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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2005

Annika Sorenstam

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

PAUL ROVNAK: Annika, this is a pretty big week for you. You've won your last two events this year, and the last four LPGA events that you've competed in; six of your last eight. So if you win this week, you'll not only win a record-tying third Kraft Nabisco Championship, but you'll also tie Nancy Lopez's record for five straight win in events played. And you also said that you want to win all four majors in one year, so it all begins tomorrow. Just your thoughts on that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, thanks for reminding me, Paul.

No, this is a big week in many ways. Obviously I'm happy to be here. This is a great week, we have a great major to start out, and I feel really good about my game. I try not to think about all of the nice things you said. I just want to come here and play some golf, hit one shot at a time, as I always say, and see what happens. So we'll see what happens on Sunday and see how it goes, and that's just the way I'm going to try and convince myself the next five days.

Q. Having a goal of trying to win all four majors -- why don't you set another goal like trying to win every tournament; have you thought about that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Laughing). Well, I like to set goals high, I really do. I like the challenge. I like to motivate myself to practice and come out every week and so, yeah, I set some lofty goals, there's no doubt about it.

You know, last year, saying I want to win all four majors, a lot of people say, "Well, why did you tell everyone?" Well, that's what I want to do. It not like I look back at last year and say it was a bad year because I didn't achieve my goals. I won a total of ten tournaments, and that's about 50 percent of what I played, so that's probably the best year I ever had.

For me to set goals keeps me going. I might not achieve exactly those but I know my golf is getting better and I'm going to win tournaments and that's really what I want. That's what keeps me going.

Again, I have lofty goals but I'm not afraid to challenge them. I'm not afraid to admit them, and I've just got to do it, really. It's harder than that, but again, that's what I look forward to.

Q. What your goal for this year?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I want to win majors. I got off to a great start. I now I'm playing well. I could not have asked for better preparation. I know this golf course. I really don't have any excuses. The only thing that's going to hold me back is the other players playing really good golf, which they are all very capable of doing, and I've just got to play my own golf and see if it's enough or not.

Q. Not to take anything away from how well you have played so far this year, but are you a little surprised the first two tournaments you played, Cristie and Lorena having big leads going into the last round late in the tournament and then losing them?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I don't look at it that way. The first tournament was a three-day tournament; anything can happen. I mean, last week, yeah, there was no doubt that it was a gift from Lorena to me, but I was patient and I hit the shots I needed when the time was right. I've been in her position before I know what it feels like. You've got to hang in there for four days, and that's what it takes to win a tournament.

Q. Do you think maybe you've become sort of a role model for some of the younger players on Tour?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm not sure. I haven't really asked anyone, but obviously I like to be a role model for little kids. It's just I do something I really like, and to come out here and for me to be on TV and in front of crowds and show them that you can really live your dream, that's what's exciting for me to hear.

Q. Given the well-documented wave of young talent, how realistic is it to win the Grand Slam, all four majors?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's very, very difficult, there's no doubt about it. I mean, if you don't win here, then you can't achieve it. So there is a lot of pressure, definitely.

But, you know, I have won many tournaments and I just keep asking myself, why can't I win these four and that's to be determined if it's possible.

Q. With the distractions you have going on off the course, has there been any degree of surprise to you that you've been able to keep your mind together and play as good of golf as you have?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, not really, because now I'm moving forward. I know where I'm going. I think last year was a lot harder than it is right now. Now I feel happier than I have in a long time, so I know what I've got to do and I love playing golf and here I am.

Q. It appears Grace is struggling with her injuries; how do you manage to go strong, is it your workout regimen or anything else?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I guess I've got to thank my parents for that.

No, I have been very fortunate. I haven't had any injuries so far. I think working out obviously helps. I've always been active growing up in all kind of sports. I believe in general fitness, doing things you like and not overdoing things. I guess moderation is kind of my recipe to where I've been so healthy.

Q. Would you discuss the competition of some of the teenagers on Tour, how they are playing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: How are they playing? Well, they are obviously playing great. Last week I played with Brittany; I was very impressed with her, I like the way she plays. You have Paula Creamer playing excellent. You've got Michelle Wie playing good golf. I think the young generation is really showing some talent. I think they are showing some great attitudes and I think the future for the LPGA is really, really good.

Q. A year ago or so you had talked about playing fewer events, has that changed at all? Has your outlook on how many events you play going to be altered?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think I want to add one or two tournaments this year. I have a shot at the Vare Trophy this year, so other than that, I'll keep it about the same.

Q. What about the length of time you'll be playing, you've hinted about retiring before, has that been kind of shelved for now?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Maybe a little bit. I never really put a date on when I was going to retire. I always said as long as I enjoy it; that's still the same. As long as I enjoy it, I'm going to continue to play. But some of the plans I had have changed a little bit, and now I'm just going to come out here and have some good times and enjoy what I do and go from here.

Q. Because of the demand on your time and so many distractions, does golf provide a sanctuary for you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so. Once I'm inside the ropes, I feel very comfortable, I know what I'm doing and that's kind of my arena. It's great to come out and have that good feeling.

Q. So many people were affected by the tsunami tragedy and so many Asian players, how did you personally feel with that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it was obviously a horrible thing that happened, and there was a lot of Swedes down there. As a matter of fact, there were some friends of our family that were down there. We haven't heard from them. It's really a tragedy. I've been down to Phuket many times and I have friends that go there all the time, so it was really devastating and it's obviously sad.

Q. Your counterpart on the tennis side, No. 1 player in the world organized a charitable event that raised $18,000. Do you feel compelled as the LPGA's greatest star to do something more than that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You mean to donate some money? I have done that on a personal note, so I feel like I can help in a little bit. It's certainly not going to help it all, but I think it's important everybody does a little bit for something like this.

Q. Can you elaborate more on what the LPGA can do?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think the LPGA has already done something, haven't they, Paul?

PAUL ROVNAK: Yes, we have a whole press release I can give you afterwards.

Q. You talk about wanting to win the Vare Trophy again, are there any of these things that you are specifically kind of focusing on, or do you try to get all of that out of your mind? It follows you it seems like every tournament you play.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I do put a lot of expectations on myself. They are high every time I come and play because I know what I'm capable of, and the way I schedule things is to be rested when I'm out here. When I look at my schedule and then I plan with my teacher and when I can see him and all that. I do everything I can possibly can to play well at certain times. It's not easy to find the peak, but I do the best I can; therefore my expectations are pretty high.

I come here and I feel good about this golf course, I feel good about my game. But, you know, that's not everything. You need some luck and combined with that, I have a chance to do it.

So, you know, of course I look back at some of the things I've achieved, and I'm very, very proud of what I've done. But there's also a time where, you know, you've got to move forward, this is another week and the golf hole doesn't know what you did last week or how many tournaments you won. You have to try to get it in the hole this week.

I'm very proud of what I've done and I'll check the history books, and I'm pretty much aware of what I've done.

Q. Can you talk about the state of the course compared to previous years after all the rain?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, they have received a lot of rain. You can really tell out there. I don't think it's as in good of shape as it's been in the past and maybe one reason that I feel that way is because we come from last week, one of best-conditioned courses I've ever played on. It was in excellent shape.

So it seems like maybe they have had some tough weather to make the grass grow and the greens are not as fast. But we're going to come out and play and do the best we can.

Q. How significant would it be to come after the record of winning five in a row and, as sort of a corollary to that, you mention the history books, how much are you playing against history now? Is that what drives you at this point?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would not say that history is driving me to play, but I love the challenges. I love to kind of see if I can break a record. I love to push myself to new levels and it's just exciting to see if I can do it or not.

You know, like I said earlier, I'm not afraid to try something new because it not going to hurt my ego golf-wise because I'm very happy with what I've achieved. To win five in a row obviously would be really, really cool. I've had the opportunity a few years ago and didn't succeed then. So I'm just happy I get another chance to try.

Q. Getting back to the young players, do players approach you or has anyone approached you about your advice for them as far as a player turning pro and if she should go to college, and do you have an opinion about whether players should go to college or not?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I've had a few players come up to me, not the really young ones, but Reily Rankin I've spoken to a little bit. And if they ask me questions I'll be happy to help them, but I try to stay away and let them sort things out on their own. I think that's the best, really. That's how I did it. It takes a few years to come out and figure out how many tournaments in a row should I play, travel-wise, etc. Sometimes you just learn from your own mistakes.

Q. Your career path, when you were 18 or heading into college, the thought of playing on the LPGA Tour at that point, was pretty out of reach for you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, definitely. I came over here in 1990, I was 19 years old and I went to the University of Arizona. I had no idea, really, if I was ever going to come through. It was just a great opportunity for me to learn a new language, study a little bit and play some golf. I didn't really know what my future was going to be like.

Like I said, at 18, being a pro really never really crossed my mind, especially not at that age. I don't think I was mature enough. I wasn't ready. My golf was definitely not at the level where it needed to be.

Q. You played with Ai Miyazato; right?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I have.

Q. How tough is it to be somebody's idol?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I take it as a compliment, I really do. I have idols. I think that's how you learn is to look at other people, maybe follow their path and then find your own way. You know, I was very impressed with her when I played in Japan. It was just an 18-hole TV match, but I thought she was really cute and really good, but she was really down-to-earth and really nice. I'm glad I have a chance to play against her this week, and she's had some great success. I know she's done a lot for Japanese women's golf, so it's good to see that.

Q. Have you changed your irons since last week?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have changed irons, actually. I have gone back to my X-14s which is what I played the last two years. Not that I wasn't happy with my performance, you know, two-out-of-two is pretty good, but I felt like I wanted to get back to my irons and I just feel really good with them. It's just for now, really, for this tournament and I'm going to see what I'm going to do after this.

Q. You're on quite a little run right now, not to remind you of it, but when you're in this kind of three tournaments in a row, when you're away from the course, like what do you do to keep yourself fresh? Do you go to the movies, read a book, cook? Do you make a determined effort to be away?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, definitely. I think it's very important to get away. I mean, I love what I do but you can only do it so much to be fresh and so forth. But I like to work out, I like to stay at home, hang out with friends, eat a good meal, maybe do other sports. I skied a little bit this winter, but, you know, being at a tournament site is just more relaxing. I've had a few massages and hang out at the spa, stuff like that, take care of myself.

Q. Can you give a brief synopsis of your tournament here last year? What was different about last year than maybe your previous run of success here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, what I remember is that I just didn't play very well. Pretty simple as that. First two days I didn't hit the ball well at all. I came from Phoenix last year and I had won there. I felt really good about my game and I came here all of a sudden and just didn't work. I tried really hard, just didn't hit it where I wanted. I was struggling pretty much from the beginning but I believe I had a few good rounds on the weekend. So hopefully I can change that this year.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you, Annika.

End of FastScripts.

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