NEW ALBANY GOLF CLASSIC

September 29, 2000

Annika Sorenstam

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Birdie on the 5th hole pitching wedge to three feet. Birdie No. 6, 7-wood on the green 2-putt. No. 8, sand wedge to four feet. Birdied No. 10, 7-iron to 16 feet. That was it. And then pars.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hope so. I hope it continues for years. No, when you come to a place where you feel comfortable and when you like the golf course, for some reason it sets up really well for me - the design of the holes, the lanes, just everything. When you know that you it gives you confidence. I have played well here in the past. Those are factors that I guess adds up and it just gives you confidence and it is great to have when you come out here. I mean, I know the course so well, too. I have been here now, let's see, I have played ten times so I am very familiar with where to hit it and how the greens slope, et cetera, et cetera. So obviously it is fine to execute the shots the way you want to and now I am swinging really well and putting well, so it makes it a lot of fun.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: There is a few courses where I feel very comfortable with and this is one of them. In St. Louis I always played well there before they changed the golf course. I am trying to figure out another golf course where I played very well - in New York - the course are not very similar, but it is still I feel comfortable. I know where to hit it. And there are some courses where some girls love it and I find it quite difficult. So it just really varies. But here I don't see any hazards here, I just see a big fairway and I just see a big green and that is what makes it so fun to go out and just swing at the flag; especially when the greens are so soft. I could shoot at the flag and I know it will sit.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (laughs) We are getting closer to it.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That is true, that is true.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, yes, I do. Actually yesterday I felt 3-under was the highest score I could have. Today I even think I could have a few shots less. That is how comfortable I feel out here and that is how well I think I hit the ball. So if this continues, if my rhythm is there -- I mean, I can't wait to play tomorrow. It is going to be fun. Hopefully the conditions will stay the same, maybe dry out a little bit. I told my caddie, I just want to keep going after 18, things are going so well. I didn't want to stop. Hopefully the momentum will carry on.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, definitely. As you can see it is a good day out there. There is hardly any wind. The course is in great shape. I mean, there are a lot of birdies out there. There are opportunities for the girls to go low. I am just glad that I finished the way I did because that is going to keep me up -- I will be a little bit on top, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some low scores.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I wasn't really happy because I had a lot of opportunities. But when we started, I was actually surprised to make birdie on the first hole. It was cold. I mean, it was probably 40 degrees. Hit the fairway; then hit the green and the putt rolled in. I said, that is a good change, it was a great start. It was warming up. I said, I am going to do better now. I hit a lot of greens; didn't really make the putts where I think I had a chance. On 17 I had a great chance, probably five feet, it was a tricky line, but I was getting a little bit impatient. I figured I still have a lot of holes to go and I just got to give myself chances, keep hitting the fairways and greens, and they got to go in. And eventually they did, and had a nice little run the last four holes.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit 16 greens, so I had a lot of chances. Some were a little longer obviously, but once you are on the green, there is a good chance. These greens are so smooth. On No. 7 I had short putt, maybe six feet, seven feet.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No news. Well, the news is that -- it probably won't happen until next week now. So he said he could have been out here the last few weeks.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, he is going to come. He is going to fly out on Sunday and he will be there -- he actually said he could take another two or three weeks, so.... If it doesn't happen naturally now, he hopes that it takes a long time (laughs).

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: His name is Mark. I don't know much about him. I know he is from England. That is about it. He caddies for Alison Nicholas on a regular basis, but I have got to know him a little bit just by being out here, but I know him much more now. When you are out there, you really talk about a lot of things and for ten days I know him more now.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Terry hooked me up actually, so.....

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: He is in Florida just outside Orlando.