	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

GINN CLUBS AND RESORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 17, 2006

Annika Sorenstam

STEVE BRENER: Thank you, everyone, for joining us today. Just a reminder of our announcement earlier today, Ginn Sports Entertainment, LLC announced today that the Ginn Clubs and Resorts will sponsor and stage its second LPGA tournament. The tournament will be the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika Sorenstam at the Arnold Palmer designed Rivertown Country Club Course at Belevedere Resort. The dates of our tournament are May 31 to June 3, 2007.
The announcement was made today by Ginn Clubs and Resorts president Bobby Ginn and LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. We also announced that the tournament will be run and operated by IMG. The purse will be $2.6 million, and the tournament will be televised nationally by NBC Sports.
It is my honor now to introduce to you all Annika Sorenstam, U.S. Open winner. And Annika, first question I'll throw at you, it must be a great feeling to have your own tournament.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, absolutely, Steve. I'm thrilled about this. It's something I've been wanting to do for quite some time and I think the timing is very appropriate.
And I think, you know, for me to have this event with Bobby Ginn and Ginn Clubs and resorts, which I'm already affiliated with, just makes a lot of sense, and to have IMG run it. So I'm very thrilled and to be able to come out with a purse of $2.6 million sends a big statement I think, and I'm just happy to be a part of it and grow the game and definitely the profile of the LPGA.
STEVE BRENER: The other piece, Annika is that there will be a player honored and saluted during ceremonies tournament week. Do you want to talk about that?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think that's a great addition to this event, and I think it's going to make if even more special. This is an opportunity for us to, you know, to honor a person or a player who has done something great for the LPGA throughout the year. So it's very, very exciting.

Q. How are you going to select the field for this event? Will it be a select or will it be just an ordinary-style tournament?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's going to be a normal LPGA event where we'll have 144 players. It's a full-field event, so I really have nothing to do with the players. Obviously with such a tournament and a sponsor like Bobby Ginn and his company and a purse of 2.6, we obviously expect and hope to get them.

Q. Well, I don't doubt that. I just thought that maybe it would be a specialty event. But like you said, 2.6, you ought to get all of the players who want to play golf.
STEVE BRENER: Annika will be out there recruiting them.

Q. One thing about that, other players like Betsy King once had a tournament that she hosted. In my discussions with other people, it takes a lot of your time and there are frustrations involved. Are you aware of the commitment this is going to take from you?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I'm sure it will be a lot more than I expect, but this is something that I think is a little bit of a dream come true, to be on Tour for so long and to have an event with your name on it and to come out with this type of event, too. This is going to be one of the premiere events on our schedule, so I'm very thrilled to be associated with it.
Yeah, it's going to take a lot of hard work, but I'm at a part of my career where I'm starting to look at things and starting to plan for the future, and this is one of the directions where I want to be to go. I want to be part of an event that we can honor a player who has done a lot for the game. And who knows, we might see this tournament go on for many, many years and I'd like to be a part of it. I don't really see that as something negative; on the contrary, I'm excited to be a part of it and make it really special.

Q. Well, Jack Nicklaus has done it for a number of years, but I do know it's time-consuming.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, I'm sure it is. But I'll do my best to give all the time I can.

Q. What are you thinking about your career? You're still winning; retirement must be down the road for you.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I mean, I'm starting to plan, like I said, for the future in different areas. This is definitely one of the areas. And, you know, I haven't set a time or a date or anything like that when it's time to put away the clubs, but you know, there's a lot of things I'd like to pursue. You know, you can't play full-time all the time, so this is definitely one avenue that I want to pursue and this is a great start, so I'm excited about that.
STEVE BRENER: Reminder that this event is in Charleston, South Carolina. Rivertown Country Club is an Arnold Palmer course.

Q. The tournament is going to honor some LPGA player, how much say-so will you have in that, and do you have any idea who the first honoree will be there?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I have no idea who the first honoree will be. Today is pretty much the first day we're announcing this. We have some ideas how we're going to do this. It's just in the talking stages so far. I hope to get a little bit of a say about that, but it's more people than just me running this event. So hopefully they will listen to some of my opinions.

Q. Betsy once said about hosting her own tournament, she felt kind of weird because she thought that was supposed to happen when either your dead or retired, and you're far from that. Will you feel any pressure trying to win your own tournament?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, obviously I mean, this is an event you would love to win because it's going to have a high purse and a high stature; and running the event, you want to play your best. I can see where Betsy is going with it, but on the other hand I'm happy to get a chance to play a part in an event like this when the Tour is growing so much, and I don't want to be on the sidelines.

Q. To see your name up there, your name is on the leaderboard a lot, but it's going to be up there on the banner. Is that going to feel any extra pressure to really put on a show that week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I have a tournament in Europe and I have the same kind of thing over there where I'm hosting an event, and last year was the first year. I actually ended up winning the event. It turned out to be great. Hopefully I will have the same result in this event.

Q. And so you'd give yourself the trophy?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: (Laughing) That wouldn't be so bad.

Q. And lastly, I know you're playing down here in Greg's tournament, have you any indication of who you might be playing with in the Shark Shootout?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I don't. I actually don't know if the field as been determined yet. You know, I'm just excited to be invited. This is the first time a woman will be playing in Greg's event. So you know, I'll be happy to play with anyone. And as far as the previous participants, they are great guys, so I'm just happy to be a part of it. It will be a lot of fun whoever I play with.

Q. Freddie Funk is begging for you --
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: He's not a bad pick. (Laughing.)

Q. When did you start discussing the tournament with Bobby Ginn?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, we've had a relationship for about a little bit over a year -- and you know, we have a lot of things in the works. This is one of a few things we're doing. It's been brought up that I want to be part of an event; and IMG is an excellent runner of a tournament, so this is a natural fit. He has a lot of courses that he would like to showcase, and so it's really, you know, an easy fit. It pretty much started when I met him for the first time and the talks have been going on for a little while.

Q. And do you think that your relationship or partnership with him will grow in the future?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, I definitely hope so. You know, it like I said, we've been partners for over a year and they are actually building my first academy here in Orlando at the Reunion Golf Club. So I'm thrilled about that. It's going to be one of a kind. So like I said, the tournament and the academy and also the commitment the Ginn Company is showing to the LPGA, there's a lot of things we're doing together and hopefully there's a lot more to come.

Q. Just curious, this will be the second LPGA event that Bobby Ginn's company has put together, but the first one with obviously your name on it. What, if any, is your familiarity with the Charleston area and with the Rivertown Golf Course?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, to be honest with you, I'm not very familiar with that area at all. The only thing I do know is I've heard from friends and family that it's a beautiful area, and I know that Bobby Ginn is from there. So I'm looking forward to spending some time down there and getting to know the area a little bit and obviously get to know the golf course.
So it's going to be I think a beautiful fit in many ways and I'm excited. And it's going to be great for the LPGA; we haven't been in that area for who knows how long.

Q. That was going to be my next week question. The last time they played anywhere near there was in the north Augusta area near Augusta, a short run with the Asaki tournament (ph), you played that once, I believe, is that correct?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Once or twice, actually.

Q. Maybe twice.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah. Yeah.

Q. Obviously the tournament did not draw the way they would have liked it to. From what you've heard from Bobby and others, do you expect to get a good turnout in South Carolina in general, and Charleston in particular?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I think the location is everything. Even though like you said, this is a bigger area, so. I think we're going to definitely draw a bigger crowd. The other place was so difficult to get out there. There's not much in the area and this is on the contrary here, so I don't think we have to worry about that.

Q. And last thing, one of the things that stands out obviously about this tournament is the purse size. How important was that to you to be associated with a tournament that takes it up a notch a little bit in terms of the amount of money being played for?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I mean, when I putt m name on a tournament, I want to make sure it's a tournament that will be around and a tournament that really shows your commitment, and I think you see that in Bobby Ginn. You know, he wants to do it right. It's all or nothing for him and it's first class, and those are the type of people you want to be associated with. I'm very proud of that. Makes it even more special I think because they want me to have my name on this event. So, you know, it was crucial.

Q. Not to focus on the negative but I was wondering from you're aware of the ShopRite Classic's feelings towards the LPGA and the Ginn regarding this June date. I know they have had this early date for a couple years, and they sort of feel like this that's been pulled out from underneath. I don't know if you are aware of that, or what your thoughts were regarding that?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, you though know, I don't really have anything to do with the dates so I think that's something the LPGA will have to take care of. I really don't know much about it to really say anything to be honest.

Q. Was that anything that when you saw this date was offered, did anything sort of -- did any sort of bell go off in your head knowing that was the week of the ShopRite; that that was a tournament that you've won three times?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I've had some great success at ShopRite. It's been a tournament that's been around for many, many years. Like I said, I have nothing to do with dates. I didn't really know that those dates were taken. I haven't a schedule for 2007, so like I said, I think the LPGA will hopefully sort that all out and we'll have two great tournaments.

Q. How long have you had your tournament in Sweden?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: This is the second year, this year will be.

Q. What year, I'm sorry?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: This is the second year.

Q. You spend so much time over here. Do you consider yourself more of an LPGA player now than a European player or how do you feel about that? I know the Solheim Cup kind of confuses it.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I mean, I definitely play more LPGA events and this is where I live and so forth. These tournaments that we're putting together are helping grow women's golf and to support the communities we live in and to support the areas where you come from and for me to be able to do that in Sweden and also here.

Q. And the legends you're hoping to honor, the Patty Bergs and Kathy Whitworths?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Obviously that's a long ways for me to get there, but hopefully this is the beginning. And this is my way of trying to give back to the LPGA that's really helping me out and giving me so many opportunities.

Q. But honoring the legends, the names are you thinking about are the Patty Bergs, the Kathy Whitworths?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm sure they are. Like I said, we've just been in the beginning stages. We haven't really actually talked about individuals, but what we're trying to do is to give it to somebody who has contributed a lot to the LPGA and they definitely have done that.
STEVE BRENER: We appreciate everybody joining us.
Annika, we thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing you out here at the Ginn Tribute in Charleston, South Carolina, and everyone have a good day.

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297