U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 1, 2003

Annika Sorenstam

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, we're happy to welcome to our press conferences, Annika Sorenstam, a two-time U.S. women's Open Champion, who is at the top of her game again this year.

First, starting out, so many of us were so thrilled at your performance at Colonial. Was there anything you learned competing there that you've tried to since incorporate into your game.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think I learned a lot of things. Well, first of all just to be there and see how the guys approach their practice, how they play the golf course, and just their attitude to golf and so forth. But then all those people that were watching, I felt a lot of pressure, and just playing really difficult golf course. I think if you put all those things together, that's what I experience at majors. And I figure the more I can do that, hopefully the better I get, and I can perform better, and it's majors that I want to win. So I didn't mind all the pressure. I thought the more I do it, the more I can handle it better.

RHONDA GLENN: You certainly proved you could at the LPGA Championship.

Q. Annika, this course is less than a dozen years old, already it's hosting its 5th USGA Championship, what makes this course so special?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Today playing I thought every hole has its own character. It's a beautiful scenery, and it's in great shape. It's a very fair golf course. But most of all you have to hit the shots here. This year it's playing longer, but you have to work the ball off the tees, and you hit a lot of different shots. I think it's a great golf course. It's very fair, but also very tough.

Q. Will it identify the best player?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Definitely.

Q. With all the notoriety that you've gotten since playing Colonial, do you see yourself potentially playing in another men's event in the PGA Tour?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I'm not going to do it again, and for the reason that I achieved what I wanted to achieve. I tested myself. I had a great time, and to be honest, it turned out better than I thought it would. And if I do it again, it wouldn't be the same. And I want to remember the Colonial the way it was, the way it turned out. It was fabulous.

RHONDA GLENN: Have you been in touch with either of the two players you played with.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Dean and Aaron? I've actually kept in touch with Dean quite a bit on the phone and E-mail. I haven't heard from Aaron, but those guys were great.

Q. Can you talk about your experience here, you missed the cut at a Women's Open here, what's different about you now as compared to that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, my experience here in '97 was a short one, not the one that I would like to remember, but it was a little different situation in '97, coming here, I had a chance for a three-peat, which nobody else had done. I think coming here I just couldn't handle the pressure. And it was early in my career. Today I feel -- obviously I feel six years older, I feel a little more mature, and I think my game has changed quite a bit. And I've experienced a lot since then, and I think if I was three-peating this year, I think I would do better.

Q. You went I think four years without a major after Pumpkin Ridge, did that have any kind of long lasting effect, the build-up to that, do you think?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I never really looked at it that way. But I do know that after winning the Open in '95 and '96, it just came kind of easy for two years. And I said, oh, I can do this. And then when it was time for a major, I think that I put a lot of pressure on myself knowing that I can win. No. 2 is I was thinking about Sunday, when it was Thursday. So it was like I was in my own way for a long time, and it took a while until I started to analyze and realize what was happening. The last few years I've come to the conclusion I've just got to play golf. I've got to take one day at a time and one shot at a time. And since then I've done so much better in majors.

Q. Secondly, what memories did you have driving through the gates here, and do you feel like you owe this place one?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I remember the triple on No. 9, which is not the memory you want to have. You're supposed to have positive thoughts. But that hole has been haunting me for a while. So my goal is to improve on that hole, for sure.

Q. Do you owe this place one?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so.

RHONDA GLENN: When you played No. 9 today, what did you make on the hole.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I didn't score today, but I hit the green in two. So I didn't see the weeds on the right.

Q. You like to cook, and I have a question if you've ever fixed lutefisk for your husband, and if you did, what did he do to deserve that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would never serve that to him. It's a Swedish old tradition that I never really cared for, to be honest.

Q. Tell us a little bit about this golf course. That's the key to it. We've been here before, and we know you've had problems here before. But you've got 84 bunkers out there and 5 water holes. What are the toughest holes on this golf course?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I haven't counted all the bunkers, but you have, so -- Well, it's a tough course, really, from tee-to-green. The fairways I think are quite narrow. You've got to be able to work the ball off the tee, there's certain holes where in my particular case I'm not going to hit driver, I hit 4-wood 7 times just to play smart off the tee. The greens are small, two par-5s are really long, and very narrow in the layup areas. It's really a good course from tee-to-green, I think. You've got to strike the ball well and you have to be accurate with your irons.

Q. One other question, tell me about the winds out there. They tell me they have swirling winds that can cause all kinds of problems. And what about the USGA's rough this time?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think the rough is good, good length. When it comes to the wind, I don't really know, sir, because it wasn't windy today. I hope I don't get stuck in one of those swirls.

Q. You talked about the lessons you learned at the Colonial. Can you give an example or two of how you called on that experience in the tournaments you've played since then?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think just overall just -- I mean I worked so much on my short game to prepare for the Colonial but also for the Majors, and I really tested myself there. And I think coming to Chicago -- I mean I felt more mature with everything and also a little more relieved, because the Colonial was over, and I knew I'd practice and eventually would see the results. And it came my way in Chicago, and then at McDonald's, which is the tournament I wanted to win for so long, it just all came together. And the Colonial just made me more mature player, and that's one factor where I've played so well.

Q. What, if anything, have you picked up in the way of endorsement opportunities since Colonial?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Nothing, as of now.

Q. How has your life changed since then, just in terms of demands on your time?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That has changed. I've been very busy since January for different reasons. And a lot of people recognize me more. Especially if I leave the golf course, and maybe go to the grocery store or restaurants and so forth. So I feel like people recognize my face.

Q. You said you had no new endorsements. Is that because you've gotten offers and have decided not to take them or just no offers?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm associated with a lot of companies already, and I take it one step at a time. And we'll see what happens. Right now I'm just trying to focus on my game, and I wanted to win tournaments. That's the most important thing for me at this time.

Q. What are those goals, both for this year, and the future, what particular records are you after?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I want to win majors. I've won 45 times on the LPGA. I've never won the British Open, and it's been a long time since I won this championship. So there's several tournaments I want to win, And there are other goals. One of them is just to improve as a player. I have not reached my peak yet, and I know that. I'm trying to work towards that and get better.

Q. In terms of toughness, what is the difference between the toughness of McDonald's and the toughness of here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think at McDonald's, some of the greens are maybe a little trickier, more undulations, but the holes are more straight forward. Here I think there's a few more doglegs. You've got to place the shots a little better off the tees, and there's more bunkers that come into playoff the tee. So I think the tee shot here is a little more trickier than at McDonald's.

Q. If you ask people to win one major, they cite this one. Do you feel the same, and if so, why?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say the same, just because -- well, you have the U.S. Open in all kinds of sports. And growing up I was a tennis player, and I wanted to win the U.S. Open in that sport. And when I stopped playing tennis, then I wanted to win it in golf. This is a tournament that I think people know all around the world. And I've always felt like this is the biggest championship. We always play the toughest golf course. And as a little kid I would practice putt at home, and I would always say, "This is to win the U.S. Open." I never said, for another tournament, it was the U.S. Open that came to my mind.

Q. The Du Maurier?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I never said the Du Maurier. As a little kid, this is the biggest tournament in any sport, that's the way I felt.

Q. You've gone on record saying that you want to be a mother one day, right, is that correct?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I said probably I wanted to start a family.

Q. Given that desire and what effect it might have on your career, what can you say about Juli Inkster and what she's been able to accomplish both in having the family at home and coming out and being defending champion at the U.S. Open at her age?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's very impressive in many ways. I respect Juli a lot, not just for her golf and her achievements on the course, but her situation at home, to raise two children, and then she's got a great husband, that's a lot of work. And to still be competitive, and that's just something that I don't think I can handle, and something I don't want to do. I'd like to focus on golf right now, and give it a hundred percent, and one day I'll give a hundred percent to something else.

Q. You connected so well with the fans at the Colonial, and you seem so comfortable doing it, is it true that you used to finish second so that you didn't have to give a victory speech? And could you speak about how you've grown as a person in that regard?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It is true what you said, but that was many years ago as a little kid at home, because I just didn't feel comfortable around people, and especially not -- just like here, in front of people, I always wanted my golf clubs to do all the talking. But since I won the Open in '95 a lot of things have changed. And I think I've just -- again, the more you do it, hopefully the better you get. And I just feel more comfortable. I always felt like I had to be so perfect in my victory speech or in my interviews; that I was afraid that I would screw up. But I think it is okay, because golf is what I do the best and I make a few bogeys up here on stage, but I can deal with that.

Q. Looking back at Colonial, like you say, it was such a singular experience, I'm trying to get a sense for your mental approach going into other tournaments now, do you just completely divorce yourself of Colonial, just the sensations that you have?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I try to just look forward right now and not think about the past. But the Colonial was just -- was the ultimate that I think I would ever feel and experience. But I know inside it's going to help me in future tournaments, so I don't want to forget about it. But again the pressure that I felt on that tee, the 10th tee, which was my first tee that day, it was incredible. And how I was able to take the club back, I don't know. But at McDonald's I was thinking about that. How could you hit the fairway at Colonial, you should be able to hit it today, here. So certain things do come back in my mind from that event.

Q. How much competitive golf did you play when you were 13, and can you look at the girls today and think maybe -- do you get fearful that they may be playing too much?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I started playing golf when I was 12. And I think the competition I played then was probably just at the club level, junior tournaments. So first of all it's tough for me to relate to all these young players that are out here, but I think it's great that they're doing so well at such an early age, because first of all they are our future. And to see them, I think that's wonderful for women's golf. I'm happy to see them all here and do so well. I think some players mature early, some players mature late. It's tough to say if it's too early to play in this big championship. But also that's how you learn, you play with the big players and hopefully you have a good time and experience something you want to and remember that when you get older, because that's what it's all about.

Q. Do you think your place in the history of golf should be injured on your record in the Majors or on your total performances?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say total performance, because we only play four majors a year, but I know majors is what a lot of people look at. A lot of the majors have more history, because we've been playing them for so many years. You know, I don't really think about those type of things. I mean what matters to me is playing good golf, and achieving my goals, becoming a better player. I'm sure a lot of people have different opinions about my career, but I'm very happy with mine.

Q. You had a final round lead going into the Open last year, and Juli putted great, she overtook you. You said you weren't too disappointed that day. When you look back, did you wish you had been more aggressive Sunday, and are you more aggressive now because of everything that happened since then?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No. I was disappointed that day, and I think I feel the same way. She out-played me. I always felt if I played the best I can, that's all I can do. So that just maybe gets me a little fired up for this year, but I have no regrets about the way I played Sunday. Actually I thought I played really, really well all week. I thought I did what I had to do. But, again, I enjoyed that whole week, finishing second is not my goal, but the experience, itself, was wonderful.

Q. You're in the public eye so often now, how does your behavior -- do you think about your behavior and how you act as far as attracting younger kids. It seems like since you've been to Colonial, a lot of kids have gotten interested in the LPGA Tour?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think that's great if that's true. If I'm the role model to anybody, that's flattering, and I would love for other kids to start playing the game. Because first of all I love what I do, and as a kid I looked up to other players. So I think it's very important to have role models and so forth. If more kids come out this week or any other week, I think that's wonderful, too.

Q. There's 12 teenagers competing in the Open this week, and most notably Wie, of course. What advice would you give them as they continue to mature? Like you said, they mature at different levels, but what advice would you give to them?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Have fun this week, and enjoy the whole experience. And look at other players, see what they do. If they learn one thing from this week, I think that's what it's all about, get better every single year. There's no hurry to get out here, but to play the Open is a special tournament. And if you get a chance to do it every year, I would love to take that.

Q. Michelle Wie is going to be following in your footsteps later this summer when she plays in a couple of men's events, a Nationwide Tour Event, a Canadian Tour event, what advice would you give to her in those situations?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hope she had a good time, just like I did at Colonial. And I think Michelle is going to do really well. She's obviously very talented, she's proven that, and I think she has a wonderful future ahead of herself. But I recommend she just play those two and have a good time. She has an incredible future ahead of her, so it's fun to see.

Q. The winning score in '97 was 10-under. Is that realistic this time, based on what you've seen, and do you set a target score when you come into a tournament like this?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'd love to be 10-under by Sunday. Yeah, it's always realistic, of course. I do think this course is a little longer this year and it plays a little tougher. But it's very possible.

Q. I think you and Juli and Se Ri and Karrie have won 16 of the last 20 or 21 majors, do you have an explanation for that? Does that mean you guys are that good?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think -- I don't have an explanation, but I do think that to win a major you've got to have all type of shots. You've got to drive the ball I think fairly long. You've got to be a good iron player. And you've got to have a good short game. I can if you look at the money list the last whatever those years, four or five years, I think all of us have been up there, consistently. So it's tough to win, I believe, just one major, just like that. I think you need the experience with winning other tournaments and then you've got to have a certain game to win majors. So I don't know if that's really an explanation, but that's the way I look at it.

Q. You've had a lot of demands placed on your time obviously before and after Colonial, but you've continued to play a lot. You haven't taken much time off. How difficult has that been? And I also wanted to ask you, you're appearing next week in Vancouver at the Canadian Women's Open, what do you remember about playing in that city in '92, in a World Team Amateur?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I remember a lot of things. We played at Marine Drive, and I played really well. So I remember that year and that tournament. But you're right, I have not had as much rest the last few months. It's been a very busy year so far, and I need a little rest. But this is the week that I look forward to. I feel like I'm playing as good as I can right now. I'm trying to reserve some energy and give it all I've got this week. So I try not to think about all the things I've done, I just want to be ready to play.

Q. Two goals, I think, have you right now, am I right when I say your two major goals right now are winning the United States Open and the British Open?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You're right, that's right.

Q. Do you want to elucidate on that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's correct. I want to win them both.

RHONDA GLENN: How much do you want to win?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: They're way up on my priority list, let's put it that way. When I come to tournaments, I want to win, and that's why I'm here.

Q. Back in '97 we were all writing the story that you were head and shoulders above everybody else because you'd won two Opens and you were coming into this one as a dominant player. Could you have envisioned six years later you would be as much better as you are, as opposed to '97? Did you see your curve going up that high that you'd be as good a player as you are right now?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I don't think so, but I've always felt like -- I try to figure out my weaknesses, and I always try to work on them and get better. But it's tough to say how much better can I get, because at that time I was winning still a lot of tournaments. But I do believe that the last few years, I've been able to focus more on what I really have to get better at, and my motivation is still there, if not more, so I'm very driven to get better. And the last two years I've started to work out, and I've seen some tremendous results there. But, yeah, I've got to admit that I think I've improved much more than I really expected, and especially because when I came out here I didn't know if I could win a single tournament.

Q. There were some concerns that your appearance at Colonial might be detrimental to the LPGA. What's been your sense of how it's affected the LPGA?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I never thought that it would be bad for the Tour, but I think now looking back at it I thought it was great for the Tour. I thought it was great for women's golf, and even golf in general. It seemed like a lot of people that didn't even play golf were watching, because they were wondering who is this player, and what is she doing. So I think there was an interest from all kinds of people, and I think that's just good for the game.

Q. When you first came out, how much did your first victory do for you, and how key is that to a player who's just maybe been on Tour for a little while in terms of feeling like they belong out here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, obviously your first victory is probably the one you remember the most. In my particular case it turned out to be the biggest in my eyes. So a lot of things changed at that time. But that breakthrough that I had winning that event, after that I mean I think I won -- I won several tournaments that year. So I guess first of all I got a lot of confidence and I trusted myself. And that's what golf is all about, is the confidence. It's not like my game was suddenly from one week to another that it got that much better, it's just that I believed in myself.

Q. When you did play tennis and golf as a kid, did you ever remember being burned out at all?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, that's why I quit tennis. I quit when I was 16, and that's why I picked up golf. I did play golf earlier, but, no, I couldn't stand tennis for a while.

Q. Why?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Too much and too early. I started when I was five. And tennis is a very physical sport, and when you're ten, and at the time I probably practiced five days a week, I didn't want to do that for that long. I had other interests, school, guys, you name it, there was a lot of things I wanted to do.

Q. You've played with Michelle at Nabisco, and we've been hearing about her a while. But when you hear a number like 11 teenagers in this field, does that surprise you and what does that tell you about girls' golf and women's golf at that point?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It does surprise me, but I think it would tell everyone that women's golf is strong, and there is a lot of good players out there, and even at young age now they're very good to be able to play in the Open. Like I said, this is the future, and we should all welcome them, because I think it's great.

RHONDA GLENN: Annika, thank you so much. We wish you good luck this week, have a wonderful championship.

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