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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1997

Annika Sorenstam

NORTH PLAINS, OREGON

RHONDA GLENN: Annika, thanks so much for coming in. Everybody has wanted to hear what you have to say. Looks like things started to go sort of badly on the front 9. Can you give us an overall impression of kind of what happened up there, leading to the 9th hole?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, first of all it was tough, real tough. Want me to go through my card?

RHONDA GLENN: Just tell us your overall impressions of what influenced your play the most today.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it was really hard for me today. I felt like the holes where I hit the good drives I missed my irons, and I missed my driver it was hard to get par. I struggled, didn't hit a lot of greens, and had a little bit more putts. It was really hard for me. I felt like I was prepared and ready to go, and just one of those days where you don't know what's happening. I tried really hard and decided not to give up, and luckily I only made one bogey on the back, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

RHONDA GLENN: First hole, birdies and bogeys.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: First hole, 9-iron in the green bunker. 2-putted from six feet. Bogeyed No. 4, pitching wedge from the fairway bunker, 3-putt. Birdied No. 5, 6-iron to 13 feet. Bogeyed No. 6, sand wedge, missed the green, chipped, 1-putt. Triple on No. 9.

RHONDA GLENN: How did that happen? Did you almost lose a ball or --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I almost lost a ball. I had 20 seconds left, and somebody was very nice to find it. I hit it so far right that it was --

RHONDA GLENN: The tee shot in the high weeds.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I had my tee shot, hit it out with a 9-wood and hit it way right. It took me two shots to get out and I hit the fringe and 3-putted from there.

RHONDA GLENN: How did you get back on track on No. 10? You managed to par there.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know, I hit a 7-wood to about 12 feet, 2-putted and then after that I had nothing to lose, just trying to play as relaxed as I could. And I bogeyed 13. I think I hit a 7-iron and 3-putted there also.

RHONDA GLENN: You kept your composure on the back 9. Let's go to questions.

Q. Did you hurt your wrist on 9 when you had to hit it out of that --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A little bit at the time.

Q. Did it bother you later?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, it didn't bother me.

Q. Are you glad this first round is out of the way?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes and no. I'd like to re-tee it. That's the way it goes. I'm glad it's over. Now I can just play.

Q. Did all the attention and all that have anything to do with that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It must have. This is the worst round for me all year. I don't know what happened. I felt like I was ready. I didn't feel that nervous at all. I was just excited about being here. It was Thursday, I was ready. For some reason maybe it was the tension, maybe there was something inside of me that put this together.

Q. What did you do last night?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Nothing special. I went home after I practiced, had a nice dinner and went to bed real early.

RHONDA GLENN: Well, obviously the 9th hole was the key. You were two over going into the 9th. And it was the bunker shot, 9-wood you hit out of the bunker.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes.

RHONDA GLENN: What happened out on that shot?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I had 160 yards left and on the uphill slope. I had to get the ball up early, because it was a pretty high ridge there. And when I tried to do that, I opened it up a little too much and the ball went straight to the right.

Q. Quick thoughts about playing golf here in the Northwest and in Oregon.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's nice. I'm glad to be here. These courses remind me a lot about home, a lot of trees out on the field. I'm happy to be here.

Q. I heard you on television after your round saying, "I haven't given up. I can beat this course." Does that give you the kind of resolve you come out of a round like this with?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I haven't given up yet. This is just Thursday. I know how to play this golf course. I'm not going to leave here until I beat it. If I have to come back, then I'll do that. I know how to play it. I was hitting the ball good. Today is just a day when I can't explain anything. It's just golf. And I'm going to go home and get ready and try and forget this round. We've got three more days, and I've not given up at all.

Q. Do you feel like you can shoot yourself back into it?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so. If you look at the scores at the open the previous years, what is it? 3, 4-under, normally? I can shoot 5-under on this course. That's what I've got to tell myself anyway, and who knows what will happen. But mentally I think I can do it.

Q. You said you needed two shots to get it back out of the heavy rough. How far did the first one go?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Three inches.

RHONDA GLENN: How tall was the grass? Was it knee high, would you say.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was knee high when we got there. When we left it wasn't that high (laughter.)

Q. When was the last time you had -- (inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't remember. I don't want to remember.

Q. What were you hitting out of that thatch with?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A sand wedge.

Q. Annika, you had some pretty good bunker play today. You got up-and-down two or three times just to keep it where you were.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, my bunker play worked great. I've never had so many up-and-downs. Maybe because I had so much practice. But I was happy about that, and that saved me. It could have been worse. So I'm happy about that.

Q. How many saves did you have from the bunkers?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: From the bunker I had three up-and-downs.

Q. What was your state of mind after the front 9?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I was a little confused. I was a little upset. I didn't know what was happening. As far as I can remember the last three or four years I haven't been five over par after nine holes. It's like where am I and what am I doing? How do I get out of this, take me away from here. All of these questions came to my mind. It was not a fun time, that's for sure.

RHONDA GLENN: Annika, thanks you so much for being so gracious to come in.

End of FastScripts....

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