Annika Sorenstam offers an interview fats the Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions.
Q. Clearly you’re a resident right here and have performed this match a number of instances. Inform us about this week and what you’re wanting ahead to most
Yeah, thanks. It’s nice to be right here. It’s spotlight for all of us. After I say we, for the household clearly and for Mike and the youngsters. To have the ability to compete at our house course and are available right here and follow and see the LPGA and meet a few of our buddies on the movie star aspect, it’s a great way to sort of kick begin the season.
I’ve been training the final two weeks attempting to work on my sport via the winter spell that we had. Jogs my memory of my youthful days rising up in Sweden. It’s nice to be right here. Sit up for a beautiful week.
Q. That is the beginning of the LPGA’s seventy fifth season. Are you able to discuss wanting again at 75 years. Clearly you weren’t right here all these years. You performed such an instrumental position within the Founders position. Are you able to discuss 75 being a quantity?
Yeah, such as you mentioned, I’m previous however not that previous. But it surely’s superb to see the expansion of girls’s sports activities and particularly golf. You look again and you concentrate on the path blazers, Founders, what they did with their imaginative and prescient.
Right here we’re in 2025 and definitely completely different stage on each facet I might say. Tremendous proud our of the group, what I’m seeing and listening to and what I’m experiencing. However that’s why I feel it’s enjoyable for me to nonetheless be capable to considerably compete. I do know we’re not in the identical competitors as them however I will probably be enjoying with some LPGA gamers. Simply to have a foot within the sport, I really like that. As I actually nonetheless benefit from the sport.
Yeah, one thing I’m tremendous happy with after I consider a corporation and I’m a part of that to have the historical past that the LPGA does.
Q. Do you suppose at these moments with 75, are you far sufficient from retirement to look again and see the legacy you left on the sport?
I imply, I feel I when — , I don’t actually take a look at the issues that I did from that perspective. I feel it’s simpler if different individuals decide your contributions. I take a look at my years on the LPGA and makes me smile. I’m actually happy with what I achieved, , reaching my objectives and having an opportunity to essentially pursue my profession.
However I’m glad that you just talked about it. I feel all people who has contributed feels good about seeing one thing develop and one thing getting higher yearly.
Q. If you take a look at this golf match which brings collectively the LPGA execs with the celebrities, speak concerning the impression it’s had by way of bringing new followers and viewers to the game of golf.
I feel it positively does. , should you’re a golf fan you’d in all probability watch something whenever you herald baseball gamers, actors, no matter, singers and dancers which might be right here, it brings in a special demographic. Folks can relate to perhaps their video games greater than the LPGA professionals. Oh, I can hit that shot. I do know what that’s like.
See a few of their idols contained in the ropes and see them pursue one other sport, I feel it’s nice to have all of them come collectively. The friendships which were constructed right here the previous couple of years I feel will final a very long time.
Q. Any explicit celebrities you’re wanting ahead to assembly this week?
I feel I met most of them. I’ve been enjoying on this occasion and likewise the Lake Tahoe occasion just a few instances. It’s additionally good to rekindle the friendship and discuss it.
, properly, Jack Wagner, we at all times play. Purported to play with Mardy Fish. I feel he chickened out or did one thing. Then performed with the defending champion, Jeff. I haven’t performed with him earlier than. He was very, very good and he can play. I imply, he’s an important athlete and he was hitting some photographs on the market that was simply sort of enjoyable to look at.
Who is aware of? If you play in these occasions it’s enjoyable to play with completely different gamers. I do know Joe Pavelski, the hockey participant. He’s tremendous good. However he’s additionally good. I received to regulate him.
Q. You’ve been engaged on some swing adjustment I see in your social media. Are you able to speak somewhat bit about that?
It by no means ends. Simply by no means ends.
Q. That’s my query: How a lot do you alter and simply at this stage in your profession, what’s your coaching like? What’s your approach like? Does that continually change?
Yeah. I imply — properly, to start with, my coach, Henry that I used since I used to be 14, 15, he got here and he mentioned, I’m coming so I’m going to hang around. I mentioned nice. He got here for 12 days. I mentioned, that’s a variety of work. I don’t follow that a lot anymore.
We actually simply dissected my swing and my placing particularly. I feel the previous couple of years I simply been getting in some dangerous habits and perhaps haven’t actually paid an excessive amount of consideration. Simply sort of performed with it and tried to compensate what I used to be doing.
Now we received again to actually the fundamentals. Wow, I really feel like I felt like a newbie, reconstructing my golf swing. Now I’m hitting good photographs, getting the ball up within the air and getting a few of my distance again, which has been very irritating.
I feel I’ve been attempting to muscle it, and after we muscle one thing we get the other impact, which you suppose you’d know by now. , it’s been good to refresh my ideas concerning the swing and actually the best way the golfers are swinging immediately in comparison with after I began.
It’s good to study somewhat bit about that as properly. I suppose I get somewhat additional power simply having one thing to work on and see if it really works in competitors.
Q. The psychological facet, is that also in place? Do you return to what you had in your profession or work on that as properly?
Henry mentioned, you used to do that and also you used to do that. I’m like, properly, I’m not doing that anymore. What do I received to do? I feel a variety of it has been the flip, flexibility and energy, all of these issues mixed. My membership head velocity and ball sped have simply actually much less and fewer and fewer. It’s actually irritating when what it’s imagined to seem like and really feel like.
To have the ability to flip somewhat bit extra and being extra environment friendly in my swing. So it was simpler then and tougher now.
Q. Does your son, Will, have extra recommendation for you whenever you play right here?
It’s attending to that time, yeah. No, he has a variety of opinions about my sport, which I take pleasure in that. Simply listening to him. However generally he must have a filter.
But it surely’s been enjoyable to have beginner out right here and watching. He needs to know the place I’m hitting it and what my plan is. He was negotiating to return out right here on Thursday, after which I mentioned, properly, you bought college. I mentioned properly I actually need to watch you play.
Talked to Mike about how properly I used to be hitting it. Then after all he was being — I really want to see the way you hit it on Thursday, mommy. If you’re enjoying so properly now, I really want to see all these birdies you’re going to make.
Q. Does the competitor in you begin to ask your self, what’s it going to take to win this occasion by myself course?
Yeah, each time. , I performed in perhaps 12 of those movie star occasions. I completed all the pieces I consider from second to fifth. I’ve had the possibility and I simply haven’t been capable of put 4 rounds collectively.
That’s what I like about this match right here. That is 4 rounds and Tahoe is three. I really feel just like the extra rounds perhaps I’ve an even bigger likelihood. We’ll see. Then this yr, the climate is somewhat nicer. I’m hoping that the heat will make my ball fly somewhat additional and shorter golf equipment in could be a little bit extra aggressive.
And I do have house benefit. You’ll suppose I might be capable to capitalize on that somewhat extra. Be mindful these guys are good. I really want to play solidly for 4 days. I feel that’s one the explanations I come again right here. Not simply because Hilton Grand Holidays is a sponsor of mine, however I need to know what it feels wish to beat them at the very least as soon as.
Q. Going again to whenever you had been simply popping out on Tour, even had gone to school at UofA, what was sort of the European efficiency on the LPGA like? I feel Laura Davies was in all probability the massive title on the time. Who else was on the market?
We had just a few fellow Swedes. Liselotte Neumann was any individual I appeared as much as. She was so fashionable lumbar. She received the U.S. Girls’s Open in 1988. I feel many younger ladies simply — when she received, all of us began dreaming. Possibly there’s a likelihood for us to try this.
Helen Alfredsson was one other participant, Trish Johnson, Alison Nicholas, simply to call just a few out right here. These are the gamers that I had sort of watched from the sidelines both they represented Europe in Solheim Cup or simply performed in just a few LET occasions in Sweden.
So I sort of watched them rising up and never essentially adopted of their footsteps since you by no means know, however they had been just a few years forward. Like I at all times stored a watch on them.
Q. And did you’ve gotten any significantly particular relationship with any of the Founders as you bought an opportunity to know them through the years?
, I by no means actually — I imply, I’ve met those that had been — that I met on tour after they got here out and simply visited sure occasions.
I imply, Patty Berg was fairly a personality. She had superb humor I bear in mind. I imply, Louise Suggs I received the pleasure to fulfill. Kathy Whitworth after all.
Marlene Hagge I met additionally. And I’m attempting to consider a number of the names. They’re blanking me in the mean time.
It was very — I imply, it was simply after they confirmed up, it was simply — I feel a variety of us had a lot respect for them that we didn’t actually need to method them. Particularly as a rookie I used to be in all probability the final one — I might be the final one in a row to say hello.
I at all times stored a watch and appeared over and thought, thanks. So, yeah, it was fairly neat.
Q. You’re feeling such as you’re sort of of their footwear somewhat bit now? I imply, none the unique Founders are left. You, Juli Inkster, that era that these execs are wanting as much as.
I by no means actually considered that. I don’t know. They began the Tour so I feel that places them in a special stage and completely different class.
I suppose you’ve gotten generations that sort of do their half, , hopefully to maneuver it ahead. With my era, such as you talked about, Karrie and Seri and Lorena, that was sort of my group, I feel we contributed with just a few issues, yeah.
Q. Clearly proper now the LPGA goes via a management transition on the prime. I’m curious to listen to your ideas, A, on the present state of the LPGA, and, B, should you had been commissioner what adjustments would you make?
Yeah, no, excellent query. Such as you mentioned it’s an attention-grabbing time for the LPGA. I imply, I don’t need to be the commissioner so I’m not — however I imply, in case you have a crystal ball all of us need to be seen and heard, whether or not that’s TV or any sort of publicity. The extra the higher.
I feel whenever you look it’s vital to have any individual that may talk. You must talk with lots of people. I imply, you bought the gamers, media, companions, the followers.
It’s a posh job I feel for lots of causes, however I’ve little question they’re going to take their time and discover the suitable particular person. I feel girls’s sport is an incredible place proper now. A whole lot of alternative. A whole lot of upside in so some ways.
You speak to a variety of the gamers week after week, you see what sort of nice athletes they’re and people. Yeah, I feel it will likely be an thrilling job for any individual that’s prepared to take that on.
Yeah, it’s straightforward to be a commissioner for a day and simply level and level and level after which go. However, yeah, hopefully they’ve a search committee. They’ve employed some group, an organization, is search agency. Fingers crossed that the suitable particular person will step on the proper time.
