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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 25, 2005

Annika Sorenstam

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

PAUL ROVNAK: Thanks for coming in and speaking with us, we appreciate it. Second straight round under par, you're 5-under and you're leader by one right now. This is where you want to be, I imagine.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, it is. Again it's a long ways left, and just happy the way I'm hitting the ball and happy the way I'm putting, but put myself in a good position for the weekend. It's really in the weekend where things happen and where things matter.

But I'm right where I want to be and excited about that. Just want to stay calm, and like I said, there's a long ways to go. So I'm not going to think too much about it.

I bogeyed the first hole. Hit my driver in the left side of the rough and hit it short of the green and 3-putted from 40 feet.

I birdied 7. I hit a 7-iron to 15 feet.

I birdied 8. I hit a 7-iron in the green-side bunker and I holed a bunker shot from 20 feet.

No. 9 I birdied. I hit sand wedge to 13 feet.

11, I birdied. I hit a sand wedge short of the green and chipped it up to five feet and 12 I birdied. I hit sand wedge to four feet.

15 I bogeyed. I hit a pitching wedge in the green-side bunker 2-putted from seven feet.

Q. Yesterday you said the first round was only ten percent. What percentage are we at now halfway?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I knew you were going to ask that, Tommy. 30 percent. (Laughter.)

Q. You've obviously talked a lot about how at this stage in your career, majors are most important to you. Do you find yourself fighting the urge to press during these weeks, wanting it so much that you sort of treat it differently, and as a result maybe play not as well as you would like?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have done that in the past. I mean, of course I'm nervous coming here. And I'm playing well; this is what I want to win here. I could not have asked for a better start. Everything is just looking really good. So of course I get a little anxious and I just have to pinch myself and say hey, this is a tournament, come here, play your game and go easy and hit one shot at a time. The only way for me to handle this is to keep saying it over again. I'm very happy with how I'm playing. You have to stay patient. You're not always going to get good bounces and not always going to make every putt. It's 72 holes. It's a long ways to go.

Yeah, I put a lot of pressure on myself and sometimes do I get in my own way, and this week in particular, I'd like to stay out of my own way and just play golf and have fun and just see what happens.

Q. You're eight shots better at this point than you were last year; that must make you feel good. And also, is it more important being a front runner?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, the thing you is can't really control where you're going to be after each day. I'll take whatever I am. I mean, I am playing good golf, and you know, if I'll be leading at the end of the day or five behind, who knows. I've got to just play my own game, and right now I'm happy how I'm hitting it.

You know, it is better than last year. I feel a lot better than last year, but again, it's a long ways to go, so anything can happen. I mean, last week I think we all saw that. I mean, you can be four behind and three to go. So right now, it's really a long ways to go, and so I really don't want to predict anything and happy where I'm at.

Q. Do you guys get put on the clock on 18?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, we did.

Q. That sounded like from your response it wasn't justified.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I don't understand why we had five minutes left to play and the group behind us is over a hole behind. But I'm sure there's a reason why, but at the time we can't figure it out.

Q. So 18th hole, you had the guy on the tee with the camera, and then you got put on the clock; you have to work past those distractions, don't you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, you definitely have to. Of course, I wanted to hit a good tee shot down there, and then the phone rang and I know I'm being timed. So you've got to try to regroup quickly, but then take your time and not rush. But you have to learn how to handle that. I had one shot, probably I would have gone for the green, but again just borderline. I was in between a 7-wood and a 4-wood and I decided to lay-up. Maybe one of the reasons I got timed, just didn't want to make a rush decision; and therefore, played it the way I did.

Q. If you're a couple of strokes behind, do you maybe go for it?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah.

Q. But the fact that you're a couple up?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I probably would have, and like I said if we wouldn't have been timed, I would have had more time to think about the wind. The wind is swirling constantly, and when you have to hit within ten seconds, you have to do whatever the wind was. And at the time it was just a little into me and 7-wood wouldn't be enough and 4-wood would probably be too long; and last year I tried and it just rolled into the water on the other side. This was something that I thought about and I figured, you know, I could do birdie the traditional way where you hit greens in regulation and make a putt.

Q. First six holes today, you were 1-over. The six holes after that, you were 5-under, did something fundamentally change in there or did you just start making the putts?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it's just funny how the game is. I mean, I started off a little tentative and missed a few drives that put me in the rough and from there just have to hit close to the green. I started to hit some good shots starting on 4 and then made a nice putt on 7 and then I just got going again.

So those are the things that you have to remember when you're out there, it might not always flow so nicely, but then it can turn around in a second and take advantage of it.

Q. Obviously this is not your priority, but talk about how Grace played today, given what her back was, it seemed like she played remarkably well.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I didn't know her back was bothering her. I couldn't tell. I thought she drove it well. She had a good round. She shot 4-under, I believe so, that is a good round. I'm sure I'll see her tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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