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GINN OPENApril 11, 2007Annika SorenstamREUNION, FLORIDA DANA GROSS-RHODE: I want to thank everyone for coming in. Annika, thank you for joining us. You have had a busy week to say the least for sure. You're getting ready for your academy to open next Monday, you're getting ready to play the Ginn open and you're also today announcing that you are going to be a national ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, so congratulations. Talk about everything that's on your plate right now. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, thank you. Obviously it's been a hectic few months but everything is coming together and I'm very, very excited about that. I'm very proud of these different little business ventures that are all coming alive. Just to talk a little about the announcement that's been made today with Make-A-Wish. It's just something that I'm very, very thrilled about and very excited and honored that I can represent such a great organization. So I'm looking forward to working with them a little bit closer and obviously would like to grant a wish here and there. It's an exciting time and I'm very happy about that. Q. Just wondering with the way Lorena played last year, and you've been on top for so long on Tour, do you relish the opportunity that she is now making a strong -- someone is stepping up and really giving you a run for your money; do you relish that opportunity to beat that challenge? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I'm not really sure I do. I love to play, I love to compete and Lorena is having a fantastic year, and definitely last season. I'm focusing on what I'm doing. I love all of the things that I'm involved in, and right now I'm just trying to focus on my own game. I've never really felt like I needed somebody to push me. I push myself enough. Is it fun with the competition? I love it. Like I said, Lorena is playing excellent, and she's won a lot more tournaments in the last year than I have. Q. Can you recall a time when you had someone pushing you as much as she is right now? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, Karrie and Se Ri, and then when I started in '94, '95, I was chasing a lot of people at the time. So, no, I definitely remember. Q. But it's been quite some time, like you said a few years. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I wouldn't say that. I would say every year it's been different players. But, you know, for a while, it was Se Ri and Karrie and myself. You know, it's been Lorena and Paula had a great year two years -- well, not two years, but like the previous year, '05. It's always different players. I mean, I always feel the competition. I always feel I have to play my best to have a chance to win. Q. You haven't played in Rochester too often lately but last year, the officials walked the course and looked for ways to lengthen that golf course. Just wondering what your view is that it seems to be a trend across golf that you have to make golf courses longer; where do you stand on that issue? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I just think with the equipment and the way the players are getting better, with the fitness especially, I think we are all getting better, pros and amateurs. I see the trend as well and it's something that happens. I do want to say that the courses. You know, they are really tough without lengthening it. You can always make them narrow. You can have smaller greens. You can have firmer greens. There are ways to do it without lengthening them. I want to say when it comes to the LPGA and longer courses, we are getting better. We are hitting it further. The competition is better. The younger players are stronger. I think it's a national progression and it's good. Q. You're rebuilding a golf course, you have the Academy on the back of the range, you've got to play this week, you've got your own tournament that's going to be starting a few weeks down the road, how is the juggling going? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: So far I haven't dropped a ball yet. But no, like I said earlier, I'm at a stage in my life where I'm very, very happy. I love doing all of these things. It's time for me to give back to the game. I think I'm in a position where I can do that. The Academy is a way for me to build a platform for people to be part of sharing my passion, my knowledge of golf and fitness. The golf course design is something totally new. I'm starting to use a different part of my brain, a little imagination and trying to create something from all of the courses I've seen from around the world. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, like I said it's great for me to be able to give back and I'm living a dream and these kids have dreams. I can't think of a more natural association to be part of. So, yes, I am juggling, but I love it. Q. Have you talked to anybody, other players who have sort of been doing multiple things business-wise while they have been active players for tips or shortcuts or advice on how to sort of, you're serving almost two or three masters simultaneously here. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say that it's just kind of like golf when I started. I looked at different players and saw different strengths. I never had one person that I had totally admired from top-to-toes, you know what I mean. I always saw like Greg Norman had the power; Ballesteros had the charisma; same thing with Nancy; Jack Nicklaus, the way he played. It's just something that I picked up here and there from a lot of players. Same here. I look around and see what they are good at and think, "Hmm, what can I do to get better in that area." Or, "Look at that person, he or she is very good at that." So I try to look at a lot of different people. Q. Also making the transition into the outside tough stuff as well? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's that I mean. Q. You just talked about fitness a few minutes ago, from the time you came on Tour, can you give us some examples of how fitness has become more prevalent among the players on the LPGA Tour? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think it's a big difference. It's so competitive here now that you have to be good in all of the different areas. It's not just about hitting a long wedge. You have to stay in shape. The seasons get longer. Now we have tournaments in December. If you want to stay out here longer, you have to prevent injuries. There's so many reasons why you should work out. I'm glad to see that. Golf is a sport and now we all train like it. Q. Are the fitness trailers full now, where when you first started you could go and get in on any machine you wanted, any examples like that? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I do know that every week now I see notes in the locker where it says, you know, these gyms are available for you. I don't remember that when I came out. I don't think anybody asked if there was any gyms in the neighborhood but now there's one or two signs every week. Q. You mentioned Nancy Lopez and she's in the field this week. Can you share some of your memories of Nancy? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, how much time do we got? (Laughter) I mean, I think we all know that Nancy has done so much for women's golf. I had the opportunity to play with her a few times as a rookie and the last, whatever it is, 13 years. I have a lot of fond memories of my time with Nancy, and she's as competitive as it gets. And one example I have that comes to my mind right now is when I played with her in Canada. It was my first or my second year. We were about 185 yards from the pin and she hit this beautiful 5-iron, and, you know, she was so into it. She kept saying, "Go in," and the ball had only gone like ten yards. She was just so into it. I admired her for that. Once the ball landed she walked over to a fan and started talking and smiling, and I said, wow, this is pretty cool. Q. Wanted to ask you a question about the girl MacKenzie Kline you gave a sponsor's exemption to, how all of that came to pass. I know you two had met months, if not years earlier, in a parking lot when she hit you up or an autograph or something, and why you felt it was important to give a sponsor exemption to someone like her. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I admire what she's done. She's had some challenges in her life and just kind of worked past those. I think she's very inspiring for anybody. You know, her dream is to play on the LPGA, and you know, I've met her many years ago, which I was reminded of, but then I played with her last year in the fall, nine holes. You know, just to see her again, she has matured a lot. Obviously her game has become very, very, she's a very good player and with her determination, I just felt like, you know, this is a dream for her. If I have the chance to be able to fulfill that, I would love to do it, and the opportunity came. So there you have it. Q. I know the circumstances were different with what Morgan did a couple weeks ago, but do you think one day that people might look at that as maybe a turning point for the LPGA (as compared to what Tiger did on the men's tour)? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it's going to be a change for Morgan, that's for sure. For the Tour that's obviously very tough to say today. I think we have had several turning points in the development of the LPGA at the moment that's been a lot more important than that. I would say it definitely will kickstart her career, even though she's had some great success in amateur circles and almost won the U.S. Open. But to win that tournament is obviously huge and I think that's going to carry her a long ways. Q. Can you talk about the decision process of deciding when to diversify, and whether or not you think you're leading a more fulfilling life than you did, say, five years ago when you were just focused solely on golf? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I just think we all go through transitions in life where you just feel like there's certain things that is important to you and when you look back at certain things you've done, something comes back and says, you know, that's something I really enjoyed or that's something that really is important to me. I've been on Tour for 13 years and I feel like I've achieved so much. You know, it's time right now and it's probably started a year and a half or maybe two years ago where I felt I'm lucky to be where I am and here is my chance to give back. And I want to do more than just play competitive golf. The time -- we all know we're all going to quit eventually, but when is the time, I'm not really sure. But I wanted to be prepared for the next phase of my life and I'm one of those people that loves to do a lot of things. So rather than just finish my career and then start thinking, okay, what do I do now, I already have these visions, I already have these dreams; so I wanted to plant a seed. Now I'm starting to see the fruit. Q. What are one of the things that you will add over the course of the next couple of months or years? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have some more dreams and I have some more visions. This is kind of what I have now and I think this is plenty for me. But no, I love to -- I think there's a lot more that I've love to get involved in, and, you know, golf course design is definitely something that is just growing really fast. I've got several opportunities that I haven't agreed on yet but I can see it down the road as something I want to expand, which is a lot of fun, and then we'll see how the Academy goes. You know, everything has to do with golf and it's fun because like I said, I can share my knowledge about the game and give back. Q. You can do what Nancy does, come back when you're 50 and play. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I guess there are many options, yeah. (Laughter). Q. Some derogatory comments were made about the Rutgers women's basketball team. I'm sure you heard about them -- ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I haven't. Q. Okay. Never mind. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Sorry. (Laughter). Q. Talk about how the course is playing for you guys. ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it's a little longer than last year. It's in great shape again. We have some greens are quite firm, maybe a little softer after the rain but when I played Monday they were quite firm. You know, it's all about putting the ball on the right side of the pin on the back nine. I think on the front nine, it's key to drive it well, to take advantage of the par 5s. The two nines are very different, that's for sure. Overall I think the tournament has grown tremendously. You can see the difference from last year and obviously this building has made a huge impact on the event. It's first-class. Q. You've been a victim of sexism in the past, do you think there's a lot of sexism in the sport media and in sport today? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it's everywhere. I really don't feel like I've been -- I don't know if you're referring to the Colonial maybe -- but that didn't last very long. By the end of the week, I think I turned some people's heads realizing that I'm a golfer, I have dreams, and I want to get better. I think really that's what a lot of people saw in the end. Q. Does it make you mad when women athletes are portrayed in a certain way that are sexist? ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it makes me mad. There's nothing I can do. I'm lucky to be where I am. I feel like I've come a long ways. I think performance and just being passionate about something is going to change that long term. DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you all for coming in. Annika, good luck this week, and congratulations on your affiliation with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. End of FastScripts |
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