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SAFEWAY CLASSIC PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

August 17, 2011

Suzann Pettersen

NORTH PLAINS, OREGON

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Suzann Pettersen into the media room. Congratulations on your win in the Irish Open. Can you talk about that win and playing and I know how everything that had gone on the week before in Norway, two weeks before in Norway and your emotions, how was that victory for you?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: It was very nice to go home after the British to kind of get a feel and take part of all the ceremonies and all the memories of all of the people that got affected by this terror. I left -- it was a short week in Ireland. I kind of got in on Thursday night, got the job done, and flew home.
So it was a nice week. It was nice to see the course. It played a lot different from the previous years. So hopefully it's going to play more in a fast and hard way. That's going to be in our favor for the Solheim. Hopefully it's going to stay dry over there.
THE MODERATOR: What did you notice about the course, kind of looking ahead? Did you pay different attention to it knowing the kind of competition that will be on it in a few weeks?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: No, I mean, it's going to be so different when that time comes around. Everyone said, oh, this is going to be a huge advantage for you having played this well. But it's going to be so different.
Second of all, it's not about you. It's about the team. You have 11 teammates. It's all about getting the best out of each and every one.
So, like I said, it played a lot different this year to last year, and hopefully can stay firm, because I think it's going to be to the European's favor. I think it's going to be a huge crowd, huge crowd.
THE MODERATOR: Talk a little about going to those ceremonies back in Oslo. What was it like to be back home after such a tragedy, and what did you notice about the resiliency of the people?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: The incredible thing is just how everyone's kind of worked around this together. Everyone's just been supporting each other. One life lost is one too many for us or anywhere in the world, especially in Norway. We're only 5 million people, especially for all the kids that got affected. I mean, you heard stories of people who survived. It's just dreadful, to be honest, to hear the stories. You get goose bumps.
But the sad thing is you can't protect a society from crazy people. You can do a lot, but it's like individuals that are crazy, unfortunately, there are people like that out there. It's just I never expected to get those messages that stuff like that had happened at home. I think that was the most shocking one. For that many young people to lose their lives is dreadful.

Q. In this tournament, can you talk about the change at number 9?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, well, I was a bit surprised yesterday. We kind of decided yesterday just to bomb it out right. Give yourself a little bit of an angle. Then we were on No. 3 or 4 today, and I talked to some of the rules and they said well, it's going to be OB all the way right, so that kind of took that option out.
Today was from the back tee I hit a 3-wood, 6-iron, so that makes it a good par-4, but the way they changed 8 and 9 which was kind of two exciting holes where a huge change could be made, I think it's a bit sad because it was exciting. You could really make a move with three par-5s, all three reachable.
8 was a second shot to even get on the green, and if you missed it, it was not an easy up ask down. If you made three pars on 8, 9 and 10 last year, you felt like you dropped six shots.
Now, 9 is a good par-4, but if they play it off the forward tee, I don't know what you'll do. You might have to hit a 5-iron, especially with the OB right now. I guess they weren't thinking we were smart enough to hit it out right. I guess if we go right, they made it OB.

Q. Do you think you would have been able to hit it over the spectators' heads?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, sure. The carry from the back tee over that bunker from No. 1 is only 230, so it's really not in play. It would have been a great angle coming into that green. But I guess we've got to rule that out and play the traditional way.

Q. They're expecting temperatures in the 90s, which is kind of warm for Portland. Is that going to help or hurt up here this weekend?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: It's going to be nice. Get my tan lines back. Coming from tropical Norway, I mean, it's going to be. No, it's nice.
I don't think I've played in this kind of warm weather for quite a while. We played in Evian freezing, really. It was so cold, and the British is never warm. Irish was not really warm, so you really enjoy it when you can put your shorts on.

Q. Do you do anything special with Nike when you're here?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, we make a lot of new products, special products.

Q. You guys don't go meet?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, we had a few meetings. It's nice to catch up with all my friends here. Obviously the golf department is in Texas, but the rest of the gang is sitting right here in Portland.
It's nice to catch up and go over a few things. Look at apparel for next year, shoes for next year, and just get the latest updates. It kind of feels like a second home, Portland.

Q. You've played well in the two tournaments here. What is it about the course that fits your eye?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I don't know. I guess I've been lucky. I guess I've been unlucky. I've been close, but not too close at the end here. But it's a course you can really get it going especially with the par-5s. I think maybe a little bit different now with how it's played around the turn.
But there's plenty of birdies out there. The course is in good shape too. So the greens, you'll see people make putts.

Q. When you visit here, do you spend a lot of time getting out to Nike the at all? Because I know you have the Nike sponsorship, and the Nike belt buckle. Are you involved in designing clothes at all or that kind of stuff?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Like I said earlier, it's nice to be here where Nike's headquarters are. I think it's phenomenal when you go to campus. I mean, this is going to be the closest I'll ever get to college, so that's the feel I get.

Q. When you won a Match Play earlier this year, I think it was 20 months between wins. Can you talk about that time? Was it frustrating?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: At least I got that second win this year little shorter than 20 months.

Q. Yeah.
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Frustrating. I don't play to finish second, at the same time I can't complain about the previous years. I think my consistency has been phenomenal. I've given myself the chances.
The margins are small. Sometimes you win and you make the few putts you need to make at crucial times, other times you miss them, and that is the difference between first or second or third.
Whenever you have the opportunity, you've really got to grab it, because I don't think -- I think you see less players win multiple times out here because the level is just so good. So whenever you get a chance, you've just got to try to hold on to it.

Q. When you guys came last year, there were five of you sort of jockeying for number one. It seeps now Yani has a little separation. Do you feel like you're chasing her a little bit now?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: She seems to be peaking at every major, which seems to be a problem for the rest of us. She's just -- I mean, she's 22 years old. It's phenomenal what she's achieved already. All you've got to do is keep up with her, keep winning golf tournaments. That's the only way you can chase her down.
She's going to win her fair share through the year, and you've just got to make sure you get at least one or two or three wins a year.
So, I mean, she's pushing the bar. Like we had Annika who was a great, phenomenal number one. And Lorena was a very different number one, but they all kind of took golf to the next level. You wouldn't think it would be possible the way Annika played, but Lorena stepped it up and kind of made the rest of us work even harder, and Yani's doing it again. She's a great ambassador for women's golf.

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