ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 20, 2002

Annika Sorenstam

MODERATOR: Welcome, Annika.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thank you.

MODERATOR: This week you are going for your 11th win. Just start talking about how you feel coming into this week and we'll pass around the microphone.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Of course I am excited to come here. This is a special event for all of us. Limited field, top-30, so it is an elite field finishing out our season and in my case finishing a great season so I am very excited. A lot of things could be at stake this week so I am really looking forward to playing tomorrow I guess and we'll see what happens.

I am pretty happy the way I am playing. This is a good test, I think. You have got hit the ball really well, especially iron shots - kind of target golf, so -- we'll see what kind of conditions we'll get. Today was quite windy which makes the course a lot tougher. But I am definitely excited and get it going tomorrow.

Q. Assess your year. Karrie was in here yesterday, we were razzin her about that "I will eat my hat quote" she gave last year if you duplicate --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I remember that one.

Q. You remember that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I do. I have got a hat for her.

Q. She says she has got ketchup and salt. Did you realistically expect to even do better?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know if it was realistic, but definitely thought I could do it, in my mind I could do it. I felt last year that, you know, I was very close to playing my best golf but I still felt like I have room to improve, especially with my workout. I felt like I was just starting to get better. I felt like there was a lot of room for improvement and if I can start working out more and more regularly like I did, but with more time, I know I could do better. So in my mind I felt it was possible to improve last year. This year, I mean obviously I am -- I came in with a lot of confidence. I felt like I could play very relaxed in the sense that I felt so good about myself, about my game, I didn't feel any pressure.

How can you put pressure on a season when you win eight times? Pressure for me was not to win nine times or 10. It was just to go out and continue the way I have been -- well, my work ethic and the way I felt on the golf course which is more important to me. Just felt so comfortable. I didn't feel the pressure winning ten times or nine, that's why I think it happened this year.

Q. Confidence ever waiver at all this year?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not for long. (Laughs).

Q. Probably not more than a day or two?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No. Not more than a day.

Q. Did that ever happen before?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I mean this, year I felt so comfortable all year long. Like I said, I hit a bad shot, or I'd make a bad decision on what club, or might be a course that might not favor my game, but I have always figured: Hey, I can handle. It is just one mistake, or one mental error. I get it back on the next shot and I always have. So I guess I just never pushed -- put the pressure on myself that I was feeling stressed. I was just very comfortable and making good decisions and the caddie I got on my bag is great about that. We work really good together, and I think that has helped as well.

Q. Your performance obviously from start to finish was at a high level. I was wondering how much do you attribute that to (A) learning; how to schedule yourself, over the years and then (B), your attention to fitness maybe allowing you to stay fresh all year?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think both of those are big key factors for my consistency and my performance. It takes time to know your body and it takes time to get to know, you know, how many tournaments in a row can I play; when do I peak and when do I need to see my coach; do I peak at certain events. That just takes time. But fitness has really helped me. I think especially for consistency in my swing, I can come down to the ball more consistent. I think I have better muscle control and when I work with my coach now, it's easier to get to the position that he wants me to get to. Before maybe I wasn't as strong it could be in my hip or strong in my shoulder; now it's easier.

Q. Do you any other players, especially young players, ever come to you for advice in terms of either preparation for a golf tournament, or fitness?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: My friends do come. Not the players that I don't really know really well don't come and ask. But the close friends, they do come and ask.

Q. Do you see Tiger doing anything special to peak for majors physically or mentally and is it something that you might see that you might able to apply to your own game?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't really know Tiger's approach to his tournaments. I do watch him play, but I don't know how he prepares physically or mentally. But I do -- I mean, the majors that the guys play, I mean, they play similar courses, I mean, Augusta is the same which we have, I guess, Nabisco, but seems like they come back to courses more regularly that he might know the courses from his -- from the past. He can watch videotapes from Muirfield, you know, from many years ago. He can watch, you name it; I can see the difference there because we don't have that. Seems like we go to new places all the time, that -- I can't watch videotapes from Kansas. There hasn't been a tournament there, so forth. That could be the difference that he mentally prepares by watching videos.

Q. (Inaudible)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I try to prepare the best I can physically and mentally. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't work (laughs). I do my best. I always felt that I am as prepared as I could be.

Q. Sounds like it's still evolving. What is sort of your day-to-day workout regimen and are you still trying to get physically stronger? Are you still a work-in-progress and when do you feel you will hit your critical mass of muscle tone?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I am still working towards that. The guy that I work out with he told me that I reached 70% of my strength. I don't know how he measures that, but I guess he sees me everyday and how I am prove, and hopefully see my potential but --

Q. Speaking about the Vision 54, can you talk about how that has affected your success beyond just trying to birdie every hole, just how -- your outlook and just in general, how it's taking you to where you are?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: First of all, I believe that you got to think it is possible in your mind to be able to go out and do it and Vision 54 is like you said, it's to birdie every hole, and I really believe that. And if you got to play a course knowing in your mind that I can birdie this hole; I can birdie this one, I think that makes it -- it's going to be easier if you are mentally prepared to do it.

Q. Playing a tournament like this where just the 30 top money winners and so forth, does that kind of motivate you a little more knowing that you know that these are the best, the top-30 out there and this week you prove that you are the best kind of like in different weeks where kind of anybody can come up, you guys separate the rest this week from everyone else?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well you know it's going to be a tough field because everybody is here and you know you have got to play your best to be in contention on Sunday. So that just -- obviously you have got to be ready to play, and this is the final event. I think I look at that more than just looking at the field. I know I have got play the best to be here. But I always want to do it for, you know, for the scoring average. I want to play well, have a chance to lower that and also finish up the season well.

Q. What is your body mass index?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have no idea.

Q. In your career you have missed 8 cuts - four in your rookie year; since then only four and they are all majors. I am wondering is this going to be one of your goals for 2003, are you going to overcome the pressure you felt at majors or gearing up for majors differently?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah and -- I hope so for 2003. That was also one of my goals this year was to perform better in the majors. I think I did pretty good that's how I came to the British, finished first, second and third, that's my best major record in my career. I think I improved a little bit there. But it is definitely one of my goals next year to do better in the majors.

Q. Would you entertain a foolish hypothetical question?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have seen you all day.

Q. I didn't ask you this one. Given the level of excellence that you consistently achieved this year, stupid hypothetical question, where would you have finished on the PGA TOUR money list?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I looked at that not too long ago -- Top-10.

Q. Top-10?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, if I can count my 2.6 something million, yes.

Q. Let's say you were actually playing in their events?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Laughs) Well purses are higher, but obviously competition is a little different. It's tough to say. I mean --

Q. What I am getting at is, you can obviously play with a certain level of the male players, that's clear. I was wondering if you ever thought about how high up you actually might reach in that hierarchy?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I have not. It's just speculating. There are courses I can play that they play but there's courses that I mean, I can play, but I wouldn't have a chance when it's -- it's very long, very wide. I mean, give me a short tight golf course I can compete.

Q. I don't know if you have been asked this before, but what do you think about Suzy Whaley and what would you do if you were in her shoes? You know what I am talking about?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I know what you are talking about.

Q. There seems to be some thought that (inaudible) add to the perception of women's golf if she shoots 90 on a men's course, what do you do if you are her?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know her at all and I don't know how she plays. She played that qualifying for some reason, so if you do qualify, you should play. She doesn't play out here regularly, so I can't compare her game to the way we play out here, but I mean this is the best women golfers in the world. Obviously seems like she's playing good golf. If I were her, like I said, if you went there to qualify and made it, I would play.

Q. I know Henry has been here all week and you guys are probably already talking about next year - you are always trying to figure out what you need to improve in. What is the off-season focus going to be? It has been short game here for a couple of years now, and what -- where do you see room for improvement even after 12 worldwide wins or whatever it is?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I still think I need to improve my short game and one of the stats that I don't think I am very proud is probably my sand saves, my bunker shots, and that's something we keep on working and it seems like I find it and then it just goes away a little bit. I learn to adjust to different type of sand and be able to read the lie in the sand better. I think I just grab my sand wedge and I hit a regular shot - sometimes it might be just on the thickness of the sand so forth. That's something I have got work on there.

I want to be able to work the ball a little better, a little more if I need to. Today I am trying to hit the ball as straight as I can. I think it would help me if I could move the ball a little more.

Q. How much of your mental game, your attitude approach is due to Pia and what did you most get from her?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Pia has just helped me to be myself and to think logical on the golf course, but mostly to trust myself and my instincts, you know, I don't go -- I don't see a mental coach. I never really have. I have read a few books, but they haven't really done me any good. So it is just talking to her and she's been out watching me play - this is years ago - but I think -- I like to ask questions and when I ask questions I learn a lot about that. And I think most of all that I trust the way I think on the golf course.

Q. (Inaudible)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Like I said, the top-30, this is kind of the final of the whole season so you really earned your way into this tournament, so it's definitely a tournament I look forward to.

Q. Karrie was in here yesterday and she was talking about ten wins and how she'd like to win ten but she'd like to do it her way and the inference was without working as hard as you do because I think she feels like you sacrifice things that maybe you miss out on, smelling the roses or whatever that is. Do you feel like is something you are doing right now while you are at your peak and you are going to give it 100% and decompress at a later date?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Totally. It takes a lot of hard work. You are sacrificing, I mean, I live for golf and luckily I am married to a guy that accepts that and supports me so that makes -- that helps. But I have always said I am not going to play golf forever so therefore, for me this is not really sacrificing, this is -- right now this is my life and golf is my life. And I want to do this now when I can and when I have a chance to do it. Who knows how long this will last. I want to enjoy the ride as long as I can until my body breaks down or mentally I have had enough.

Q. Do you think it will reach a point where mentally you have had enough or do you think when you have proven -- (inaudible) --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Probably the last one when I have proven that I have had enough and I have done enough.

Q. What will that take? What is out there to do that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: We talked about earlier, the majors. I have won 41 times but I have only had four majors. I have always said I'd like to win the British Open - coming from Europe British Open means so much to me. I have finished second three times, and I want to win that one badly.

Q. (Inaudible)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Definitely, I was so prepared. I worked with my coach for four days before, we played different links courses, I was as ready as you can be and Monday in the practice round made eight birdies on a very difficult golf course. I was thinking Sunday before Thursday came and I think that just, you know, I just get too excited and know that I am playing so well that I just forget to play.

Q. What about other goals in your life and you know, when you see Carin Koch and her with their boy and their family does that creep into your thinking about your long-term goals and how long you want to stay this single-minded and --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Definitely. It's part of the future. But I can only do so much. And when I do something I want to do it 100%, and I mean, I admire Carin for the -- first of all, the way she is playing and also the way she's handling her family, I don't know how she does it. But therefore I just want to focus on my game and do the best I can now. Hopefully one day I will have time for all the other things I want to do.

Q. It's going to be something like 20 South Koreans on the Tour next year. They have now passed the Australians and they have way passed the Swedes. What was -- I assume you went over there and played the Tour stop a couple of weeks ago?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes.

Q. How are they treated over there? How crazy are they about their sport? I heard Se Ri had a bodyguard - it was almost rock-star status. Why do you think it's gotten so big so fast over there and we are getting such a steady stream of talented players?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: First of all, the success that the Korean players have over here. It's obvious over there they love Se Ri, Grace Park, Mi Hyun Kim - you name it they are very, very popular. And it was a little crazy when we were over there. I have never seen so many photographers, so many, I mean, so many people, and yeah, she had a bodyguard and it was needed. It's a totally different culture, but they still love the game and we played on Sunday, I mean, I don't think it got about 40 degrees. It was pretty much raining all day long and there were people out there watching, and I remember I played with Carin I said would you come out and watch golf today like this. She said there's no way. And you know, so I thought that was great for the support that they showed. I think it's just going to grow more and more and that's thanks to Se Ri and the others.

Q. Who do you think the next person to break through will be, do you have any thoughts on that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: What do you mean breakthrough?

Q. Next player -- I know you probably don't know all of the young rookies coming on, but who is out there with you right now who you think has the game who might be the next player to break through like you and Karrie did years ago?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's tough to single anybody out but I think Se Ri gets left out many times. I think she's a terrific player. She's second on the money list. And I mean, she should get more credit. Breakthrough could mean somebody who is a rookie who wins a tournament, but it could also mean somebody, to me, like Se Ri might just break through and win 8, 9 times a year, depends on how you look at it. I think Beth Bauer is a very good player - one of the young ones, a lot of potential. Lorena Ochoa is my favorite. I think she's a fantastic player. I love the way she plays. I love her attitude. I think she's going to be great out here on this Tour.

Q. I was thinking maybe a Vicky Goetz-Ackerman someone who played very well had a tough time coming out. Once again had a pretty good year.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I mean, Vicky has been around for several years. I played amateur golf against her. I think she's been on Tour pretty much as long as I have. If she wins one tournament - is that what you mean by breakthrough?

I think there are other players, like I said, Beth Bauer, somebody like her is going to climb up on the money list and win tournaments.

Q. They are fixing in a couple of hours to announce that they are going to bring this back here next year. Your thoughts on this golf course and the importance of at least having one tournament in the state of Florida 2003?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would love to see this tournament back for many reasons; one is, you said Florida. I mean, it's great for golf. We have so many courses. I think this facility is a great facility for a player, good golf course. The hospitality from Mr. Trump, I think he puts a lot of class in this event and I'd love to see it back.

Q. (Inaudible) If you were to stop playing now, would you look at your career and say I won 41 times and 4 majors, or 41 times and only 4 majors? See that as a negative or ---

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I don't see it as a negative. It would be a negative if you said 41 wins and no majors. But I mean ---

Q. (Inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have won four times, and to me the U.S. Open is the biggest tournament we have for women and I won it twice. Nabisco is my favorite golf course, Mission Hills, my favorite golf course where the field is probably as good as it gets and I won there twice. So no, I don't see it as a negative. But it would make it great if I had more majors in it.

Q. When you make impact what are you looking at?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have no idea. It's not the ball, I know that.

Q. Is it much like David Duval's swing? Is he doing pretty much the same thing with the head coming up?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I know his swing. He moves the head forward, I know that, but I haven't seen it in slow motion, but it's probably a very similar move.

Q. (Inaudible) how did that develop? On your own?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Started as a drill probably twelve years ago at least. I have been a professional for nine, so might be even 14 years ago because I had a tendency to stay back on my right foot and Henry, my coach, told me to move my head with my (inaudible) therefore I cleared it and finished better on my left side.

Q. When you got to Arizona did anyone ever try and talk you away from that movement, that head movement?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, but my coach at the time said she hated my swing.

Q. (Inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Freshman at UV. My first day of qualifying just before I went out to the tee, I never forget.

Q. She hated your swing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah.

Q. And you said?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I went out and I was 4-under on the front nine - that, I know.

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