U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 3, 2024

Annika Sorenstam

Fox Chapel Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Annika Sorenstam after the third round of the U.S. Senior Women's Open Championship. Even par-71, 2-under for the championship, but you're still right there. Can you talk about your round in general today.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I would say overall I'm very, very pleased the way I hit the ball. I drove it well, hit some beautiful iron shots. I had a lot of looks today, a lot of looks. Just couldn't really get them to drop. I felt pretty decent on the greens, just a little short maybe just because of the rain, and I just didn't adjust properly. Felt better on the back when they dried out a little bit, but just didn't make anything.

A little disappointing since I hit the ball so well. I think I missed maybe five greens in three days, so I have a lot of birdie opportunities. I've just got to take advantage of them a little better because as you know, I'm behind so I need to make birdies. Pars is not going to do it.

Q. You made a key par putt on 9. Obviously you were over that other quadrant on 9 with your first putt. That was a good-sized putt.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was, it was probably one of the better putts all week, so I'm thankful for that one. That hole, I like the hole, and it just showed you you've got to be on the right side of the hole location. In that particular case obviously I hit my putt a little too hard, but you need a lot of imagination, and it just didn't really break as I had thought. Anyway, it keeps you in the game, keeps you going. It kept the momentum going. It would have been nice to finish with a few red numbers. It always makes dinner taste a little sweeter.

Q. Good fairway bunker shot at 12. Talk about what you hit and how the shot set up.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I seem to play better with tough shots. I don't know if it just made me focus a little bit. I hit a poor drive, ended up in the fairway bunker. I had 108 to the hole, a little uphill, and that hole location was a little tucked, but I took one more club just to make sure that I would -- when you're in the sand you always get a little resistance. It turned out beautifully and then I made the putt. So that was pretty cool.

Q. What do you feel was the difference on the greens before and after the rain delay? Obviously a little bit of a difference.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, they're a little slower, which is to be expected, but I was walking out there and the course is really, really in good shape. Water is coming up a little here and there, but as far as -- it looks so manicured and the greens are soft but still not bumpy at all. So they're holding up. I feel like they're really true. I've just got to get the ball rolling on the lines that I feel because every time I've done that, they've gone in.

I think that's the key because they're so true.

Q. How awesome for you personally does it have to have your husband Mike be your caddie for the weekend?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's fun when you have family. This is a team effort. I've said this all along. This is about family. I'm just going to say outside the ropes because there's not many ropes, but the family is out there. Mike's mom is here, Mike's best friend from Ohio, they live in Cleveland, they drove down. We really have everybody here, and it's really, really neat, and it's fun to be able to play in front of them. I just want to make a few birdies to make them think it was worth the drive.

Q. When you have to play catch-up in the last round, do you change your strategy at all or your game plan?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'll be looking at the leaderboard very, very closely, but there's no doubt I've got to be aggressive. I've got to make some birdies. If you can make birdies early, we always know that then the leader is always looking where they are and where they stand. I think it's more for us chasing. It's up for grabs for us to go out there and get it, which I really don't have a choice. I've just got to go out there, play aggressive, and maybe that will make me hit some better putts.

Q. I don't know if you've had a chance to look at any highlights of the leader this week, if you've seen anything of her play --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have not. I have not met her either. I know this lady from afar. I look forward to watching her up front if I get a chance to play with her, but if not, I'll be looking around and looking behind me.

Q. On hole 17, it was obviously a bogey hole for you, a challenging hole. What was one of the things that went wrong on that hole?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I'm in between clubs. It's so funny you walk off it's like 124 to the front, and all of a sudden you've got 189. So the mindset there -- it's between a 5-iron and a 4-hybrid for me, but the greens are so soft, and again, I'm not out here to just get it on. I was quite aggressive today in the sense of making sure I got it up to the hole location.

I think I had the right club. It was a little bit of a fade and I think a little bit of the wind took it, and as you saw ended up there. Hit a decent bunker shot but it was downhill so I kind of short-sided myself. A little bummer because I felt like I played so well until then. Had a lot of chances, and then bogey kind of hits you.

But overall, like we said, I have a chance tomorrow, and that's all I can ask for at this point.