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GINN TRIBUTE HOSTED BY ANNIKA

May 30, 2007

Annika Sorenstam

MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA

THE MODERATOR: Annika, it's good to see you, good to have you back. What has it been like, your last tournament was the Kraft Nabisco, but to make the comeback at your own tournament?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: The feeling is great. I'm happy to be back on tour. It's been a little weird to be away for a while in the middle of the season. You know, obviously I'm extremely excited to be able to come back to this tournament, of all events.
I'm in good spirits. I'm looking forward to a wonderful week.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Annika.

Q. How are you feeling? Is your swing full? Any effects from the injury still remaining?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, my injury is getting better. I went from a badly ruptured disc to a mildly ruptured disc. You know, I'm not a hundred percent and probably won't be for a while.
Right now, hitting balls is not going to make it any worse. I made some great progress the last I think it's about 50 days since I had my first MRI. I've come a long ways. Like I said, I'm happy to be back.
I cannot hit as many balls as I used to. I'm trying to avoid the rough, just trying to hit it straight down the fairway. I'm probably swinging about 85% of what I normally can. I still have some weakness in my right side. Like I said, I'm going to focus on the positive. I'm happy to be back. Give me a few weeks and I hope to be up there again.

Q. Did you rush back to play in this tournament or would you have waited a few more weeks?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I wouldn't have waited. Like I said, I made some great progress. The doctor actually gave me thumbs up last week. I took that week off just to kind of start playing again. I've only been on the course for about a week. Today was actually my first 18 holes. Today the goal was to finish 18. I managed my first goal.
But, like I said, it's going to take time. Just got to be patient. I'm continuing to do the rehab exercises. I'm doing a little bit more cardio, not as much weights. It's just going to take time.

Q. Are you fully committed to playing next week or are you going to use this week to judge whether you're ready to play?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, my intentions are to play next week. I'm going to try and follow the schedule I had in mind earlier in the year. We'll see how things go. If I feel the way I do right now, I'm going to continue to play.
Like I said, golf is part of my rehab. I just have to be patient. The key for me is trying to avoid the unexpected, which is hitting a rut or walking in a hole, something like that. Regular golf shots, I should be fine.

Q. When a tournament has your name on it, how is it different for you throughout the week, obligations, commitments that you have, than a normal week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: There are a lot of differences. I mean, first of all, when you drive in here, I saw a lot of signs (laughter). It's tough to miss it.
Obviously I feel honored to be the host. It's flattering when you see the name everywhere. It's kind of a little different feeling. When it comes to obligations, I feel like it's a busy week. I'm a lot more involved in the event. I think I look at things a little differently than just kind of walking down the fairway; now I want to make sure that we all have drinks on the tees. You look around, make sure spectators...
It's just functional. I think I'm more part of the organization and the way things are kind of working. I did this in Sweden the last two years and I've done well. So far so good.

Q. With you obviously not being able to play golf or practice the way you wanted to, how did you fill up that time? Was it relaxing? Maddening not to be able to go do what you usually do?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know what, I actually had a good time. I enjoyed being at home. It was almost like I had an off-season. I've had two off-seasons in just six months.
I've been busy. I've been working a lot with the academy. I've been working on some golf course design projects. Time flies. I really don't know what I've done other than staying busy every day. The rehab takes some time. It's probably an hour and a half, then hit some putts, chip a little bit. It's taken all day long.
Like I said, I've not been bored at all. As a matter of fact, I've enjoyed it. Then again, I realized once I got out here again, I did miss it a little bit.

Q. You're used to performing at a high level. Arguably when you're healthy, you're the best women's golfer in the world. You may not be able to play at that level this week. How hard is that as a competitor when you know what you're capable of doing and you might not be able to do it this week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's a very good question. I think that's going to be the hardest because I am so competitive and I have high expectations. But I keep telling myself and my caddie, we come here, who knows what's going to happen. I hit some good shots today, but I'm not hitting it as far. I have to be a lot more conservative off the tee. I'm hitting for the center of the green. It's going to take a lot of patience - even more than probably a major championship.
Right now I think I just got to think positive than say five weeks ago I wasn't even hitting balls. It's all going in the right direction. I just have to remind myself of that all the time.

Q. When did you start thinking about being a host for a tournament and how did that process go from the time it was first an idea until the time they told you you had a tournament?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say it was a long time ago. I started with a tournament in Europe, in Sweden. Already after the first year I was thinking maybe I can do this on the LPGA. The idea has been in the back of my mind for quite some time.
With my partnership with Bobby Ginn, everything just kind of fell into place. Here we are. Like I said, I'm thrilled to be the host. I look forward to many, many good years here.

Q. You lost the No. 1 ranking to Lorena. Do you have the motivation to be No. 1 again? Is that a driving force for you now?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Right now, I mean, I think I have some other things on my mind. I just want to get back on tour and play full-time. I want to be able to play my game up to a hundred percent. We'll see where that goes.
Like I said, my expectations are a lot lower. I have to be patient. I think for me to come out here and start thinking about No. 1, I think I'm just hurting myself. Like I said, I got to take one day at a time and see how it goes.

Q. How have you been able to manage your life, which includes a lot more business interests than when you were younger? How has it gone managing all of that in addition to the golf?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it's going well. I love my life. I love the stuff I'm doing. Things are going well on the course and off the course. So far so good.

Q. You said you are enjoying life so much outside the golf course. Do you see an end to the tunnel now, retirement?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't think I will ever retire. I don't know if you're talking about golf, the competitive level. No, I haven't really thought about it. Like I said, I enjoy what I'm doing. I think this setback right now just kind of gave me a little bit different perspective. Right now I'm just trying to focus on getting healthy, a hundred percent, then we'll go from there.
I've always enjoyed the competition and I still do.

Q. Could you comment on this golf course, what condition it's in, some of the better holes, what you like about it.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I must say this is a golf course that's growing on me. I played a few holes on Monday. The conditions then, they were a little different than today. It was a little bit drier. I felt like the fairways was a little bit firmer, and so were the greens.
Yesterday I played nine holes. It was a little softer. But today I thought the course was in better shape. I think they watered the fairways and the greens overnight. It was a little softer. It felt like the first two days, didn't really matter where you hit the drive, they all end up in the same place. Today I felt like I was playing really good.
It's a fun golf course. I think the challenges are out there. We have some interesting greens, the shape of them. You have to work the ball off the tee. It's a good golf course.

Q. Could you comment on the field. All the other players are saying they're here for you. Heck of a field.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It is. It is a great field. Somebody said the top 50 are here. Doesn't get much better than that. No, I'm excited about the field. I think it shows that the support that Bobby is giving to the LPGA, good golf course, it's going to be a fantastic week.

Q. Do you foresee a day where someone can dominate the way you did? Do you foresee doing that again? Do you think it's good for the LPGA they've had so many first-time winners this season?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think I'm going to start with the second question.
I just think we're seeing a lot of new faces. We're seeing a new generation joining the tour. I think just the depth is there. It's just a lot more competitive. I think that's good for the game. I think the players are a lot better today than they were maybe 10 years ago. It's a lot tougher to win out here today.
It's tough to foresee the future, if somebody is going to dominate the tour. We have some great talent out there. Wouldn't surprise me. Lorena is playing fantastic now. If you see the teenagers, the ones in their early 20s, they have some great futures ahead of themselves. We'll see what happens.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you all for coming in.

End of FastScripts

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