home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 6, 2006

Annika Sorenstam

HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND

PAUL ROVNAK: We'll go ahead and get started. Annika, thanks for coming in and speaking with us. Always appreciate your time. This is a special week for you. You're the three time defending champion, you also have nine career Majors.

So if you win this week it will be your 10th major and it would also be the four peat at McDonald's. No one has ever won four McDonald's in a row. So talk about this week and then we'll take some questions.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm very happy to be here. This could be an historical week, so I'm excited about that opportunity. But I think I'm just going to try and focus on the things that I control, which is what I keep on saying is one day at a time, one shot at a time. But I'm definitely aware of what's on stake this week, so excited about the opportunity for sure.

PAUL ROVNAK: We'll go ahead and take questions.

Q. Annika, Michelle Wie yesterday, 300 media members following her around, she's on the cover of the New York Times today, yet she's never won a tournament. What do you see as her value to the LPGA Tour and what is the relationship between you, some of the other members of the Tour and her? Are there any negative feelings there because she hasn't paid her dues yet?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, that was a lot of questions in one question.

(Laughter.)

What was the first one?

Q. What's her value to the Tour?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Value? Well, I think she's very valuable. I think she has proven that over and over. You mentioned a lot of media people out there yesterday, you said about a lot of people. Obviously she has an interest and people love to see that. So I think that's the value to the LPGA. There's no doubt people come and watch her play. I think that's very positive.

The other ones, me and my relationship to the younger players?

Q. And Michelle specifically, is there any negative feeling towards Michelle because she hasn't paid her dues yet, yet she's attracting so much, she's a media icon, she's a marketing icon, she's making all this money, yet she hasn't won anything yet.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think that she's making the headlines because of her potential. I think there's no doubt about that.

The potential is there and I'm sure the expectations are there. She brings a lot of attention to the game, to women in general. That's just very positive. And that's the way I look at it.

I guess I consider her as I put her in the same group as the other young ones. I'm excited about the future for the LPGA. It's very bright. They're very talented. They have a lot to offer. A lot of young, cute, attractive, I think it's very good for the Tour.

Q. Where do you think your game is right now compared to this day a year ago?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Compared to?

Q. A year ago?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A year ago? Well, obviously I'm not as happy with the season as I was last year when I come into this event.

I can't really pinpoint what it is, other than that I haven't performed as well. I'm making still a lot of birdies, but I'm making a ton of bogeys. And it's been tough for me to score that way.

So I'm disappointed how this season has kind of started, but it's a tough game. I just got to keep on playing and the only thing I can do is work through it.

Q. Your answer was more about results. I was curious about the way you feel you're swinging the club.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, the feeling? I feel good about my game. That's the funny part, is I go out there and I feel as good as ever and when I'm done after 18 holes the results are not there. So you know, I guess I feel disappointed because it feels good.

Q. We have had the last two winners from South Korea, six of 13 events this season from South Korea. Yeah, I wonder, what are you seeing it's more than a trend at this point, what is making them so strong out here and is that good for the game in this country?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think what makes them good players is their work ethic. I haven't seen anything like it.

You come early in the morning and you see a lot of Korean players putting or hitting balls. You leave in the afternoon or evening, they're still hitting or chipping or hitting balls. They work extremely hard. I think a lot of them are perfectionists in the way that they take their lessons very seriously, they can really repeat their swings. They're just very good that way.

I've seen them work out in the gym. You tell them one thing and they can do it right away and they just work hard and they're very, very committed. And if you do that, you're going to produce some great results. And that's what you're seeing. That's what they they're very consistent and they don't make a lot of mistakes.

Q. Is that good for the game in this country?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I guess time will tell. I think we get I don't think we need to separate players from really where they're from. I think you should look at the players and say, hey, you know, she can play and she can also play.

This Tour and the level of golf is getting better and better. That is good for golf. That's good for women. That's good for everybody.

Q. The answer you gave on the first part almost sounded like you were describing yourself. Do you think that what they do is a response to the standard that you set or do you think it's more of a cultural thing?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think that's a tough question for me to answer. But I do want to say culture wise, their work ethic is very, very good. You see that all over the board. You see a lot of them. We don't have as many Swedes as we have Koreans out here, but there's a lot of players with good work ethic.

Q. There's a couple other players that have kind of emerged this year as leaders. Is it good for the game, is it good for you personally to have a rival develop to push you a little bit harder and maybe promote the sport a little bit more?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: The last part?

Q. Would it give you more motivation and also maybe help promote the sport?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I've been around for awhile. You know, I don't think that their success is going to change the way I look at things. I've given it a very good run for the last six years. I've given it all. I've been this is my 11th, 12th year and Tour. So like I said earlier, I just think the players are getting better, everybody's working harder, they're getting fitter, we're getting a new generation with a lot of energy, with great games. And that's what's good for the game.

I'm just one little part of it. And obviously I've enjoyed the last few years and I hope to continue to do so.

Q. How did the course play today and versus last year out here? Any major changes that you noted with the course? And how are you going to change your game to go with that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I'm not going to change my game very much. I think I played pretty good last year and hopefully I can do the same thing this year. When it comes to the golf course, they have lengthened a few holes, the fifth and the ninth that I can remember off the top of my head.

Both for me that will put the driver in play, rather than maybe hitting a 4 wood off the tee. It didn't seem like we got a lot of roll today, so you can be a lot more aggressive off the tee. We'll see what the weather will bring us the next few days and see what the course will do.

If the greens will firm up it's going to be a little tougher. You have to kind of play a little bit more release and that's when you get the undulations on the greens that makes it a lot tougher.

Q. As far as the weather goes, how do you feel this year? A little cooler out here versus last year, comfort wise, it was pretty hot last year.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, today was beautiful. I love mid 70, a little breeze, partly cloudy, kind of where I come from, it's pretty nice. So we'll see if it lasts or whatever we'll get. Last year was quite hot, so just totally different contrast to playing the course.

Q. When Karrie was inducted into the Hall of Fame last November it seemed after her past couple years it was almost kind of the capping her career in a way. Did you see this coming, this season for her and what difference is it you see in her right now?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think the difference that I'm seeing is she seems a lot more confident. She's got a little bit of an attitude in a good way out there. And it seems like she's believing in herself a little bit more. Karrie's had a fantastic career and she is still only, I don't know what, she's 29, 30, so I think it was to be expected to see her come back. It was just a matter of time.

Q. When Michelle decided to play the U.S. Open she talked about putting herself in an uncomfortable position to make her play better to get better and improve. I'm wondering when you played at Colonial, where did you feel most uncomfortable?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think, well, on the first tee I was quite nervous, I would say. I wasn't very comfortable in that situation. But after that you just play your own game. It just really doesn't matter where you are. You got to be able to block everything out and you just got to focus on the shot you're hitting. A coach of mine told me, remember, the ball doesn't know where you are, so just keep on hitting it.

I'm sure she was quite nervous and you learn from those situations. There's no doubt. I learned a lot from Colonial and it's just been very useful for me the last three years.

Q. When you played Colonial and all the men's tournaments Michelle's been playing, do you think that's good or bad for the women's game?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it hasn't hurt the women's game, I can tell you that. I think the LPGA is in the best state it's ever been. If you go back three years, that's when some women started playing with the men. So it's only enhanced it, I think.

Q. You kind of touched on it before with the opening statements, but personally to you what would a fourth title mean in this event particularly? And on a lighter note, are you getting tired of meeting up with Ronald McDonald on that final day at the end?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I don't mind meeting up with Ronald McDonald. I've always been a fan of him by the way. I think they do great stuff for charity. Obviously it would mean a lot and what I mean by that is just a lot of it is personal satisfaction. A lot of it is achieving a goal. A lot of it is doing something that nobody else has done.

So that's kind of what gets me going today, is the extra little challenge, the extra little hurdle I have to go through to make it. And I think that's what would mean a lot to me.

Q. By you playing in the Colonial and Michelle trying to play in the men's Open, is that going to help bring in a new type of fans to the LPGA, particularly younger girls and more men?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I guess time will tell that. I'm not really sure. But like I said, the LPGA is in a better state it's ever been. I think there are more people out there. I'm not sure if the young girls or guys, I'm not really sure who they are, but the interest level is getting better and better and I think that will brings fans.

Q. I read a comment from you a couple weeks ago about things are going perfect on the course, but off the course this is as happy as you've been in a while. I wonder if you could just discuss what it's been off the course that's making you happy, be it projects or whatever. Whatever you can share, without quoting any of the stuff, we want to hear?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I can tell you. I'll be happy to talk about a few stuff. I mean, obviously my divorce is behind me and now I'm working forward and there's a lot of positive things in my life, in that sense.

I'm working on different projects. I'm opening a golf school in less than a year. I've started to do some golf course design. I'm working on a fitness DVD. I have a lot of little projects on the side and that's keeping my interest level up there.

Not to say that it was really low, but I've been out here on Tour for a while and it's very tough to stay on top and it's tough to push yourself all the time and then all of a sudden I have something else to kind of catch my interest and I'm staying very busy with that.

I'm working with a guy to help me make Annika a brand. I'm trying to get into the business world. And it's a lot of fun. I'm a total beginner, but I'm learning a lot and it's another challenge that I'm looking forward to.

Q. The inevitable question with all that is not the distraction in a bad way, but are you spreading yourself out instead of just

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, that is the question. I get that a lot. I'm happy with what I'm doing. This is what's important to me at the moment. I want to wake up in the mornings and I want to be excited to do different stuff. If it's golf, if it's putting a business plan together or if it's hiring somebody for the school, I love that.

I think personally that there's a way that I can combine the two. That's what I'm working on. I still believe I can be the best out here and continue to have the success I've had doing the other stuff on the side.

Q. I hear you have a friendly rivalry with Tiger Woods. Do you have him on speed dial?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Speed dial? Um, he's in my phone, yeah. We talk once in a while.

Q. You mentioned Michelle and the young players, specifically Morgan Pressel. How much interaction have you had with Morgan and what do you see in her as a player and competitor?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I haven't spent too much time with Morgan. I haven't played with her this year. But we have the same sponsor, which is Callaway, and we have done a photo shoot together and I spent a little time with her there.

I like Morgan. I think she's fun. She has a lot of energy. And she's obviously very talented. I think she's proved that. But I think she's fun to be around. There's always something going with her, so she's another asset to the Tour, for sure.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you. Thank you, Annika.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Okay. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297