U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 29, 2021

Annika Sorenstam

Brooklawn Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Annika Sorenstam, 5-under 67. First, looked like great way to end there on 18, little fist pump. Talk about getting the competitive juices going again.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was fun. It was really fun to be out there with both Laura and Liselotte. Brings back some great memories, and super excited about that pairing.

Like I said earlier in the week, I love this place. I love the golf course. You know, I was very happy how I played today. This course could be quite tricky around the greens. I realize I had a few kind of slippery ones, but it was nice to finish on a high note.

Q. Back in the U.S. Open for the first time in a long time. What was it like standing on the first tee?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it was very special. Had a few butterflies, to be expected I guess, but it's nice to be back and see some friends in the crowd. Again, just catching up with all players makes for a great week.

Just want to go out there and have a good time, enjoy it with hubby Mike, and I think we did that. I think we worked well together. No arguments or anything, so that was good thing.

(Smiling.) So, yeah. Good start.

Q. I was looking around for Will but I couldn't find him. I figured he was going to offer you some tips.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I know, yeah. If he would've been here he would've been front row, I can tell you that. They're coming tomorrow, so we came a few days early just to get prepared and get ready. So I'll be calling him. I'm sure he wants to know every shot. Can't watch it on TV, but he's been on his phone checking the scores, so I look forward to briefing him what really happened.

Q. Which part of your game were you most satisfied with today?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit some good iron shots. I thought our distance control was good. We talked well around where to land it and have a good feel. I think the key here is really to be -- you really want to be a little short and then have a little right-to-left if that's possible. I felt like on the front nine I really had a lot of those. I was really on the good side of the hole.

And then on the back they had a few tricky ones. 16 I'm pin high and the thing is so slippery. 17, had a good uphill putt.

You really have to be in the right place. There are so many of them, you know, I felt like I aimed as much to the right as the length of the putt. You just kind of see it coming up and just turning 90 degrees.

Hadn't really played like that in a while, so it keeps you on your toes and just want to make sure you're in the right place. Otherwise it's just tentative golf from start to finish.

Q. You said to Laura on the first tee, some things never change when saw her make her turf tee, like the old days. Did it feel like much had changed out there walking down the fairway with people that you used to play against?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: There are some things I just feel like, wow, it wasn't that long ago. And especially to see Laura get the wedge and ping it up with a driver, and just to walk with her and the way she plays hasn't changed.

I actually asked Liselotte the same. When did we play last? We couldn't really figure that out. We said maybe 15 years plus or something. So it's been a long time.

Nice to catch up with her as well. It was nice. Like I said, I love the pairing. Both are very nice and brings back some great memories. That's what I think this week is, it's about seeing the same people and catching up and enjoying what we're doing at a little later stage of our lives.

Q. Laura did say you played like you never left the game, especially your short game. What are your thoughts about the best parts of your game at this point?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, that was very nice of Laura. Thank you. You know, I mean, I have been practicing, but it's different to come out here and play, especially around the greens here. These greens I think are what really makes the golf course. Super happy with the way hit it. I can be a little more aggressive on my putts. It's a fine line there.

You know, I think when you get a little older you start thinking a little too much. When I was younger I went out there, boom, boom, that's it.

Now it's like, Okay. Now I'm thinking. I'm trying not to think. I'm just trying go out there and be more reactive, pick a line and trust it, and whatever happens, happens. That's going to be my attitude, because there is really nothing else I can do than just go out there and trust the work I put in. We'll see what happens.

Q. The wind direction is going to switch by tomorrow. Going to probably have a storm sequence come through late today. When you do preparation for a major championship, how do you factor in your preparation in terms of wind direction and how does that calculate into your plan for tomorrow with a late afternoon tee time?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm going to rest now, have lunch, and call the kids. We'll wake up in the morning and kind of get a feel for what the wind will be, if it rained or anything, if the course a little softer.

But things can happen, and just in a short period of time. I will really study the wind more when I get to the first tee. Yesterday when I started we had -- or was it two days ago? It was downwind a little bit. So I played the first hole both into and downwind.

You just got to keep knowing where you are on the course, whether it's south, north, and pay attention to the wind. You know, luckily those are some of things I've done for so long. That part hasn't disappeared. Other parts have, but not that part.

Q. When you were here a little while ago, couple weeks ago at the media day, you got a chance to see the golf course. Was there something that you took away that you have been working on with the game, okay, I need to do this or this or this to be able to play well here this week?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I knew the greens were going to be the way they are, but when we played here they were not as fast. Coming here Tuesday was a little bit more of a wake-up call, like, Whoa, these are quite slick.

I played in Tahoe the celebrity event two weeks ago and some of the greens were very similar where you have to be short of the hole. I had a few putts I could just barely touch, so I guess I got a little preparation for that reason.

But you have to be good around the greens. Shorter clubs than I been hitting in a while so I can be more forward at the flag, and that's what I noticed. I hit a lot of greens. I believe I hit 16 greens today or something like that.

So, yeah, I think that helps, too.

Q. The follow up: During the course of the round did you ever have any vibes or any like déjà vu feeling, Okay, this is what I was like when I was playing out here? Obviously you played in a few different events over the course of the year, but the competition has been fewer since you retired. Was there a flashback to anything at some point on the course where you're like, this is what it's like, you know, that kind of thing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I enjoy being out here. It's nice to see a crowd, and I think playing with Laura and 'Lotte, that reminded me a little bit what used to be. But other than that, I mean, it is different. My mindset is different.

What I like about being a little older and being away from the game is I can forget about bad shots quickly. Before I couldn't. I would hold onto them for a while and they would beat me up.

Now it's like, Okay, just move on. When you don't play a lot you're going to hit a fat shot. You're going to hit it to the right. So, you know, just go find it and make the most out of that.

So I think the attitude is better for me than before. I did look at the leaderboard a few times, but I used to stare the leaderboard down. I don't do that anymore.