U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 5, 2002

Annika Sorenstam

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, Annika Sorenstam shot 69 today. She goes to 1 under par. Annika, it looks as if the course is starting to take hold a little bit of the other players, but you improved your score today. What do you attribute that to?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm very pleased the way I played today. I think just playing the course over and over gets me familiar with the course and the greens, and I had a lot of good shots today, and I had a few birdie chances, and I made them today. I think that was the difference.

MODERATOR: You had four birdies coming in. That's an awful good finish compared to yesterday where you were struggling so.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm learning to stay in there, I guess. I like the front 9. I think I can play that 9. I just got to figure out the back 9, and No. 13, I had problems with today.

MODERATOR: We'll get to your card in just a minute. If we could go right to the questions. Please wait for the microphone, and if anyone would like to ask Annika a question, please raise your hand.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Not a lot of questions.

MODERATOR: Here's one over here.

Q. Annika, how tough was it to shoot better today than yesterday, considering how badly the wind was blowing.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You're right, the wind was much stronger today; however, it's the same direction, so I'm familiar with the course that way. But, you know, yesterday I hit it good as well but missed a few putts, and today I hit the same, still able to hit the green, so it really didn't affect me as much because I'm a straight hitter, I know the scores, and I know where to hit it.

Like I said to the media yesterday, I like to see some wind, and I got my wish today, so it turned out all right.

Q. Annika, it seems like there was a lot of difficulty with the par 4s for the whole field. Could you talk about which one of those you had trouble with and which ones were the hardest?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: If you want to look at the bogey holes that I bogeyed was No. 13. I had 6-iron in there, but 3 putts. There was some tough pin placements today. Number 9, for example, my last hole, you know, you want to make sure and carry 4 on, so it doesn't swing back, so it's difficult if you pass the hole. The pins were tough on the par 4s.

Number 14 was a tough pin. There was a lot of tough pins there. That makes it difficult. It might not just be the distance, it's where they put the pins, if you compare the humps on the greens.

Q. Annika, how much will your workout routine come into play on the weekend as far as winning this championship, and how much does this course (inaudible)?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: We'll see how it works for me this weekend, but obviously it's going to help. If you're in good shape, you're going to be able to focus longer. These are tough conditions.

It might not be so physically, but mentally you're thinking on every shot, you plan to think of everything, so you hit the right shot in, you think about wind, you're thinking about the speed of the green, where the humps are, et cetera, so it is good because the course is set up that way that you have to think a lot. But I hope that being in good shape is going to help. It's helped so far this season, and I know it will in the long run.

Q. Annika, you've started today just as Nancy Lopez was finishing. Would you talk about her and that scene. I know you're concentrating on your own round, but do you want to talk about her?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I heard, obviously, the applause on 17 and 18. It was huge. The people and players love her. Nancy has done so much for women's golf; it's sad to see her saying good-bye, but she's doing it in style, which is her whole career, so it's time for her to move on. But I think we're all very thankful for what she has done.

Q. Annika, are you surprised that Karrie missed the cut in her attempt at having missed three in a row, or having been there and done so as well, are you not so surprised?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I've been there and done that, so obviously I know how she feels. It's a really tough thing to do, and I heard her comments about her round yesterday. And that's exactly how I felt at Pumpkin Ridge.

She said she felt good and didn't know what happened. That's what happened to me too. It's something that's really difficult to do, but I know she'll bounce back really quickly.

Q. Annika, I was just wondering, with the way you've been playing, do you feel you have a mental edge on some of the other players going into the weekend?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I obviously feel very strong physically and mentally. I'm playing as good as I can. I'm in a position I want to be for the weekend, so I'm setting up kind of the way I like it to be.

Q. Annika, with the inevitable bogeys or bad breaks and bounces, are those not bothering you? You don't seem to have any sense that they are bothering you at all. Are they just part of the game at this point?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You have to try and let it bounce away and just forget about it, but I do complain to my caddie all the time. But when I choose a club for the next shot, I try to forget about it and hope we can get one back on this hole.

You're going to make bogeys on this type of championship, but, if I make birdies, I'm fine. That's my attitude this week. You can't let this bother you too long; it will be tough to recover.

Q. 1?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 1, I hit a pitching wedge to 7 feet.

Q. Number 4?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Hit a 9-iron and chipped it in from 15 feet.

Q. Number 6?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Sand wedge, 10 feet.

Q. 7?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 7-iron, chipped to about 2 feet.

Q. Okay. We talked about your bogey, I believe, on 13. Did we discuss one on 3?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Number 3, yeah. I had a sand wedge and hit to the green, 3-putt.

Q. And 9?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I hit an 8-iron and chipped, 2-putt.

Q. Just to refresh my memory, 13?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 13, that was a long time ago. 6-iron, 3-putt.

MODERATOR: Tough LPGA. Thank you so much, Annika, for being with us. Good luck tomorrow.

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