Pre-tournament interview : Michelle Wie | Annika Sorenstam |

Michelle Wie
Q: What do you need to do today to win your first tournament?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, what do I need to do today? Well, you know, just whatever I need to do…I need to hit a couple of balls, practice putting a little bit. I went out on the golf course, you know, and I'll take the rest of the day off. Obviously, I need my rest and I have learned my lesson, so I'm going to go home and rest now so, I don't really know what I really have to do. I have practiced as hard as I can and I am playing as hard as I can, and if it happens, then it happens.

Q: How do you like your first time in Evian?
MICHELLE WIE: It's nice, I love it here, you know, every time I come here I am always surprised by how pretty it is here, with all of the flowers and the lake, you know, looking over to Switzerland. I mean it's so beautiful, you know. When we are back at home we never really eat outside, we always eat inside a restaurant, so when we are here we always want a table outside so you can look at the view, you know, it's amazing! Every morning I wake up to it and it's like ‘Oh, it's going to be a good day!'

Q: You are probably the second or third best known sportswoman in the world right now. Does that ever go to your head?
MICHELLE WIE: No, not really, I don't really notice that, you know. I just do whatever I like doing and I just try really hard at what I do and I'm not really sure what I am, but I'm just out here having a good time.

Q: This tournament is becoming more and more important as far as the world rankings are concerned. Does this have an effect on the way that you approach the tournament?
MICHELLE WIE: Not really, not at all. Every tournament that I go into, whether it is a men's event or a women's event or if it's a major or a regular LPG event, I go in with the same mindset, you know. I am here to play as hard as I can and try as hard as I can. Obviously, my mindset is to win but I don't really emphasise more on… you know, I don't stress a lot on the tournament, but every tournament is basically the same.

Q: Michelle, your overall consistency has improved tremendously. What part of your game do you think has improved the most? MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't really think that it's, like, one thing. I think that as I am getting older, as I am getting more mature I feel like… I feel like I had a really good game before but now I am learning how to put it together, how to make my irons work with my driving, how to make my putting work with everything, you know… there's a lot of teamwork that goes along in a game that you need to work out and you know, not one thing can really stand out. It's like, it's almost like a team - you can't have one star player hogging everything. I'm just learning that everything has to be on the same level, everyone has to cooperate with everything and, you know, I think that's what I'm learning.

Q: We are very thrilled to see you in Crans. Have you ever visited Switzerland or been to Crans before?
MICHELLE WIE: No I haven't but I have been to Switzerland before when I was little, and I have always liked travelling and looking and staying in new places, so I'm excited.

Q: You play very few tournaments during the year. What made you want to play this one?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I try to play a lot of tournaments in the summer when I can - that's when I have my summer vacation - because when I go back to school they only let me have two weeks off every semester, so I don't really play in a lot of events when I go to school, so I try to play all of my events in the summer and obviously, Evian is one tournament that I really like coming back to.

Q: Technically, do you have to do any more work on your swing?
MICHELLE WIE: No, not really. You know, when you wake up, every day something goes wrong, or at some time during the day, so there is always a little tweaking here and there but no real big technical difficulties.

Annika Sorenstam

Q: Annika, welcome back to the Evian Masters. You are a two-time champion of this event and I imagine it is always nice to come back to a place where you have won. Can you talk about coming back this week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I am excited to be back. This is one of the most wonderful places in the world and is definitely one of the highlights of our schedule. To come back here is a must really. Like you said to be winner here, makes it even more special. I am excited to be back in Europe and it seems likes the weather is very, very beautiful. I hear the course is in great shape and I am looking forward to a great week.

Q: Did you receive a SMS on Sunday?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I received several. Is there one in particular you had in mind?

Q: From Liverpool?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yes, I got one Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty smart-(alleck) comment, but that is to be expected I guess and deservingly so.

Q: You are paired with Gwladys Nocera of France in the first round. Do you know much about her game?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: We have not played very much together, but I did have a chance to get to know her through Solheim Cup, but that is it. I have not seen the pairings, but if that is what you say then I am looking forward to it.

Q: The beginning of the year was a bit difficult for you, more so than I am sure you wanted. Did you have any doubts in your game at that time?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Any doubts?

Q: In your ability?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I mean when you raise the bar and you have high expectations and then you do not win every other week you think that maybe, ‘I am not playing to my potential.' It is just a funny game sometimes, but you have to keep on going. I did not doubt my capabilities at all. For some reason, it was just not there. It was very, very close and then I won the Open and have played some good golf since then. I am not worried.

Q: You said that Tiger did leave you a message?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think we already that question, but yes I did receive a text from Tiger on Sunday afternoon. He let me know he won another major, in case I did not know.

Q: When it is warm like this, do you have to do anything different for your physical preparation?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I am quite lucky. I live in Orlando, Florida so this heat is not going to bother me a bit. I am happy to be here. It is a beautiful place. You just have to drink a lot of Evian, I think that is the key. I do not really think that the heat is going to be a factor for me.

Q: Will you work out in the morning?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I did this morning and I probably will the next few days as well too. You want to be in good shape for this tournament. There are some hills and you have to be ready to walk. I think I should be fine.

Q: You have been coming to Evian for a long time now. Can you talk about any significant changes that you have noticed here?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well there have been a lot of changes. I remember the first time I came here on the European Tour and it was a great event already. When they made it an LPGA event as well, they really did something special. They started with the golf course and lengthened it and they have changed some greens, which made the course even better. When it comes to the tournament itself, I think it is very professionally run. You can tell everything has gotten bigger and better, the golf course, more fans. I don't think this media center was here, just the small changes like that have made a big difference. This is a lot more media coverage. But if there is one thing that has been very consistent, it is the way they treat the players. Franck and his team take care of everything. You stay at Hotel Royal and it does not get much better. It is just fantastic to come here and we all feel very privileged.