward to playing this course. If the wind picks up, it will be a little different. The last two days have just been fantastic.

Q. Speaking with your caddie inaudible did you sort it out?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think the way we left it, it's golf. If you play the game, you know what it's like. Sometimes there's no explanation. All you can do is try, and if it doesn't happen, the best thing is what I do is go to next week.

Q. Have you spoken to Tiger?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I have not.

Q. Will you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have some plans if things are going well on Sunday, yes, I do.

Q. What did you

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I can't tell you that now.

Q. What is your friendship like with him?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's a friendship, he's very supportive of what I do and I'm a big admirer of his game. He's helped me with a lot of shots and it's just great to have a practice partner like that, somebody that can teach you a lot. It's good to be motivated.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, you're the first one that asked it today. No, that's just it's the next generation. I mean, it's women's golf and, you know, I mean, she's a great player, I think she's the future. Having said that, I don't mind at all. She's a very talented young player.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't think I've kind of said it that way. We hit a lot of different shots. I mean, we do bump and runs, maybe lob shots, bunker shots, you name it. You've just got to have so much imagination, which is really good for me because a lot of times I practice the same shots. But with him, he will always try to figure out my weakness, so that works out great for me.

Q. Where was your game when you were their age, like 16 years old?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 16? Well, I did not play in any LPGA events when I was 15 or 16. Let's see, I was playing in the Swedish National Team and I think my handicap was around one or two. Most of all I was playing Junior events around the world. I played a lot in Europe, British Girls' I'm sure you're familiar with that; World Championship, European Championship, those type of events was on my schedule.

Q. How much time do you spend looking at your statistics can you talk about that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I don't travel with a laptop anymore. What I do is I keep my stats and I have since 1987. I just keep all of my pin sheets and I take notes on that.

When I come home and have two or three weeks off, that's when I'll put it down in the computer. What it is is just greens in regulation, fairways hit, putts, just pretty much the whole game. I have a chance to look at my weaknesses and look at where I need to spend time and what kind of shots I need to work with. For me it's just easier to see the numbers. I mean, the numbers don't lie, but sometimes I have a better feeling that I might drive the ball better so when I look at the stats, it's maybe just nine fairways, so you understand you've got to work on driving.

Q. Where does this event rank for you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was very important. Growing up in Europe, obviously I consider it one of the biggest tournaments we have for many reasons. It's close to home and also the history think the British Open has. For us to come and play links courses like this one, like Lytham, like Turnberry, it's a great honor for us. I mean, there's so much history. When you come through the clubhouse and see all of the pictures of other competitions and the championship, it's just really neat.

I find it obviously challenging to play a different type of golf course and throughout the year, 90 percent of the courses that we play in America, it's just get it up at air and here you have a totally different mindset. It's bump and run and it's hitting 4 iron off the tee and maybe 4 iron in. In the U.S., you hit driver, driver, driver and you have a sand wedge in.

I think this is very good for any golfer to be able to adjust the game and start to think things differently. And then again, you've got the wind conditions here and the rain and you never really know what you've got. You can have sunny on the front nine and on the back nine you can have the most tremendous weather you've ever seen, and you've still got to be able to play.

Q. Right now, the course has played last couple of days wind and rain, would you like to see that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I don't mind a little wind. I saw coming here just from lunch, I think the wind has picked up. I think the greens, they are going to dry out. It will be a little bit more bump and run and you might have to land your iron shots in front of the green maybe five, ten yards. It makes it a lot more tricky and there is a lot of little hills out there and the ball can take all kind of funny bounces.

Playing these courses, that's what you need to be aware of, and that's what really kind of makes it fun, as well. They have the most toughest bunkers I'd ever seen right here.

Q. What have you learned from Tiger?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: He's taught me a lot of shots. That's one of his specialties, he has just a really good feel for how to hit it very high and land it very softly. So I'm working on that shot.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's tough to say. I think I've come a long ways the last five years, working out very hard. There's a little bit of room for improvement, but I think right now it's more just staying very balanced, staying within myself. I'm pretty happy with my distance.

As a matter of fact I spoke to my caddie today and he said, "You know, I don't think you really need to hit it any further," and I actually noticed that at the Open. The distance wasn't really a factor. It almost became a problem because it teases you and you want to hit the driver when you really shouldn't.

Q. As far as Tiger do you ever make any wagers with him when you play?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Always.

Q. What kind of financial penalties are involved?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, we always have to have something riding on the bet. I think that's what keeps him motivated to beat me. But, you know, for me it's actually more the pride than anything. Because always when I leave, I always tell him, you know, when I beat you, I can say it and he always makes sure it doesn't happen.

Q. Do you give him credit?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, we pay up front.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say his, for many reasons. (Laughter).

Q. Do you give any shots?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I'm the one that needs them.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, that's about what we do. Just hit one shot, different lies, because that's really what you have on the golf course. That's what I think really good. It's no practice, it's just you've got to figure out right away.

End of FastScripts.

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