ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 23, 2003

Annika Sorenstam

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I birdied the third hole. I hit it up to four feet.

Bogeyed number 4. Hit my tee shot left in the bunker. Then hit it in the green side bunker, hit it up, 2-putt.

Number 8, I birdied. I hit 8-iron to 12 feet.

Bogeyed 10. Hit my tee shot in the water, dropped it, hit it on the green, 2-putt.

Birdied 15. 7-wood. Just on the edge of the green, 2-putt. That was long putt. It was like 60 feet there.

Then I birdied 16, I hit sand wedge to five feet.

18, I hit my tee shot to the left, I had to lay up. Hit a sand wedge and two putted from 10 feet.

NEAL REID: Tell us how you feel about the finish, obviously disappointed with the bogey on 18, I'm sure.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it's never fun to make bogey on the last. However, I hit a tee shot and I had a really tough lie in the rough. There was not much I could do, other than hit it out and then try and make par from there. Today I didn't play as steady, I think, as the other three days. I couldn't really get it going. I was trying really hard early on. It was just one of those days. It was just, it wasn't really there, unfortunately. But on the other hand, I thought that Meg played excellent today. When you shoot a low score like that on Sunday, that's the best feeling, really. But then again I thought I made a good run when I birdied 15 and 16.

Q. What happened on the tee shot on 18?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit a little draw. It's a tough tee shot. You stand there and I knew I had to hit a good tee shot. And I was aiming at the edge of the bunker and got a little draw and then it landed in the rough. And to be honest I couldn't even see the ball even though I was a foot away from it. It was just sitting way down there. I didn't have much choice. So it's unfortunate that I hit that shot on 18.

Q. I think everybody's seen you come through so much that the one question I was wondering is, do you feel nervous when you're standing over a ball in that kind of situation?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's exciting. I knew if I birdie 17 and 18, I win. That's what it's all about. It's a thrill that goes through me. But on the other hand, I was just trying to play my game and see what happens. You win some and you lose some. Obviously I'm disappointed right now, but it's been a long week, coming from Singapore and everything I have gone through this week. Second, hey, I might be the first one to lose, but then again it's a tough field this week. I can't be that hard on myself. There's some great players here this week and I found the course really tough. And to finish 6-under, it's not a bad score, considering I was 2-over after the first day. So when you sit here, you bogey 18, you got to look at the whole picture and kind of cheer yourself up in that sense.

Q. Being 3-up and shooting under par, do you feel going into today that would probably be enough to win?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well I thought it was going to be close. I figured if I shoot 3-under today and in the 60s, I thought that would be fine. But I said I really didn't get off to such a good start. It's always I was fighting to try to make a birdie. I was trying really hard to make a birdie today. And I saw and heard all the claps for Meg and I knew I had to do something. And I was really trying. I went for the green in 2 on 9. I went for the green on number 12 in 2. I mean I had my chances, I really did, I just didn't execute well today.

Q. When you lose, are you able to let go of it quickly or does it kind of stick in you? How did it affect you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm going to let this go in a heart beat. This year has been too great to even look back and say that this was a big disappointment. I'm very happy with my year. It's been fabulous in so many ways. Like I said, I'm quite pleased with the way I played because I was tired coming in here and everything that's happened. So tomorrow's a big day for me, I got my induction to the LPGA Hall of Fame, not a lot of things is going to make me unhappy right now.

Q. With that said, I notice you were particularly more playful today. Always smiling, even when you 3-putted on 12 you were smacking yourself in the face and laughing, kind of smiling. Is that kind of, it's the end of the year, I mean were you thinking that at all during the day?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well I was thinking that I told my caddy you know we only have 18 holes today, let's just try to get all our energy together and play well. We're both very, very tired. I was just trying not to get mad at myself. And some of the shots I hit was just really ridiculous. And that's why I was laughing, because I know better. It's just when you're tired you do things like that. And I was just trying to tell myself just to don't think about being tired, just hit a shot. Some of the putts I hit today was, you just have to laugh. That's just the way it is. If you get too hard on yourself it gets really tough out there.

Q. Were you able to recharge for next week, do you think?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'll be ready. I'm going to be tired, but you don't get a chance to play in a Skins Game very often with the guys. And I look forward to it. It's only nine holes Saturday, nine holes Sunday. I hope I can handle that.

Q. You've will you be playing from the same tees as the men?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I will.

Q. You said you've been very happy with this year and obviously it's been very successful, but with all you've gone through this year and all the attention that's been paid to you this year, if this is a year that you would like to go through again.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I would like to go through this year again, but I need some time to charge my batteries. It's been a long, long year. I think any professional golfer would like to have this year. It's just sometimes it's just been so long that I don't think I'm able to enjoy it as much as I really should.

Q. Talk a little about Meg. She is a player that has stayed under the radar out here that you may not appreciate how good a player she is. Talk about that.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I've always known how good Meg is. If you don't appreciate her game, I think there's something wrong. Meg is probably one of the straightest hitters out here. Very solid, very solid swing. My coach actually today told me on the range, he goes, "Why doesn't she win more?" And I then just said that this golf course fits her game very well. And I think she proved that today.

NEAL REID: Anything else for Annika? All right. Thank you, Annika.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.