U.S. SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2025

Annika Sorenstam

San Diego Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by World Golf Hall of Famer and 2021 champion Annika Sorenstam. How does it feel to be back at the Senior Women's Open?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thank you very much. It's great to be here. As you know, this tournament is a highlight of the season, I would say. Really looking forward to being here every year. Being in southern California is a beautiful place. I've never been here. But it's nice to catch up with friends and getting a chance to really play a beautiful golf course.

Q. What was your first reaction to the golf course?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I like it. It's really nice. It's a classic golf course. You can really see that it was built many, many years ago, the way that tees are designed and greens and kind of just the shape of the bunkers, et cetera. Nice to come back here with so much history.

I'm learning a little bit more now on-site than I knew coming in here, whether it's Mickey Wright or Billy Casper, et cetera. But so much history, so it's fun to come in here this time and have the ladies play.

Q. The defense of this golf course is really the greens. We've been told that there were professionals that lived in San Diego who used to practice here ahead of Augusta because of the greens. Have you noticed that they provide a specific challenge?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I can see why they'd come here and practice. There's no doubt. I agree with you. The greens is kind of where the course will be decided.

A mixture of shapes, a mixture of size, but overall I would just as you've heard from other players, they're quite undulated, sloping from back to front, maybe left to right, and it's important to have good feel here. They're quite fast. I can see why they came here to prepare for some of the majors.

Q. What has competitive golf been looking like for you this year?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's not been that much. The last time I played was at the American Century up in Lake Tahoe which was in the middle of July, so about a month ago, and prior to that it was the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando. It's not been that much this year. I've been going out on the golf course. I've been practicing quite a bit. But not really in a tournament situation.

Q. You every year turn this into a family affair. What does that mean to have Mike on the bag and your kids here?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's why I play, I think I've said that in the beginning, in this chapter of my life. The kids and grandma will come tomorrow. But we share it together, Mike and I. We have fun, and we have some friends coming out. Callaway being in town, we went up to visit them.

It's a different -- as you know, a different atmosphere, even though I'm still very competitive and want to do well, but when you're on-site nowadays, it's a lot more than just thinking about the course and the shots and what I need to do.

Q. This year the LPGA is celebrating its 75th anniversary. What has being an LPGA Tour member meant to you?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm super proud. I'm super proud to be a member of such an elite organization in so many ways with so much history and so many memories. This has really been my life, my career and my profession. So very thankful for the founders paving the way and being the trail blazers that they were, and then for the different generations to try to continue the traditions and carry the torch and I think we've all played a little role in the future of the game, and of course if you tune into LPGA today, I think everybody has been part of it.

I feel like it's been successful. I think a lot of us feel the pride. So it's nice to see that we've left golf in good hands.