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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 2, 2004

Annika Sorenstam

SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, Annika Sorenstam only missed one green today. That's quite a feat in a U.S. Women's Open, you're hitting your approach shots well.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm happy with the way I'm hitting it. I think I played really good for two days. I think I'm in a good position. So I'm happy at this point.

RHONDA GLENN: The lowest U.S. Women's Open round -- the lowest is at 66 and you had 67 several times over the years, three or four times. How does this round compare with some of the your best U.S. Women's Open rounds.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think ball-striking-wise I think this was probably one of the better times. I hit 17 greens, had a lot of opportunities. Didn't make a lot of mistakes. Maybe didn't score as well, but on the other hand this is a tough golf course, the greens are small. I thought the pins have been really tricky the first two days. Looking at all that I'm very pleased with my score of 68.

RHONDA GLENN: How many holes did you have to play this morning?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Three.

RHONDA GLENN: It was 16, 17 and 18.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes.

RHONDA GLENN: Those are tough ones. Difficult start on 16th morning. You had a double on that hole. Would you tell us about that, please.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I hit my tee shot to the right and ended up in the rough and decided that I was going to lay up, it was such a long approach shot. I laid up and I hit a good shot, it looked like it hit the hole, and spun off the green, and I chipped it and 2-putted for a six. It wasn't the start I had in mind, but it got me -- I woke up and since then I played really well I thought.

RHONDA GLENN: How much time did you have between rounds?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: About 25 minutes.

RHONDA GLENN: Could we please go over your card. You want to start on the front nine or the back.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Either one.

RHONDA GLENN: No. 3 was a birdie.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, 4-wood just short of the green and chipped it up to 8 feet.

RHONDA GLENN: No. 8.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Bogeyed that one, 9-iron and 3-putted.

RHONDA GLENN: No. 10 was a birdie.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 7-iron to 13 feet.

RHONDA GLENN: 12.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Pitching wedge to 5 feet.

RHONDA GLENN: And 18 was a 3.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 7-iron to 10 feet. On 8, you almost made that birdie putt, how far was the putt for par.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Four feet.

Q. What happened with that par-putt on 8?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: What happened? It hit the left lip and went out.

Q. Tell us about 16, 16 on Sunday, being an important hole. Is it going to be an important hole on Sunday?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: The 16th hole, yes, I definitely think so. And I want to say 18, as well and 17, those three finishing holes are really tough holes. 16 and 18 are very long. Obviously you've got to hit a good drive on both of them to get a chance to get up there. With the wind blowing it seems like into our face every day is going to make it a longer hole. A lot of things can happen on that hole, a lot of things can be decided. Which is the way it should be, it should come down to the last few holes and make it exciting.

Q. You've talked about placing too much emphasis on this week, trying not to get too wrapped up in the importance of this tournament. How is that going so far this week and are you trying -- are you succeeding in sort of steering clear of those thoughts?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so. I'm trying to stay really calm and I think one of the things that's good for me is that I'm tired. And I don't get too much up and too excited, because it's been two long days, so I think that's helped me, just to be able to try and save the energy, because that's normally I have, too much energy and get too pumped up.

Now I'm tired I just hit one shot at a time and move on, I try not to think too much, because the days have been so long and with all the rain delays and little sleep and all that. It's taken its toll, for sure.

RHONDA GLENN: In your previous two victories in the Women's Open, did you have that same attitude where you tried not to think of how important it was.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Definitely the first one, because I hadn't won a single tournament then, and it was a fluke that I won. I came from behind and suddenly I stood there as a winner. I never really thought about it. And in '96 U.S. Open I was in the zone the whole week, I don't know where I was. I wasn't really paying attention to anything other than my game. I think those are the things that helped me, when I'm there, but I'm not really there.

Q. How did yesterday's rain affect the way the course played today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it rained so much, especially last night, the course is very wet. Obviously you get no roll off the tee, it makes the course longer. The greens are very receptive. It also makes it tough because you play aggressive, but you get a lot of spin on the shots. That happened on 16. Several times I was on the green and the ball would roll off. It's a little different approach, aggressive, but you have to make sure you don't spin it too much. I'd like to see the greens firm up a little bit, they would be playing different. I think with the sunshine we've got, I think you'll see that tomorrow.

Q. With hitting 17 greens, how much of that is attacking the pin, and how much of that is playing U.S. Open conservative golf?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Probably a combination of both. I'm playing aggressive when I can, and not so aggressive, especially if I have longer irons in.

16, I had 5-iron in, I'm just going for the center of the green. There are other holes where I feel like I can fire at the pin.

But I figure if you're in the center, you're going to have 15 feet all day, and that's not a bad thing at a U.S. Open.

Q. Tell us about your decision on 1, and why you decided to attack there?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I felt really good at the time. I came off a birdie on 18, and I felt like I was driving the ball well. I felt like the wind was a little bit behind me, and if you lay -- if I was going to lay up, I would like to hit a 4-iron. And 4-iron then probably have 180 or something to the pin. So I was taking the chance with driver. And I hit a 9-iron, that's a big difference, and especially with the way the pin was sitting, I didn't want to have a long iron in there, but most of all I felt good about the way I was swinging it.

Q. The other two wins were on Ross courses, the Open victories. How does this one compare? You are a fan, I take it?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I'm a big fan. I think the more you play this golf course, the more you like it, I really do. It's growing on me, even with all the rain. But it's a really nice layout. And -- I've always been a fan of these old traditional courses.

Q. How much to clear the creek?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was 272, I believe.

Q. After 36 holes do you look at the leaderboard? Do you look who is up there, who you have to beat? Do you care about that at that point?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I do look at the leaderboard. I always have. It doesn't really matter what day it is. Today I don't alter my game after the leaderboard. I might do that on Sunday on the back nine. Today it's more for fun to see what's going on with the tournament. You hear a lot of cheers around the golf course, that's why I look at the leaderboard.

Q. Greens don't dry out evenly. How much tomorrow and on Sunday will hole location determine whether you're going to be aggressive into the green or not?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think -- I want to say that the last two days I think the pin placements have been really tough. They've been tucked in corners, they've been on little ridges. There's been a lot of times I felt like I couldn't be aggressive. And if the greens dry out I probably will be landing the ball more short and the ball will roll up. I'm firing at the pin now. It will be a totally different approach if it dries out. If it does dry out I'll be more conservative.

RHONDA GLENN: Good round, thanks very much.

End of FastScripts.

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