Q. Is this style of golf something that you enjoy?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Definitely it's growing on me. I think I said that Tuesday in my press conference that when I was younger, I really didn't appreciate it. I had a chance to play a lot of links courses then, but now it seems like I come over here now and it's amazing. I really, really like it for different reasons, and it's been a privilege to play these type of courses last few years.
I do think it takes a little different type of mindset to play here, especially more patience. And maybe now that I'm a little older, a little more mature I have a little more patience than I did when I was younger.
Q. When you say you feel like you have to think on every hole, isn't that true on every golf course that you play?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not necessarily. This course is not about power. This is about placement. This is about thinking, about the wind, the bounces, et cetera. It's more about putting it in the right places.
A typical example is 17. I think the hole is over 400 yards, 406, and you are automatically thinking you are going to hit driver there. But I'm hitting 7-wood and then I have a 7-wood in, and I can't think of a single course that I play in America that I have that type of mindset.
Here these bunkers are so -- I mean, it's really a big penalty to get in there that you just hit it out. So it's better to just play it short or play it to the side so that you have a good shot into the green. That's what I mean by thinking. You've really got to think here. There are some courses where the harder you hit, the longer you hit, the better. This is not one of those courses.
Q. Have you seen the plaque on 17?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I have not. I've got to look for that tomorrow then.
Q. Do you think you had your "A" game today?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Today I was very pleased the way I played. I want to say that I'm putting as good as I ever have, and I think actually short game in general. I had a lot of good shots, but a few not-so-good shots today, which I want to try to eliminate for the weekend. But other than, that I am very pleased.
Q. Did you feel under any extra pressure today when you saw that there were two 5-under 67s on the board and knowing that the wind would probably pick up in the afternoon?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I was expecting the wind to pick up. You stand on the first tee, you see 5-under, you wish that was you, and then you've got 18 tough holes ahead of you. But I was telling myself not to worry about the score, just try to do the best I can. I mean, that's the key here. It either goes your way or it doesn't. Today it did go my way.
Q. Were you happy with the placement of your drive on 18?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 18, I would say was perfect. I just had a lob-wedge in. Yeah, like to have -- I'd like to be there on 18 every day, the rest of the week.
Q. How much club wind was there?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: In the beginning, I want to say it was almost two. But maybe on the last six holes, it went down to one. It seemed like the wind changed a little bit of direction. It was -- I thought it would be more into on 18; it was more to the side, maybe even helping.
Q. Did you hit driver off the 18th tee today, and how often did you hit driver off the tee today?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, today it was driver, just because it was helping a little bit. That means the bunker on left does not come into play as much. Yesterday in the Pro-Am, it was totally opposite and it was -- I could hit 4-wood just short of it. The wind plays such a factor, you go from 7-wood to driver to 4-iron on any day here, which makes this course really a lot of fun, because it's never the same.
NEAL REID: How many times did you hit driver today; do you remember?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Maybe five or six times.
Q. What was your score in the Pro-Am yesterday?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: My score or the team score? I shot 67 and I had my own ball yesterday.
NEAL REID: Let's go over your scorecard.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No. 3, I bogeyed that one. I hit driver to the left, chipped it out, hit it on the green and two putts; I was probably 20 feet.
Birdied No. 4. I hit 9-iron to 16 feet.
Birdie on 9. 9-iron to two feet.
11, I hit 4-wood pin-high on the left, chipped it up to about three feet.
No. 12, I birdied. I hit 9-iron to seven feet.
14, pitching wedge to three feet.
Bogey 15, in the bunker, I hit it out and I was way left. Hit it out, took one putt, four or five feet.
I birdied 17. I hit 7-wood on the green and made from 32 feet the birdie putt.
NEAL REID: 15 and 11, did you hit driver off the tee?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit 4-wood on both of them.
Q. Would you prefer it to blow for the rest of the week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I would.
Q. Why is that?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Like today but no less. Something between yesterday and today, if I could choose.
End of FastScripts....
