MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY AIG

June 8, 2003

Annika Sorenstam

MODERATOR: All right. Congratulations, Annika, very nice. Your first McDonald's LPGA Championship, fifth major, and now you have a 12 and 4 playoff record, so tell us how it feels.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's a wonderful feeling, really. Like I said out there on the green, this is what I wanted. I have been coming here for ten years and I have had a chance to win a few times, but never really put four rounds together, and here I am today with a really long day for all of us under these conditions, it was tough.

I mean, I had to work really hard, and the way Grace played today, I thought, was excellent, put pressure on me from the beginning and kept me on my toes, and it was really hard work, but, wow, it's worth it.

MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Annika, can you compare the emotion right now to the emotion after Colonial.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's a different feeling. I mean, this is -- I mean, winning is what it's all about. At Colonial it was the journey to winning, you know, that gave me -- I learned so much that week and what I said then, whatever it takes for me to win majors, and the Colonial I thought was a great experience, and who knows, maybe with all that pressure that I experienced then, that that's what helped me to pull through today, especially the up and down I had on 14, the bunker shot on 15 and 16. I mean, those are shots that I have been working really hard, and when I needed them, I hit them.

And earlier in the round I had a nice comfortable lead and didn't play very good at all, but then we come down the stretch when I felt the heat, I hit the shots that was crucial at those times.

Q. What were the key shots?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, coming down the stretch, up and down on 14 for sure. I hit my tee shot a little bit to the left and had a little tree trouble and decided to play to the right with my 6-iron, and couldn't take a full backswing but just kind of hit as hard as I could, and then I probably had a 40-yard chip shot, hit it to about 12 feet, made the putt there to save par.

And then 15 I hit a poor second shot, but hit a great sand shot, made par there.

And then on 16, again, I had quite a tough bunker shot, a little longer distance, but just hit it exactly the way I wanted it and had a tap-in for birdie, so I had some tough shots that I pulled off at a critical moment, which obviously I am very happy about.

Q. Annika, on 16 the crowd roared when Grace birdied 17. Did you hear that? Were you aware of it at all?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I heard the roar, I just didn't know who it was. There was a 33 percent chance that it was Grace, I guess. But I figured the way she has been playing all day, most likely it was her, so, you know, I had a good opportunity on 16, I felt like I had to do it, and, you know, then playing 18 was such a tough finishing hole, I hit 7-wood in there today and then she parred it so I knew what I had to do.

Q. I know it's different kind of pressure, but I wonder if you can compare the tee shot on 18 in regulation to the playoff, really, with the 10th tee at Colonial.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, Colonial wins by far. They were both important, all three were important, but I mean here I felt a little bit more in control. At Colonial I just don't know how I got the club back, but I got off the tee, then kind of miracle shot. Here I was -- I was in charge here.

Q. Do you think that helped you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, definitely.

Q. (Inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: The more -- well, for me, at least, the more I am under extreme pressure, the more I have to hit a certain shot under tough circumstances, the more I do it, the more comfortable I get, and hopefully the better I get. Those are the times that you remember, when you hit it when you have to, and, you know, I love that challenge. I mean, that's what it's all about, either today coming down the stretch in the shots or at Colonial on the first tee the first day, but just being in the situation, doing it over and over again is how you get better.

Q. Not to belabor it, but do you think that experience on Thursday gave you a more likelihood of hitting the right shot?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so, definitely. That is as much pressure as I have ever felt at Colonial. I don't think I could feel any more anywhere else at any other time. I mean, it was built up for so many months, all the people there, all the guys there from the PGA Tour watching, and then hit it down the middle, it doesn't get much tougher than that.

Q. Annika, any idea why you struggled with your putter earlier today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Any idea? Sometimes I have a hard time lining up, and then when my caddy started helping me I was hitting much better putts, and I think the confidence knowing that I am aimed where I wanted to.

Q. Annika, did you have any idea that she had only made par at 16, Grace?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I am sorry?

Q. There was no noise or anything after Grace made par at 16. Did you see that as a chance?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I had -- my husband was standing on the 16th hole and I looked over and he was kind of doing some sign, so I think I read him right.

Q. Were you following her all afternoon so you knew exactly what she was doing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I didn't start looking at the leader board until the back 9 because on the front 9 I was more worried about my own game, I was trying to just play a good round of golf, and my goal today was to improve from 7-under never thinking someone was going to catch me, but on the front 9 I just didn't play that well, so I had to be more concerned about my own game and so I didn't really look at the leader boards at all, but then on the back 9, coming down the stretch, you got to, I had to play more aggressive and I had to make birdie.

Q. Grace was obviously disappointed, is it just a matter of time for her in a major? You know, she wanted this very badly.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, definitely. I mean, Grace is a few years younger than I am. She is going to win majors for sure. She is very talented. I think she is one of the most promising players out here, and she has a great future ahead of herself. There is no doubt that she will win.

Q. Obviously, you have had a really long three weeks, and in particular this was a really long day for you. How did you hold up under that strain, and do you contribute it to your training that let you be strong throughout your round today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think the training helps, but, also, I wanted this so badly, and I had the chance today and I didn't want to let it go, nothing was going to stop me. You know, I felt like I can run a marathon when I was walking down the 18th, I had so much energy. You know, it wasn't the energy that I was lacking, it was just some of the short putts I wish I would have made early on, but I was patient, kept trying, and it worked.

Q. A couple holes late this morning, and especially on one in the final round where you putted and never looked up as the ball was going. Why were you doing that and then why did you stop doing that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I am not supposed to stop doing that. I am just trying to keep my head down. I have such a tendency to just -- I want to see where the ball is rolling so I lift my head too early, and that's something I am working on is to keep my head down. Sometimes I am good at it; sometimes I am not.

Q. Annika, you had a lot of extra security over there during this week. Obviously, your popularity has grown so much. Is this something you are going to have to deal with for a while or do you think it will be an event-by-event type situation?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it will probably be just different tournaments. I mean, this week in particular there is a lot of people here, the crowds are huge, and I think it was just a precaution from the LPGA just to be sure things will be smooth, and it was, but it was a great help.

Q. Annika, it was early in the round, but the putt you made on 6, was there any -- (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was. I mean, that's when I missed three short putts, and I told my caddy, "Help me line up, maybe it's the way I am lining the putter up." And it was -- the putt was the same putt, 10 feet, and it was a right-to-left break, and I told him the same -- at a certain spot, and I have a tendency to go left, and I lined up, and he said, "You are left." I was left edge when I wanted to be ball right, and he said, "You are left," so he set me up perfectly, and I hit it, I made it.

So I knew that's what it is, and for some reason I line up left most of the time, that's something I see, so with his help, it was important that time, especially that hole. It was crucial for me to turn it around then. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't made it?

Q. Annika, on the back 9, how would you rate your ball striking, and was fatigue starting to be a factor?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: My ball striking wasn't the greatest, but that's when my short game came in, so I am very thankful for that. I had a few shots to the left all day, actually even this morning, and I don't know why. Normally when I hit it thin it goes to the right, but all day I was hitting it solid left and that put me in trouble sometimes today.

Q. Annika, did it ever cross your mind that you might not win this year again?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, you can't have those thoughts. My caddy kept telling me, it's all right. And I said, you know, this is what we want. And it never crossed my mind. I never give up. And -- yeah, that's it, I guess.

Q. How do you rank this victory?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, this means a lot because I always felt like I could play here, and it wasn't until maybe last year when I put a really low score together that I really felt like I can do it here, and then the second round this week really proved it, so just looking at that trophy with all those names, prestigious players that have won this championship, I wanted to be on that list.

Q. It looked like before the final putt in the playoff maybe you were talking to yourself a little bit as you were walking to your ball.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I had maybe 2 or 3 feet, and I think I have had thousands of those putts on the putting green, saying this is for US Open, and this is for LPGA McDonald's Championship, and here it was, here was the putt that I practiced so many times, and so it was just -- that's what you dream about, a putt, and I make it. So it's just some things I have seen in the past that I have done, and it kind of was a flashback, if you know what I mean.

Q. Have you been learning to win week in and week out and learning to win a major? Grace was talking about her development, and the next step for her is to really (Inaudible). Was there a difference for you? Are there two levels?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think the majors is so emphasized for so many reasons, and when it's a major week for me, especially, then I try to prepare maybe a little more and I try a little harder, but then by the end of the week it's just another tournament and I have to -- I have to deal with that for so long.

And the last two years I am finally playing the way I normally do in other tournaments, and that's the key here, you got to be patient, and a lot of times I am trying so hard already on Thursday that I have shot a high score and then I have had to fight back, but the last two years I have been in contention many more times, and I have been right up there, and now I finally won another one.

Q. What's going through your mind as the tee shot is kind of sailing a little bit right on 18 in regulation?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, first my thought was, obviously, get down, I don't want to end up in the same place as I did on the second round, and, you know, it was so wet out there and the rough was so thick that you have to be in the short grass, and I just wanted to get in the short grass, I knew I could birdie or make a par from there. That's one of the reasons I hit a 4-wood, that I wouldn't reach the rough.

Q. What did you hit off the tee both times?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 4-wood.

Q. Annika, after Grace hits her second shot in the playoff, does that change anything from your approach shot?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I had a 6-iron in my hand and, I mean, it was playoff, I was just going to play aggressive, and when I saw her shot, the pin was in the middle, so I was aiming for the middle anyway, so I just thought I would go ahead and hit a good shot, and I hit it very solid and I knew it was up there somewhere, but it's never over until it's over, and the way Grace played today, I figured she was going to make her putt so I tried to make mine, as well.

Q. Were you thinking just, I want majors this year, or were you thinking Grand Slam?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Just winning majors. Last year I thought about Grand Slam because I won the Nabisco, but then after that I was putting too much pressure, I was thinking four instead of just one at a time. This year I tried at Nabisco, and then this week I was just looking at this week as one tournament that I wanted to win and not the whole picture, and not all of them together.

Q. How much do you kind of gear toward The British?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: One day at a time, I guess, but The British -- well, I have been very close at The British, I finished second three times, and that's obviously a tournament I would love to win, as well, and that would be a Grand Slam in itself, not in one year, but there are so many great players that have done that and I would love to be a part of that, as well.

Q. Annika, the way Grace made that run at you, on the back 9 especially, it's something you have probably done a number of times over the last couple years, but what does it take to pull something out like that, and what does it say about her to be able to do something like that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, to play that well on Sunday under these tough conditions, she plays so solid. I mean, she is a first class player in many ways, and she has won here just recently at Kingsmill, and that golf course reminds me a little bit of this one, it's a ball striking type of golf course, and she played well there, and then she showed it here again, so it was a very, very good play, I must say.

Q. Your second shot -- on 18, in regulation, your second shot, it looked like you weren't exactly sure where it landed. Were you worried at all?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I couldn't see, first of all, because it was starting to get -- I don't know if the word is foggy, but it was starting to get misty, I had plenty of club, 7-wood, I had 200 yards exactly to the flag, and it looked like it was turning with a nice little draw, but it never went to the flag, so I was a little confused where it was going, and that's why I was asking my caddy, "Did you see it?" And that was a crucial shot and I wanted to make sure it was all right.

Q. Annika, do you go to the tee for the playoff thinking you have got the advantage because of your experience in those situations?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I got a good playoff record, and I felt like the more holes we play, the better I will do. And I came straight off the 18th, I felt like Grace had waited a little bit just watching the score board for a while, maybe she got a little cold with the rain, so I felt like I was -- I had the momentum on my side.

Q. From Colonial to two straight wins, can you just maybe summarize, sitting here, how you feel about yourself after what you have done the last three weeks.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's been a busy three weeks, for sure. Well, I mean, things are really going my way, as well. I am obviously very pleased with that. I mean, this championship, I really wanted this championship, and last week was -- it was tough to get back from all the hoopla at Colonial, and then I played so solid there, and I was hoping that it wasn't -- that I wasn't just hot for one week, I wanted it to be another week, that it would continue to this week, because this is the week that has been a priority of mine since the beginning of the year.

So -- and when I came here and I played so well the second day here, you know, I was happy that I was still playing so good.

Q. What did Dean say when he called you (inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: He left a voice mail, and he just said, "You are playing well, good luck, and keep on going," and that was about it.

Q. Annika, what's your schedule for the next few weeks?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I am playing next week at the Giant Eagle, but right now, tonight I am heading back to Orlando for a few days, and then I am heading a little later up there, so I am going to take a few days' rest and let this sink in.

Q. (Inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Why? I haven't been there in a while.

Q. Aren't you tired?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I am tired.

Q. I would think after this whirlwind, three weeks plus a major, plus winning --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I got some obligations I have to take care of and it happens to be that week. So blame the agent.

Q. Oh, we will.

Do you know if you are going to play Atlantic City.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I am playing Atlantic City.

MODERATOR: Let's go ahead and do your score card.

(Score card.)

Q. Annika, after winning 13 times last year, is this just what you expected of yourself at this point, or do you still surprise yourself sometimes when you pull off a three-week stretch like this?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know if I surprise myself, but I guess I surprise myself that I have so much energy and that I keep on going. I am like the energy -- what do you call it, the bunny that just keeps on going.

Q. The energizer.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, the energizer. When I want something badly, I just keep on going. And I have said for a long time that I love what I do, and there is still some things I want to achieve, and when I get a chance, in particular, this week, when I am right there, it's right in front of me, I just don't want to let go, I just keep on going.

Q. When you say that the pressure you felt at Colonial is unlike anything you felt. A playoff in a major that you have never won before, is that as close as you can come without going back to the PGA Tour?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's different pressure. Like I said, I felt more like I was in control today. Colonial, I was just there, I was overwhelmed with everything, I was just there to learn and experience everything. Today I was here to play, I was here to perform, and, you know, I was relying on all the experience in all the different playoffs that I have had, the experience at the majors, everything that I could think of that I have done before, I needed that today.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, definitely.

Q. Are you ever afraid of failing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not in golf, no.

Q. At Colonial going in, wondering what might happen or whatnot (inaudible)? For example, you have got a fairly nice lead, and all of a sudden it's tight? What goes through your mind?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I am not nervous that I am not going to perform or that I am going to embarrass myself. By the end of the day, it's just a game, and I know that I work really hard, and if I don't make a putt or if I don't hit a shot exactly perfect, I get mad at myself for a short period of time, but then, hey, I worked so hard that -- I can't work any harder, so, you know, that's just the way it is. That's just the way I reacted at that particular time. I mean, I know I put in the work, so it's not like a practice, and I know it's not lack of concentration, it's just sometimes, you know, the body doesn't do maybe what I want at that particular time, but I know I can hit the shots and I always have that in the back of my mind.

Q. Annika, (Inaudible) starting from your childhood up to the success you have now, is there somebody you can say really turned you on to golf?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: My parents, they introduced me to the game, and my sister supported me early on. We both, obviously, played and practiced together, and then the last few years I got a great coach, Henry Reis, has been helping me to reach my goals, and the last few years I got a great husband that's very supportive, and then also I got a great guy on my bag, and I think put them all together, it's been a wonderful team and they have been very supportive.

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