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SIME DARBY LPGA MALAYSIAOctober 9, 2013Suzann PettersenKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA Q. I would like to welcome in Suzann Pettersen, Rolex Rankings No.2 into the media center on Wednesday here at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Thanks for coming in. Now, technically you're coming off back‑to‑back wins, but they've been a little spread out and you've had some time off. Talk about how you're feeling coming into this week after having some time off after your huge win at Evian. SUZANN PETTERSEN: Obviously Evian was a great result off quite a big stretch. I played a lot of golf from middle of July to pretty much through Evian, so I was desperate for some rest and some recovery and just some downtime at my home in Florida. So it's been‑‑ obviously it's nice to look back and know that you've accomplished and played great golf. It was really nice to have enough weeks where you could actually recover and then kind of put in the work to prepare for a big stretch here in Asia again. It's always great to come here. I've done well in Asia in the past, and I hope this can kind of kick‑start a good next three weeks for me. Q. I'm sure there was some celebration after the Evian win. Win No.2 in terms of majors for you. Where does it stand in your long list of accomplishments? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, I just think there are certain events on our schedule that kind of ranks higher than others. Obviously the majors are kind of the premier events. Evian has always been a premier event on the schedule. In my mind it's been the fifth major before it got the status, and it's always been on my bucket list to once be able to put my name on that trophy together with another‑‑ well, a lot of other great, great golfers. So I'm proud to have accomplished that. I can kind of check that off my bucket list. To win there was very special, obviously being European, winning majors in Europe feels even better. Now I've won two majors. They've been two different events, and now I have one more goal is to win one of each major, so I have three more to go. Q. Talk about the last month and a half. You've had two wins. You had your charity event, which I've heard was extremely successful. You came back and forth. Has this stretch been kind of the best on and off the course stretch of your career in terms of everything falling into place and having things going so well? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I don't know. I don't think anything happens‑‑ I think everything happens for a reason. I know I've been putting in a lot of hard work. Good results doesn't come for free. There's a lot of hours, sweat and ups and downs leading up to it. You never really know when that's going to click, so when you're on a roll you'd better just enjoy it and try to make the most out of it. You never how long it's going to last or how you're going to do, but I mean, it's really fun to go out and play and feel like you're in kind of a scoring mode. You feel like you can kind of‑‑ even on a bad day you can kind of get away with a decent score and put yourself in a position where you're able to win. I think starting it off was the Solheim Cup. It was a fantastic week for Europe. We had a fantastic team, a great victory, and that kind of kick‑started it all, and we kind of all‑‑ I think it's been a great fall for the rest of the team, as well. We've had several of the European players that have won since, so I think we've all kind of managed to stay on that high. After Evian, even the week of Evian, I was really, really tired, and I just managed to get the last bit of adrenaline and energy out of the body. I'm not 18 anymore. Sometimes you've just got to take a couple of weeks' rest and try to recover. Q. I talked to Jess and Sandra last week in China. They both played in your charity event, and they said if golf doesn't work out somehow for Suzann, she could be an LPGA tournament director because they said it was so amazing, so well run. Talk about Suzann Pro Challenge, what it serves and how much money you guys ended up raising? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Obviously it feels like I've gotten to this point in my career and I'm getting old enough to understand how fortunate and lucky I've been to do what I do. I feel I've learned so many great lessons through the game of golf, and one thing is like to give back. Another one of my dreams has always been to have my own charity event. So this was the second year of the Suzann Pro Challenge. I had seven fantastic players joining me, and I can't thank them enough. I had Jessica Korda and Paula Creamer from the U.S.; I had Sandra Gal and Beatriz Recari from Europe; I had Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato from Asia; and then I had myself and another Norwegian girl. And together they created a fantastic atmosphere for the amateurs. They were unbelievable during the auction dinner. I don't think‑‑ this is what makes LPGA so different from other tours. I think obviously you can tell that sex sells in a lot of ways. Girls can kind of have a lot of fun, kind of selling themselves in a different way. But they just give so much from themselves and kind of let everyone get to know them, and they're so pleasant, and a lot of great friends together, that's going to create a great atmosphere. We managed to raise almost $200,000 U.S., which is a lot of money back home, and the charity is Right to Play. I'm pretty proud ambassador of Right to Play, which is an organization that gives kids around the world literally a right to play, just go out and be kids and learn through activities and play, different lessons in life. It's always very nerve wracking when you kind of invite great friends, competitors, people you respect, and I know how I kind of expect things to be when I go places, so I kind of know the level of expectations and what they kind of need. Being a hostess is definitely a lot more nerve wracking than walking down 18 at Evian because you just want to make sure they're happy, they have everything, and I'm just really glad they enjoyed it. Q. Talk about giving back. You and Michelle did a Nike clinic yesterday. Run us through what went down here yesterday, growing the game in Malaysia, taking junior kids out on the West Course? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, together with Nike we had a little demonstration for youth and kids, I think even from around the region here. They came and we played a couple of holes with them. I think it's important as much as we travel to showcase our skills and kind of share our experiences and help grow the grass‑roots around the world. I just want to see as many kids as possible get an introduction to this fantastic game that has given me so much over the years. Yesterday was just another great day where you can kind of get a little bit closer to the kids so you can talk to them and kind of maybe give them a few tips here and there. Q. Have you played the course yet, and last time it rained a lot, and now it's really hot, so I'm sure the course is playing a bit differently. How do you think it will play for the next four days? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, at this moment the greens are a little bit firmer than they usually are, so that's going to be kind of the major difference, I think. I mean, you never know. I'm sure over the four days we're going to play, I'm sure we're going to have some kind of rain delay. It's very unusual for us not to have it. But the course is in great shape. Greens are rolling good. No complaints. The course is always in good shape here. Q. What do you take away from playing in Asia? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I don't know. I mean, when I've looked at my stats and kind of the success I've had over the years, I've done really well in Asia. I just think‑‑ I love coming here. I've really tried to embrace it. I've really tried to enjoy it and look at it as it's just another opportunity. I think I've had almost half my wins in Asia, so it's kind of been a good place for me and I can bring back good memories. But overall I think really just try to embrace it and enjoy it because life can be a lot tougher than what we have it. Q. Is there some quality or something in Asia that helps you? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I don't know. I mean, I don't know if it's the food or the water or whatever, but something just seems to appeal for me quite well down here. Like I said, I mean, this is usually a good time of the year for me. I usually have a strong fall. This year the kind of strong performance came a little earlier than it usually does, so hopefully I can keep it going. Coming off a three‑week stretch I'm looking forward to getting into competitive mode and looking forward to feeling the pressure on the body a little bit. Q. What is the women's golf scene in Norway like? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, obviously golf is a big growing sport. The season is quite limited. If you're lucky, early May, out September, so it's a fairly short season. But I mean, this summer I was up north, and it's just spectacular. We played midnight golf. At midnight it was pretty much as light as this and we were out playing golf. It's just 24/7 daylight. It's quite unique, and it kind of brings back a lot of the reasons why I started. You go out with friends, you have fun, you enjoy yourself, and just being out and about. We have some great championship courses. We also have some spectacular kind of courses with the scenery. But overall I just hope to see more and more kids get introduced to the game of golf so we can kind of compete with more of the major sports back home, which is skiing, football and all that. Q. What is your best memory from Malaysia? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, I haven't won here, so that's definitely not my memory. I just love coming here. It's very international. People speak great English, fantastic food, great hotels. I mean, coming to Malaysia, Singapore, this region of the world is‑‑ I like it. And the heat and kind of humidity, my body seems to function a lot better in that than the cold and rainy parts of the world. Q. (Inaudible.) SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, it wouldn't surprise me if we'd get a shower now or two. We're pretty used to it down here, and we don't expect not to have it. You're prepared for everything. Obviously it's been fantastic days early in the week, so we'll see. Q. What is your opinion about International Crown? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, I think International Crown is a fantastic event. You know, they're trying to create more of a team feel, a national feel, where people can compete with a flag on their chest and represent their own countries. At this moment there's eight teams that will qualify. Norway is not even close, so I guess I will be cheering on from the side line, and hopefully may the best team win. Q. Last year you had the best round of the tournament, 64 in the second round. Is there any reason why the last round you had a 75, which is not the best round? Does it make a difference to you whether you start playing in the morning or in the afternoon? SUZANN PETTERSEN: No, but last year was a little bit tough for me because I came (inaudible) effective, but obviously if people are playing well you can help each other get on a roll, and hopefully if someone is on a downward spiral you can kind of break it and change the momentum. I mean, we're all pretty competitive out here. Once you step on that tee you try to put together the lowest score possible. But obviously it's nice to play with good competitors. Q. Speaking of Inbee and bringing Stacy into the mix and competing with each other, you guys are ranked 1, 2, 3 in Vare Trophy, official money, Rolex Rankings. Talk about the three of you having won all the majors, also, this year, kind of just competing back and forth and being the pinnacle at the top of the women's game right now. SUZANN PETTERSEN: I just think there's so many great golfers out here. I'm really just trying to become the best I can be. I feel like my best golf is still ahead. I've played some fantastic golf this season, pretty much for the last 12 months I've played really consistent golf. I think I've won six, seven tournaments. So it's been a good run for me. But I think we all make each other better. You look at each other's strengths, weaknesses, and you kind of‑‑ for me it's more of a making sure the weakest part of my game is kind of always getting better every day. Since the U.S. Open where I missed the cut, which was a huge disappointment, which has kind of been the only kind of disappointment throughout the last year, it was a reality check, and I had to kind of look myself in the mirror and say where is the hurdle for me. I had to structure my putting and how I practice it and just put in the hours. I know it's boring work, but it's not boring when you win tournaments. Having done that, it also gave me a lot of confidence looking out on the course knowing that you've kind of prepared as good as you can. Q. Do you have a swing coach and a mental coach that help you throughout the year? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I have all kinds of coaches. I'm a nut case. I mean, I'm not the easiest one to work with. I have people to help me on all kind of aspects, but I think at the end of the day you've got to believe in what you do, you've got to trust what you do, and you kind of have to start owning what you do. That's how you play your best golf pretty much. But it's always nice to have a team around you that can help you and kind of push you every day, make the practices better. Like I said, I feel I've touched parts of where I feel my game should be towards the last three months, and that's kind of what I'm striving for. Q. You say I'm not the easiest person to work with. What is it that makes it difficult? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I'm tough on myself and I'm tough on people around me. When it comes to golf, it's like I just want to be the best I can be, and that's sometimes been a hurdle for me, as well, that I'm almost too tough. I remember probably the best advice I've ever been given is I met Kathy Whitworth at Nabisco five or six years ago, and I was sitting having dinner, and she was having dinner at the table next to me, and I walked over and I was just really surprised to see them next to me, so I was kind of a little bit‑‑ not star struck, but it was like, you have so much respect for these girls and what they've done. She stood up, and she goes‑‑ she looked me in the eye and gave me a nice handshake, and she's got the biggest hands I've ever kind of felt. My hand felt so small, and she looked me in the way, and she said, don't ever let the passion get in your way. It's so true. She doesn't even know me but that's probably what she could see from the outside. That's probably what I've changed the most, I've tried to be a lot more laid back, and that's probably what you see more. I've tried to be more relaxed and have fun on the golf course. It's really tough for me, but I am trying. Q. You mentioned that you were with the youngsters yesterday. Have you seen an improvement in the times that you've been coming here? It's a long way away before Malaysia will have somebody on the LPGA Tour? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, there's so many great girls in different programs down here. I wouldn't be surprised if you see a couple of them joining the Tour within the next three to five years. I think in general you see all these youngsters coming up from around the world, I mean, there are 14, 15, and age doesn't really matter anymore. They come out and they're fearless. I've been competing against Lydia Ko now a couple of times now, the last couple events coming down the stretch, and they ain't going anywhere. They're just going to push it to the very limit, and you have to play the best to beat them. I mean, I don't feel like I'm that old, but playing with them, you kind of feel‑‑ Q. Are you surprised that she hasn't turned pro yet? SUZANN PETTERSEN: No, not really. I mean, what is she, 16? I mean, 16, let her have some fun. She's obviously good enough to be out, but I think there's a lot more commitments than just playing golf once you turn pro. You'll have a different responsibility and there's a lot of other things that will be asked from you. And I think she's in no rush. She has the future ahead of her, and I think she's proved to everyone that she's good enough to be out there. I wouldn't kind of push her to turn pro. She says she wants to go to school, and I hope she does, but you never know. Q. You mentioned about your next (inaudible) but what about the Olympics? SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, for sure, Olympics is in three years' time. Time goes by very fast. It's not long ago, back in 2010, when golf was kind of‑‑ came back on the program, and we felt like, that's in six years, feels like forever. That's coming up very close. For me it would be a highlight to compete in the Olympics. I never thought I would as a golfer, but there's a lot to be played and a lot of tournaments to be won before that. It's nice to have like a long‑term goal but also have goals that's kind of closer to kind of the present time and that can kind of drive you every day. Q. How long do you expect to play competitively? SUZANN PETTERSEN: No, I'm not going to play forever. I'm 32 at this point, and I've said to myself that the path looks very clear to me through Olympics, then I'm 35. Who knows what status is at the age of 35. Who knows. You might be dominating among other great golfers. Most importantly if the health stays and I feel like I can put down the hours. I don't really see a finishing line, but I can tell you like I've told everyone else, there's different stuff that I want to do in life. I'm not going to play golf forever. I'm just really trying to enjoy it while it lasts, and everything has got to come to an end, but I'm not really seeing that finishing line clear yet, but I ain't going to play past 40, that's for sure. Q. What other things would you like to do apart from golf? SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, I would like to have a family. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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