ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 21, 2002

Annika Sorenstam

NEAL REID: Let's go over your score card real quick.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Okay. I eagled the third hole. I hit a 4-iron to seven feet.

Birdied No. 6. Sand wedge to nine feet.

Birdied 9. Sand wedge to nine feet, as well.

No. 12, sand wedge to five feet.

Bogeyed 14. 9-iron, three putts.

NEAL REID: How far was your par putt there?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Too long.

16, 8-iron to eight feet.

NEAL REID: So a pretty good scoring day today with no wind out there.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, definitely. No wind, is probably as tame as this course will ever be. So the perfect opportunity to go low, I think.

I hit the ball really well. I hit 17 greens, so I had a lot of opportunities. I didn't make as many as I'd like, but six or seven the first day is always a good start.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Depends what kind of mood you're in. If you're in a good mood, you say, "Hey, I had so many chances." And if you're in a bad mood you say, "Why did I miss so many. " I'm in between.

Front nine, I was pacing, I figure just keep on going. Back nine I was starting to eat a little bit inside, trying to make a few, especially when I made a bogey on one hole. Then felt like I was playing so good that kind of put me back a little bit.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, I could tell. I said, your shorts are falling down, Se Ri, she's so skinny and so pale. I know that her tooth is hurting and so forth. For her to play this well today is pretty incredible.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm not unaware of results. I'm totally aware. But I do feel very comfortable in my situation. I'm playing good. I feel like I'm in control, so I don't feel the pressure where I don't get that nervous on the tee where I don't have a clue where the ball is going. I mean, I have control. Like today, I played so solid and to shoot 5-under, I felt like I could be 9-under.

But I'm just going to wait till tomorrow and keep on working on things that I'm doing, and hopefully I'll shoot even lower. In the situation I'm in, I think I love it more than feeling the pressure. I mean, I have nothing to lose. I have everything to gain. So, with that attitude, I'm playing pretty free golf, I think.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, you're right, when I won the Open in '95, I didn't really know what to expect. I've always worked on my game, but I never worked on what happens had you win a tournament, the responsibilities.

I think today, seven years later, I'm obviously more aware that I have some obligations. But I think, also, that I understand that I can only be me and do the best things that I can. Sometimes I feel pressured to be somebody I'm not and that's when I break down inside and say, you know, I can't handle it. I think lately I'm just trying to be me and play golf and let my clubs do the talking, and that's when I feel most comfortable and most at ease.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, totally. I mean, that's one of the roles that I don't -- it's probably not a role that fits me. I mean, I love to play golf, there's nothing better. But traveling and being in the limelight is what make this is game tougher for me.

Q. Meg Mallon was saying -- do you get a sense that she likes windy conditions -- inaudible --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I play anything that we get. I mean, I'll adjust my game. I mean, if she wants wind, bring it on, I'll play in wind. I've done that before. The scores will be higher. But I think that if you hit the ball better you're going to shine even more, and I'm hitting the ball fine and so that's not going to worry me.

Like I said, today the course is probably playing as easy as it will get. A little wind, that will be fine.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think I've already done that, in my eyes. Obviously, winning 11 is one better, and only Mickey Wright has done 13, and in my eyes I've done 13 then because I've played worldwide. So to me, that would tie the record.

But overall, I'm just so satisfied with my season, and, you know, this tournament is not going to hurt it in any way.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have done that all year, so if I just play decent this week, it's going to happen.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think being familiar with the course helps. Like I said today, we had no wind. It doesn't look so intimidating. If you stand on 17 or 16 or 18 with all of the water and the wind is howling, that's intimidating. We didn't have that today, and I think that's a big difference.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I love challenges, and a lot of things, it's more to prove to myself that I can do certain things. It's not to prove people wrong by any means, but I like to show them that I can play and never underestimate my game. I know what I'm capable of doing.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I didn't know that. I just wanted to finish before she did.

Q. Inaudible?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I'm glad and I stand totally behind it. I think it's the right thing to say and the right thing to do.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I've always said that I think they should admit a female member. I mean, obviously, I'm a woman and I play golf. I would love to see a female member.

It is a sticky issue, it is. But I think the more this drags on, I do believe it is hurting the game more than anything. When Ty told us he was going to say that, I just said that's the right thing to do. Like I said, I'm totally behind it.

Q. What did you shoot there?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: At Augusta? Well, first day, played the regular tees, I think I shot level par. The next day we played the back tees, then, a little different from back tees now, and I think I was 2-over.

Q. When was that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Five years ago, I want to say. Four or five years ago.

Q. Who did you play with?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Mr. Godshaw (ph). I played with him in Japan, actually. One of the biggest importers of rice in the USA.

Q. Do you remember who else?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It was me, Mr. Godshaw and David and one other gentleman, he was in charge of parking. So that comes handy.

Q. Did he play well?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh yeah, he did. He shot under par, actually.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I enjoy certain parts. I enjoy talking about my game and my round, what's tough is when people expect you to do this and that and there are certain things I don't think you can ask of somebody.

Well, they want to mold you into -- in this case, it's Nancy Lopez. She's a great example a perfect athlete in so many ways, somebody who can perform, smile, charisma, you name it, she has it all. I would love to have what she has. But I have hopefully other qualities and I think you've just got to recognize that and say, hey, I do what I do, I love what I do, but I try to make women's golf as popular as possible.

I think another aspect of it is that I'm not an American. And cultures, it's a different culture, in Sweden you're not supposed to be loud and you're not supposed to show emotion, and there's just the way Swedes are. Bjorn Borg (ph) is one a typical example, one of my role models, but I admire him for what he's done on the tennis court and he's very popular at home.

Q. (Inaudible.)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: He proposed -- well, he proposed, but I told him that was a good week to do it. I guess I'm kind of the boss sometimes.

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