U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

May 31, 1996

Annika Sorenstam

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball as well today as I was yesterday, but I made a lot of up-and-downs. I was able to save par a few times and had some short birdie putts. I think I had three birdie putts within three feet, so it made it a little easier. The wind was not as strong, so I think it was a little easier with the club selections. And I think you've also got -- as I said, I think the fairways are drying out a little bit so you get more roll. The course was not playing as long as it did yesterday.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, No. 1, hit a sand wedge to about three feet. Then I also birdied No. 6. I chipped in, actually, hit a 7-iron. Chipped in from about 18 feet.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A sand wedge. And then I bogeyed No. 7. I three-putted and I had a long putt to start out with, probably 60 feet. I birdied No. 9. I hit a 6-iron to about one foot, I think. Also birdied No. 10. Hit a sand wedge from 64 yards to three feet. Bogeyed No. 14, was in the green bunker, hit it out and had a putt that was about 12 feet. And then I birdied No. 18. I hit an 8-iron to probably 16 feet.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A little bit. But after yesterday's round, I realized that this course, it's not easy, it's playing pretty long, and the greens are firm, and you really have to be on the right spot on the green, because it has some severe slopes. Maybe I thought some more people would be under par.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, not really. (Laughter.) It felt like I've been playing well all year. It's just a matter of putting it all together. This week it seems like I'm hitting the ball good and putting well, and I'm also chipping well. In the beginning of the year I wasn't able to do that; I either hit the ball well or putted well. And I feel a little pressure performing. But, on the other hand, I'm very pleased to have won this championship once, and nobody says you have to win it twice. So I feel, actually -- I feel relaxed. I'm just out here trying to do the best, give a hundred percent on every shot and we'll see what happens.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, last year I was hunting. I was chasing a lot of players. It was only my second year on the tour, so I didn't have as much patience as I do now. This year is -- it's a little different situation; people looking up to me and trying to beat me, so I'm trying to stay away from that. But I have another approach this year, I'm going to go out and try to do the best I can, focus on every shot, and give it a hundred percent. Last year I was more focusing on results and performing. Now I've shown I can perform, and now I'm trying to enjoy myself and do the best I can:.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, it has. And I'm glad for that, because that's my goal this year, is just to work on my golf game, become a better golfer, hitting more greens and hitting more fairways. Because '95 will be really hard to beat. And I'm not going to look to achieve more in the sense of awards and finishes and everything like that, just my goal is to be a better golfer. And I think if I become a better golfer, I'm sure I'll achieve a lot of other things.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Okay. There was a lot of them out there. I remember one on No. 13 -- I'm sorry, No. 12, I was -- I'm sorry, this is hard, I have so many saves. All of them I chipped about three feet. And on 12 I did -- I was down in the gully and chipped it up to about three feet.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think I did it five times.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'd like to say I hit 12 greens today.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I was.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: We'll find out. (Laughter.) No, I mean, as I said, I'm out there trying to do the best I can, and give a hundred percent. I can't determine if I'm going to chase somebody or be chased. I try to hole every putt I can, and every shot I can, after that we'll see what my strategy will be. It's hard to determine. Obviously you always want to lead.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I've been taking it easy. I've been resting, I have been practicing a lot. I took five weeks off from golf, and then I practiced for four weeks and I got ready for the first tournament.) I've been resting, getting ready for this year. I knew it was going to be a big year, and trying to just get ready.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: To be honest, I don't compare rounds with rounds. I just go out there and do the best I can. I don't try to find any similarities, because I think then you get superstitious. We're here, and I'm trying to hit every shot the best I can.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It felt like it, yeah. I was on the putting green and I said I'll see you in 12 hours. (Laughter).

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I try to stay in shape. I don't workout too much. But I jog a little, bit, I stretch a little bit, and I lift some weights. I do it mostly in the wintertime when I feel that I don't want to get too sore in a tournament or something like that. But on a regular basis, I do workout.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: We played much faster today; almost an hour faster. And we only had to wait on the 5th hole. I'm a fast player, and I like to have things going. I prefer this speed, and I wish we can even play faster, that would suit my game even better.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I do have a Swedish teacher. Actually, I worked with him for almost ten years. And he comes over to the States a few times a year, and then I see him in Sweden. So I do work -- I work very closely with him. On the mental part, however, I don't have anybody that I talk to regularly. We have a Swedish guy that was very good though, and when I do see him, we do talk. But luckily it's been nothing serious so far.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Henri Reiss.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think it is. I have 5-woods, and I just added the 9-wood. And I took out my 4-iron. I find it easier to hit a high ball and land softer with a wood than with a 3 or 4-iron. And I do change depending on the course and the wind. This week I decided -- or today and yesterday I decided to keep the 9-wood because the rough is pretty high. And, again, I need to hit it high and let it stop on the greens. So, a few weeks ago, it was real windy, I took my 9-wood out and put the 4-iron in. The same wood I always keep, and that's instead of by 3-iron.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not a lot of players do, but I think a handful. I think more people are trying out a 7-wood or a 9-wood, and they find it like me, it's easier to hit. And especially when the rough is really thick, it's easier to hit that out. I haven't tried a zero iron, and I don't think I ever will (Laughter.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, no. I go out there and play my own game. It's nice to play with young players kind of your age, you have a lot in common. And especially with Karrie, she hits the ball really good, and it inspires me, actually. So other than that, I kind of look at my own game. And it's the same thing when you play with Laura Davies. If you paid attention to her drives, I would be in every tree out there.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I'm going to practice and then have a nice evening, good dinner and a good night's rest and get ready for tomorrow.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A little bit. It depends on the wind and where they put the tees. On a few holes they moved it up, I would change the club, probably hit a 3-wood instead. Other than that, I'm a very conservative player. I go out and try to hit the fairway, and if I hit the fairway, I try to hit the green. And then I look at the putt and try to hole it. That's kind of my game. I'm aggressive when I need to be, and I'm conservative when I need to be. Today I didn't change any strategy at all. The wind died down, so it was almost like playing Wednesday. It was the same type of wind and the course is about the same.