TYCO/ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 14, 2001

Annika Sorenstam

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I met Mr. Trump last night for the first time. What a nice guy. We had a great time today. I actually think I met someone that's more competitive than myself. So we had a good time today. Great hosts, he's a very nice man.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm ready for the year to end, but I'm going to give everything this week. I mean, I'm going to play well here. I still have some goals to achieve, and, you know, I know I can do it this week. I am going to be tired by Sunday. I'm really looking forward to a great -- I'm going to have a chance to enjoy the year a little bit. It's been nonstop since February. So I'd like to be able to sit down and think back about the year and enjoy it also.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I know there's some records out there that I still have a chance to break. And, you know, I still have had a great season, whatever happens this week. But when you climb this far, one more step would make it really a memorable year.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, it's not. It's effort. (Inaudible). Actually, my dad has. He's a computer wiz. He says 281, so we'll see. Or better.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, that's better. Or easier, whatever (laughing).

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, this one. By far.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, for many reasons. Obviously, one is I've had the lowest score ever in women's competition. Number two is to break 60. I mean, there's only a few guys that have done that. I've always talked about shooting 54, and people have not really laughed at me, but they said, "That's not possible." I didn't shoot 54, but it's closer. It shows you can birdie every day. I had 13 birdies that day and a few lipouts. That was a day and a round I'll never forget.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: In some ways, yes. But in other ways, you know, I've set really high goals for myself. I mean, this was the year that I decided to give everything, and I've got a lot of things back. I mean, I wanted to be the best player out here. I have achieved that - for at least a little while. But I felt like that's what I had to do. I had to win a bunch of tournaments to have a chance to beat Karrie and all the other players out here. It's so competitive every week that you have to win so many events just to have a chance.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm not going to retire; let's put it that way. I'm going to enjoy my time off and, you know, a year like this makes you really appreciate what you do. But also, I mean, I've had a great year. I had a fun year. So, I mean, I want to continue this and see how long I can do it. It takes a lot of hard work. I know Karrie and the other players are going to go home and practice this winter. They're not going to give it to me. So I have to continue on this level and keep working hard and try to get better.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's the hard part, yeah.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I mean, I got off to such a great start, you know, winning four tournaments in a row, shooting 59. I was exhausted in April. That's just the beginning. That's when we started all our big tournaments, you know, The US Open, McDonald's, Evian. I mean, you name it. I was tired. I was trying to keep going at the same pace, and if I didn't shoot in the 60s, it was a bad day. Sometimes you got to keep the right perspective. Just because you got off to such a good start, it's going to be tough to keep that up.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I took a few weeks off and just kind of put the pressure to the side and just tried to play golf again. You know, when you're off to such a good start, I felt like I could win every week. When I didn't, I got down on myself. It's a tough thing to keep going. Then at the British, I got the energy back and I played really good since then.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I haven't. I could get used to this. This is really a first-class event, staying in a five-star hotel. They're treating you really well here. The food is good, great golf course. I hope we can stay here every year. This would be a great finish to the season. So far, so good.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Laughing). Maybe. It probably is a little bit. But I have a strong will and when I decide to do something, I mean, I'm very determined. I do pretty much whatever it takes to achieve my goals. That's what I figured I had to do. I had to get in good shape, have better short swings, a more precise swing. Here I am.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A combination of the two. Mostly it was because I finished fourth on the money list in '99, and I think I had a good year in 2000. I won five times. But Karrie had an outstanding year that year. I felt I still had more to give. I didn't feel like I was playing at my top or my best. So I figured, you know, there's still more.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, my parents have always encouraged me to, first of all, do what I want to do. My dad told me once that there were no shortcuts. If I wanted to achieve something, you just got to work. I remember that day he told me that. It was raining outside. I called him and asked him to pick me up. He picked me up but on the way home he said, "You know, there are no shortcuts to being good." That's what he said. I knew what he meant. It's something I remembered.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I was 15 and living at home in Sweden.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, (inaudible) but there were some others still out there. He didn't mind picking me up. But if I wanted to be good, I had to keep practicing. So...

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't do nine million sit-ups (laughing). Yeah, I do a lot of crunches. I'm still going to try and get better. It's tough to work out as much on the road I think. It's finding different gyms and so forth. So when you're home at one place, I find it easier to work out, you know, have a regular routine.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah. I ride the bike, I run, I swim. I like to do a lot of things just for variety. So it gets not too boring.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Three miles.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A few.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's just the way my teacher taught me. I worked with the same guy for so many years. This is just the way I swing. I might not be the longest hitter out here, but I try to repeat my swing the same way all the time. It's just the way it is. I can't really explain why it looks effortless, but when I'm swinging well, that's what it feels like - I'm doing nothing. It feels like I'm rotating and the ball gets in the way.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Inaudible) when I work with my instructor, it's more fine-tuning. We had a lot of hard work probably six years ago. I mean, I think I've come that far now that I don't want to re-do my swing. I mean, I know it works. It's more just being able to repeat it all the time under different conditions, you know, under windy conditions. I find it very tough to play on hilly courses. That's when I need to really trust my swing, and that's what we work a lot on.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It varies.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, slow, low take-away. (Inaudible). I don't think I had any shots that day.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think that every week. But, you know, it's a great field every week, too. But I have a lot of confidence in my own game. I know what I can do. Some weeks it happens; some weeks it doesn't.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I've always felt that.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'd like to play more consistently throughout the season. I mean, I started off so good. And my goal next year is to see if I can start the same way and be able to keep that up. You know, my swing kind of left me a few weeks, but then my short game kept me up. I think if I can be more consistent hitting the ball, I think that would help. I mean, this year my short game has helped me out tremendously. I mean, this is my best putting year. This is my best chipping year ever.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know how many more hours, but the whole winter I did putts.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah. I think I hit as many balls; I love hitting balls. But I added maybe an hour to my putting. I mean, that's what I needed to do - repeat my stroke. I needed to see the ball go in the hole and get the confidence - because that's been my weakest part of my game, is not seeing the ball go in the hole. But this year I have, and this has helped me a lot.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm a saver. I'm like a little hamster. You know, who knows how long I can play this game. I'm healthy today, and I love the game. But, you know, I have many years ahead of myself. I do buy things that I need, but, you know, one day I'd like to feel like I don't have to do anything. I want to be able to take care of my family and, you know, my parents and my sister. I don't want to have that pressure.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Sometimes (laughing).

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I did a lot of short putts, which has been my strength this year. Last year, '99, I missed a lot of short putts. I just couldn't see a 3-footer going in. I started a routine this year, my putting, the way I warm up. I start with my right hand, then I go over to two hands, then I put up different tees. I do that every day, whether it's practice or tournaments, whatever. I keep to the same routine, and I think that has helped me to feel comfortable with my putting, knowing what I'm going to do. I do the same thing. It works.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, very much. Yes.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Laughing). You should ask my husband. He would know. But, no, I have routines and it makes me feel comfortable with life I guess. I like to plan things, and I like to be organized.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm going to go skiing some time in January, just relax. I'm not going to touch a club for a while. I think that would be important, just to relax. I want to work out and enjoy life a little bit. You know, go out with friends and do the things that you can't do as much when you're on the road.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, pretty much stay the same.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm planning to go to Australia, yeah, so that would be February.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, to be honest, I didn't think about 59 on the front nine at all.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I was just thinking one hole at a time. I actually told my caddie, I said, "I need to par No. 9 because I am so nervous."

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, when I birdied the 10th hole, which put me 9-under.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I was just kind of focused on the next shot, you know, because that's what I had to do. I had to play. I had to continue to play. I had to hit the next shot. I had to make the next putt. I was just focusing on what I had to do. It was one of those things where I wasn't afraid. Every putt I hit, I did not think about, "It's downhill behind the hole." I just hit straight at the hole. I didn't think about, you know, putting or anything. (Inaudible).

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I mean, like I said, I'm satisfied with the year. But to top it off would make it incredible. I'm playing well at this time. I know I can do it. To really, you know, win nine times and break the scoring average is just -- I mean, that would be the ultimate. That would be it. That's what I wanted to do.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Or ten. He's a good guy.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not really. There was one hole they told me where to drive it. But I played the course twice now and my caddie has seen it once more than I. So it's just a matter of hitting it where you need to hit it. I feel like I'm hitting it pretty good. That's going to be the key this week. It's really tight driving the ball here. But if I get my driver in good shape, I mean, it will be fun to play here.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, first of all, that was a nice compliment. I think I've spoiled the Swedish people with all my results. I think they take for granted what I do over here. They don't come out every week, they don't see the competition, they don't see how good the players are out here. And, you know, this is my new home. I've been here for eleven years. Some people see me as an American. So that's probably one of the reasons. But when they do write things about me, they write good things about it. I haven't been home in about a year and a half because I've been focusing so much here because I wanted to achieve my goals here. That's why, you know, when the Swedish press is not over here, they don't really see what we do.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I mean, it's obviously one of the best seasons. This year is probably the best. You go in the history of golf, it's not the best. But it obviously ranks up there, I think, especially shooting 59 and winning four in a row. (Inaudible). But I had players to push me for me to achieve this. But I'm very proud of my season. I really am.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, no.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, what Tiger did last year is pretty incredible.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Ranks up there. But there's been so many great players on this Tour for years, I think it's very tough to compare different generations. I mean, nowadays you have so many international players, too, and the competition nowadays is a little different than it was a few years ago or 10, 15 years ago. But winning eight times is not a record.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, if you guys think so, thank you.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I mean, it's tough for me to -- like I said, I'm proud of my season. I worked hard. This is a season I will never forget. It's going to break the year records. But I know the history I made this year, the other players are going to break it in other years.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it's a great thing; I really do. Look at the amount of tournaments we play. There's not many players that play more than 30, 31 events, so I don't see that we need to (inaudible). We need to focus on quality. This is a great example. This is a great tournament we got.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's such a big word. I'd like to be the best I can, and I have a feeling of how good I can be. That's what pushes me all the time, every day. That's what the most important thing is to me.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thanks very much.