U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2006

Annika Sorenstam

RHONDA GLENN: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We'd like to welcome you to the the 2006 United States Open. We're happy to have with us the 1995 and 1996 U.S. Women's Open champion, Annika Sorenstam.

Annika, you won one tournament at the beginning of the year, and for years you have been the favorite going into every single tournament. This year you might share that role with some other players. Does that make you relax a little more or do you still feel the same sort of pressure to win?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I feel the same way. To me it's another event, another tournament to get ready for, and hopefully another tournament to bring home the trophy. For me it's all about going out there and playing. It really doesn't matter what I've done previously this year. It doesn't matter what I did this year. It's kind of now and on Thursday and through Sunday that really matters. So that's really what goes through my head, is just play my game and we'll see what happens.

RHONDA GLENN: Some of the records you've been pursuing belong to that great champion Mickey Wright. I understand when she retired she said the hardest part was not playing the game but being Mickey Wright and having to do all the public appearances and all the interviews associated with being the leading player in the world. How do you feel about that sort of statement?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, first of all, I'm not ready to retire, so I don't know what it's going to feel like. But there's a lot that comes with it, being one of the top players, and being out there in the limelight every week. It's different to be home and play and practice and not worry about it too much.

But there's a lot going on each week, so that's why I don't play as much as other players. It's about pacing myself and being able to balance the competition with all the other responsibilities. That's something I think is very important and I try to do better and better every year is to try to find a good balance.

Q. You and Karrie will always be linked as rivals because of the back and forth; I'm wondering if you guys have any kind of a relationship off the golf course?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, we haven't. I don't know a lot about Karrie, other than just what we talk about on the golf course and maybe when I see her in the locker room or maybe in the lunchroom. It's pretty much just golf that we have in common.

I think when you compete on this level it's tough to really socialize with other players. It's very competitive, and obviously we live in different places and have different schedules. It's something we haven't pursued, really.

Q. How much have you had a chance to play the golf course and what are your impressions of Newport?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I have not played the golf course. I'm going to go out this afternoon, but what I've seen from walking around, I think it looks spectacular. My caddie has walked it a few times; we have looked at some of the holes mentally for me. This is a links course, which I love. Obviously the more rain, it might not place like a links course.

I love the fact that the course is quite long. I like the fact we're going to get some wind. I think it's going to be a great course for this type of championship.

Q. Annika, Lorena has come on very strong this year, obviously. I wonder, could you see this coming with her, and what are your general impressions of her game and how she's handling this?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think everybody would have thought that this was going to happen. Lorena has been top for quite some time. She's had several opportunities to win. She has won before this year, and all of a sudden she comes out really strong. I don't think it surprises anybody. She's a great athlete. I think she's got a great touch around the greens. I think it was just a matter of time, really.

Q. The first two rounds you're going to be playing with one of the Japanese players Ai Miyazato, and you played with her last year at the British Open. What are your thoughts on her?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I like her a lot. I've got to know her a little bit. I've done a few outings with her in Japan and had a chance to play with her a few times over here. I'm looking forward to that pairing. She's obviously a great player, but she's fun to play with, she's really nice, really courteous on the golf course. So it's going to be a good pairing.

Q. Do you get good vibes or bad vibes when you come here? Good from the back to back wins or bad from the couple of the close calls?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I love to come to The Open. I've always said that I think it's our biggest championship in women's golf. I enjoy the different courses we play. It's always a different test. I'm glad I've won this championship. This is a tough championship to win. I know it's been a long time ago, but I still remember it very, very clearly. I have great memories from this event. I've been close a few times, but, you know, it's tough. A lot of things have to go right to win this.

Q. What makes it tougher than let's say the other two majors, just the course?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's the course. A lot of it has to do with the courses, it seems to me are always tougher, the greens seem faster, difficult pin placements, the rough is thicker. It's really the ultimate test. And then you have four days of really grinding, and it takes longer to play at The Open. It's just tough, tougher in so many ways.

Q. We always write that Tiger is motivated by Jack Nicklaus. Does any individual motivate you? Have you ever looked at that as a yardstick?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I never really have. I mean I think what motivates me is myself and the things that I think I should be capable of achieving. Obviously I know what the records are and so forth. But like I always say, when I came out on Tour, I didn't think I would win a single one and now I'm sitting here with 67.

And I've had to adjust my goals along the way. I don't want to force it by looking at the major winners. I want to play, I know what I'm capable of. I set yearly goals and that's what I go from.

Q. Do you know who has the most majors?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Mickey Wright.

RHONDA GLENN: Patty Berg. Including the Western Open, Patty has 15. Mickey has a lot, though.

Q. If you were to break it down, what would be the reason in your mind that maybe you haven't won this?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: What?

Q. If you were to break it down, what would the reasons be in your mind that you haven't won this again?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I know like after '96, the first few years after that, I know that I put a lot of pressure on myself. I felt like I came out, I won two in a row, I thought, wow, I've got this, it's a great championship. And I came out and expected the same thing and it never happened. I felt like I beat up on myself I felt in my own way.

About five years ago I felt more comfortable playing in these championships and went out and played like I normally do in a regular event. And I think since then I've been really close.

One year Juli Inkster beat me, and she played lights out; there was nothing I could do about that. Meg Mallon winning a few years ago, I thought I had that, but she played great down the stretch. I think I played better playing my own game and trying to win it on Thursday, rather than playing along and putting myself in contention on Sunday.

Q. If you were to give yourself a mid season report card, what would you give yourself?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, obviously I'm not so happy with this year. I got off to a great start in Mexico, and my game has really been up and down. I haven't been as consistent. I think the stats say a lot. Not as many fairway hits, not as many green hits, as well. So I've had some great moments, but I've also had some moments that have been very, very up and down. I make a birdie and maybe three in a row, and make three bogeys. I make a lot more mistakes on the course, and I think that's what's hurt me so far.

Q. When you were at Colonial you told us that one of your goals was simply to become a better player by doing what you did that week. Could you tell us in what ways you think you are better now than you were before that experience? And also, can you see the same applying for Michelle with her playing against the men?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I definitely have become a better player just the last few years. A lot of it for me has to do with my short game. I've improved a lot there, I have more imagination around the greens, I'm trying more shots, I think my bunker game is getting better. I definitely see an improvement since the Colonial. I just maybe transferred all the practice on the range to my short game, which has really been important.

When it comes to Michelle Wie, I don't know what her goals are. It's tough for me to answer that question. I think you become better when you play with players that are better, and it gives you that extra challenge. I think that's good for your game for sure.

RHONDA GLENN: I want to interject, we've mentioned several good young players, Lorena, Michelle, Ayaka. When you see the players out there, is there any one player that strikes you and you say that is going to be a champion?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, the way I'm looking at the younger players, I like their attitudes. I think they just have good attitudes. They're positive, they're very competitive. The fundamentals, I think, they're very similar. But you can tell when they have that mindset, and that, I think, is making the difference.

Q. I wanted to ask, two players this year are basically they're comeback Players of the Year, Se Ri and Karrie. You talk about the younger players last year, now you have these two players. Do you think the fields now you can get deeper in regards to when you come to an event like this that you have to look at more players that you would have in the past?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so. It's funny when you see the younger players. I don't think Se Ri is 30 yet, which is amazing. It's amazing, she won majors and now she's coming out. There are a lot of groups out there. When you talk about the younger ones it's the teenagers, and you have people in their late 20s, they are strong and have achieved a lot. And you have players like myself in their mid 30s who have done a lot of stuff. There are players out there with a lot of energy and motivation, and I think that's why you have more players in the mix nowadays.

Q. You mentioned the difficulty of socializing with the players out here when you're at a very high competitive level. Jack and Arnie went through that and Tiger and Phil go through that. Do you think it's doubly so because you're the No. 1 player in the world?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know about that, but for me it's all about, you know, I wake up in the mornings, I have my routines, I have to work out, practice, have dinner. It's tough to mingle with players that have similar schedules; it just does not work. There are some players I hang out with more than others. You have to totally adjust to the schedule.

There are some weeks you don't see them, and there are certain weeks you see them a lot. So to me it has to do with scheduling. I have a week off, I don't call up a pro golfer and say let's go play golf. I go home and hang out and catch up on stuff. It's kind of the way it goes. It is competitive but it's but I wouldn't say that's the reason why I don't socialize, there's not enough time.

Q. Is there a mental part of it, also? Is there a need to have separation in terms of kind of how they relate to you and you relate to your peers or not necessarily?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I never really thought about that. I kind of run my little business, and I'm sure the other players run their little business. You don't mix them. You just mind your own business.

But having said that, sometimes you'll be on the range, and say can you look at this, help me with my setup. But I think that's where we draw the line.

RHONDA GLENN: Pretty lonely lifestyle, isn't it?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, if you travel by yourself it could be, but when you have friends and family with you, it's a great lifestyle. I love what I do; I wouldn't want to do anything else.

Q. When you look back at Cherry Hills last year, what do you recall? Did you put a little too much pressure on yourself knowing it was a Grand Slam?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I did for the first day, but it's just I felt like I was prepared going into the event. I just didn't play very well. It was a tough golf course. It was a course where I could not hit the driver, and I was driving it really well, and I was trying to play smart most of the tournament.

I think I got more aggressive on Sunday because I had some ground to make up. But other than that, it was a different type of golf course, and I didn't have the flow that week. I tried really hard, and it's one of those weeks where things just really didn't happen.

Q. In retrospect, did you have the proper strategy going in, or did you play it too conservative at the start?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think you have to play conservative at U.S. Open. It is 72 holes and I think you can lose a championship early on, and therefore you don't want to make too many mistakes. I was playing a lot of 4 irons, a lot of sand wedges, just putting it in the fairway, because the rough was so thick. I don't mind hitting a longer club into a smaller green; that's been my strength, the iron shots.

That wasn't the problem. It just didn't happen. I hit a good shot and it didn't turn out the right way or I didn't make the putts when I needed to. It was just one of those weeks.

Q. If I remember correctly, you played the first two days of the U.S. Championship with Morgan Pressel. She's had some struggles this year; what have you seen in her game?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: She's one of the players I was thinking about earlier that we're talking about attitudes. I think Morgan has a great attitude. I enjoy playing with her. She's fun, she's bubbly. She's aggressive on the golf course.

But she's young. She has to come out here and learn the ropes and learn the travel part. That's just the way it is. That's not just Morgan, that's everybody. It's different to be at home and play a home course every week and play some junior events here and there. But you come out here, it's different.

But she has absolutely the right attitude. She almost won this Championship last year, so I think that says a lot. For her it's just a matter of time until she'll be up there.

Q. Here it is 48 hours before your first tee time and you haven't seen the course yet. Is this typical for you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I normally just have one or two practice rounds. I've had the tendency to overdo it, and that just does not work for me. I'm going to get plenty of opportunities to see the golf course.

I've got a great caddie who's seen the golf course already. He can maneuver me around any golf course. I think the key is am I hitting it where he tells me to. I think that's the key. So this is I'm happy about this preparation. So I'm not worried about anything.

Q. You said you have to play conservatively at U.S. Open. Last week at the other Open they weren't quite as conservative on the 18th hole. Does a player of your caliber learn anything from an ending like that with Mickelson, and do you have the relationship with your caddie where he can pull a club or say wait a minute, stop, 5 is very good here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Let me see if I understood that question. You're referring to Phil's play?

Q. Yes. The question is, is there something did you, as a world championship golfer, learn anything from that? Does your caddie have the relationship with you where he can stop you and maybe pull a club out of your hands?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know the relationship between Phil and his caddie, but my caddie and I have been working together for seven years. I think he knows me well enough to be able to say what he needs to say at the right time.

But Phil and I are totally different players. I go back to my comment, you have to play conservatively at the U.S. Open. That's how I play. I think Phil demonstrated something different. It's just different approaches from different players.

Q. All the good young players that you mentioned, different groups of teenagers and young people in their 20s, it's not exactly like you're over the hill. Obviously they're all shooting at you. Do you see them as a threat? Do you see them as a challenge? Does it boost your already competitive instincts? How do you look at that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't know if it boosts my competitiveness; I'm probably as competitive as it gets. But what's great about it is it's a new generation and it's going to change; it's just a matter of time. I don't think I'm over the hill by any means. I feel like I have a lot more to give and achieve, and that's really what keeps me going.

If you have somebody like Juli, when I was around she probably was in the same situation as I am now. You see new generations of young players coming. I think it's really great to see how many young good players there are. It's how good the game is and how much women's golf is growing and how popular the LPGA is growing. I'm happy to be part of it and I'm competitive as ever; whether it's Paula Creamer or Juli Inkster standing with me on the last hole, I have a chance to win and I'll give it my best.

Q. Seven top 10 finishes with the nine tournaments this year; that ranks you No. 1.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I'm very proud of being the best player out here. I'm not sure if that's the best way the ranking system is the best way to look at it. But I'm very proud of that. I've had some success the last few years; I guess it puts me there. The start of this year is really more what I'm concerned about, to turn my game around and get back on track and win tournaments.

RHONDA GLENN: Among all the women players, they play their best golf in their early to mid to late 30s. Other players are coming out and winning earlier; they're not winning on a consistent level.

Q. Just as a recap on what you did the last two weeks, and how much do you have any boost or momentum at all from the way you finished Sunday at Bulle Rock?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I hope to carry that boost and that momentum. I thought I played really good on Sunday. My game is turning around, there's no doubt about it. I've had two weeks where I've rested for a few days, but then I practiced. I have my coach in town, Henry; he's here to hopefully straighten me out. I'm looking forward to a great week. I am as ready as I can be, and I want to play. I want to go out there.

Q. Have you ever had two weeks off before a major? Has that been helpful in refreshing and things like that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It is refreshing. No, I don't think I've had two weeks off, but just the way the schedule is this year, I really didn't have a choice. We have to play certain events every four years, and this year I have events I have to play. It puts a little kink in my plan, but I really don't play more than two or three in a row. So this is the only way I could do it.

RHONDA GLENN: Annika, thanks so much for joining us again. We'll see you later this week.

End of FastScripts.