KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 28, 2002

Annika Sorenstam

LAURA NEAL: I know you're happy to get in with 2-under and happy to get out of this weather. Just kind of tell us how things went today.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm very happy with my round today. I think I played some excellent golf, and as you know, it's quite windy out there. So the conditions were very, very tough, I thought. And also at the end, I mean we've been out there for five hours, and the wind was howling and I saw some lightning in the end. So I'm happy to be in and be under par.

Q. What happened on the last hole?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit my tee shot in the water and then I had a 5-footer for par and did a 360, so I had a bogey.

Yeah, I think I played excellent today. A lot of great drives, a lot of great iron shots and hit a lot of good putts. It was a great day for me. I'm happy with the way I played. I was very focused and very patient. Kind of the way I wanted to have a first day. The last few years, I've been a little too excited on Thursday, but today I was just calm.

You know, I was excited to be sure but I was just playing calm golf and not get too overexcited or pushing it or get too aggressive. Maybe because of the weather, it just helped me out, to be patient.

Q. The wind blew all day, from the time you teed off, but was there a point where it really started to affect your shots more or where the cold started to get to you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I thought the wind was tough all day. I mean, it was -- I was hitting some clubs that I haven't hit on this course in a while, and that was because of the wind. It was playing longer on certain holes. Some holes was playing shorter. So , I mean, the wind was a big factor from the first tee to the last putt.

Q. Did you alter your clubs today, did you leave a 7-wood in and take out an iron or anything?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No. I've got the same setup. I still have a 7-wood, and my next iron is like a mixture between a 3- and a 4-, which is the normal setup I have.

Q. Would it be a long, long time since you've hit a drive that far off-line at the 18th?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: On the 18th hole? I didn't hit a drive. I hit a 4-wood. It wasn't the distance was a problem; it was the direction.

Q. You saw lightning? When was that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I saw that, we were standing waiting to hit our third shot and I saw several little streaks in the background. And we were hoping that we would be able to finish. But it seems like they are still playing; so it must be moving some other direction. But it really felt close and I heard some thunder, too. Still scary. I don't like lightning.

LAURA NEAL: We'll go over your scorecard real quick.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Birdied No. 2. Sand wedge to six feet.

Bogeyed the fifth hole. Sand wedge, 2-putt.

Birdied 8. 6-iron to seven feet.

Birdied 11. 9-iron to 12 feet.

Birdied 13. 9-iron to 13 feet.

End of FastScripts....