ADT Championship
Trump International Golf Club
West Palm Beach, Fla.
November 18-19, 2008

Pre-tournament interviews: LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens | Annika Sorenstam | Lorena Ochoa | Paula Creamer | Morgan Pressel | Cristie Kerr

LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens

CAROLYN BIVENS: Good morning. Thank you for joining us here today. As we conclude what's been another exceptional and exciting season on the LPGA Tour. This week we'll watch some of the greatest golfers in the world display their superior talent and their passionate performances on this spectacular golf course.

This weekend, when the final putt drops, we'll hand over a million dollar first prize for the winner of the ADT Championship and the LPGA Playoffs 2008.

As we reflect on 2008, and we look at 2009, it's imperative that we maintain a focus on our primary strategic pillars. The LPGA spent over a year working through a strategic plan that was approved by the board of directors last year. Those pillars include economic empowerment, taking care of our members, by providing market based playing opportunities for our members as well as opportunities inside and outside this organization. This is the essence of the mission of the LPGA.

Total entertainment experience, taking care of our fans. We will continue to provide one of the most compelling on course products, superior value for the entertainment dollar and unrivaled access to our sport and our members. No other sport, no other sport delivers what we deliver at our events, on TV, online, and through other mediums.

Equity is the next pillar. We're a member organization, and we will continue to expand the menu and the value of the benefits provided to our members. Moving closer to the equity they deserve and they need.

Exposure. Television continues as the mainstay of LPGA exposure, and we continue our pursuit of a platform that delivers consistency of schedule, quality of telecasts and destination viewing.

Executional excellence. The standard by which we hold ourselves and our stake holders. As we come to the close of another LPGA Tour season, I want to briefly share some of the accomplishments in this past year, while also taking the time to look forward at 2009 and 2010 as best as anyone can predict in today's environment.

The strength of the LPGA begins with our members. In 2008, the women of the LPGA demonstrated that they are among the best golfers in the world. They've shown that the depth of the talent on the LPGA Tour is unrivaled in this game.

This season, nine tournaments were won via playoffs, and ten were won by only one stroke. We've had 18 different winners, and eight Rolex First Time Winners.

Some of the game's greatest performers, like Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, and Annika continue their exemplary play while young players like Yani Tseng, and veterans like Helen Alfredsson challenged at every opportunity.

The talent of the women on the LPGA on the course is matched only by their generosity and spirit of giving off the course. Yani Tseng, Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year (leader), donated $50,000 to the Renewal Foundation USA to support high school students in China so they could continue their education in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes.

Reigning U.S. Women's Open Champion, Inbee Park contributed $50,000 to the LPGA Foundation to support LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. And of course, as many of you know, the number one, Lorena Ochoa has spent an enormous amount of time, money and her energy on the foundation and her academy to help create a better life for children in Mexico.

We were extremely proud when Lorena was named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Val Skinner, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Colleen Walker, Marcy Hart are among the many members who raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. Beth Bader established a foundation and is raising funds and awareness to cure for pancreatic cancer.

Betsy King continues to lead a member initiative, Golf Fore Africa that's dedicated to bringing hope and support to the children in Africa who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by the AIDS pandemic. She's also a member of the president's council on service and civic participation.

I could go on and speak about what the LPGA members do off the course for their communities and for the causes that are near and dear to them, these are merely a few examples of why our athletes and our members are role models.

On the business front, we've worked throughout 2008 to integrate the Duramed FUTURES Tour. The LPGA acquired the Duramed FUTURES Tour in 2007, and I can't overstate the importance of the acquisition of the Duramed FUTURES Tour for the future opportunities for the LPGA.

This important pipeline has seen more than 300 Duramed FUTURES Tour alumni become LPGA members. 17 of the 35 winners this year are Duramed FUTURES Tour alums.

From 2003 to 2007, 83 percent of the graduates who earned their tour card in this manner maintained their LPGA status for at least two seasons. It is the best pipeline into the LPGA.

This year we successfully implemented the game's first drug testing program. Our members have worked hard to understand the banned substance list, and the actual process of the test itself.

For many players who are over age 30, this was their first experience with drug testing, others experienced it during their college days with the NCAA, but all were committed to making it work.

This is the first season that we've had a full time agronomist, John Miller (of) the Golf Course Superintendent's Association. He helped improve the overall golf course conditions and the venues on which the LPGA plays. You'll see more of his work in the future. It benefits not just our members, but also our fans and our sponsors.

We announced in June that, effective in 2010, the LPGA will own and operate the LPGA Championship, making the first time in our history that the LPGA will own one of our majors. That adds to the important asset base and the value of the LPGA.

An important aspect of our future financial stability for the LPGA includes owning and operating and benefiting from the few properties that we control.

Again, I want to publicly acknowledge and thank Herb Lotman for his and his team's longstanding support of building that major into a wonderful event that has a great legacy. In particular, the 15 years that they were keepers of that championship.

Our work with other allied associations continues this year, and I was proud to join other leaders from our sport as we met with the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland as part of our efforts to get golf added to the Olympics in 2016.

The impact of golf becoming an Olympic sport will offer more women the opportunity to learn and to compete than any other single effort we could undertake. It is an enormous opportunity. The LPGA's diversity and the popularity worldwide can play a critical role in leading us to another historic milestone for our sport.

As stated in September, the LPGA leadership has been talking with a variety of organizations and specialists, coast to coast, regarding our important cross cultural initiative. We're finalizing the agreement with experts who will, along with LPGA constituents, lead the review and development of guidelines and the criteria for our initiative.

Our intention is to develop a cross cultural program, in addition to a language policy that will be inclusive, and meet the diverse needs of all of the members of the LPGA.

Performance at the LPGA is more than playing golf. The founders embedded that belief in the five points of celebrity way before the LPGA actually spelled out the five points of celebrity.

Our program will be true to preparing and empowering our members to compete successfully in business globally. Bottom line, our primary goal and intent is to do the right thing by our entire membership, our sponsors, our fans, and the golf community at large.

To better reflect the global nature of our business, LPGA governance was amended in 2008 with the addition of an international player to our director board. The LPGA board of directors drafted an amendment to the constitution that would establish a seat on the board on of directors for a player who has elected international member status, and this was approved in May by the board of directors and the Tour membership.

At the final player meeting of the season in October, Helen Alfredsson from Sweden became the first voting international player director.

We've worked extremely hard the past two years to ensure that we continue to improve on the value that we deliver, and acquire assets that are of value to our current sponsors as well as our perspective companies. In doing, we're attracting new sponsorships and new companies.

We're proud that just this year we signed with Stanford Financial Group, Proctor & Gamble, as well as Kapalua, Bell Micro, and Grand China Air as title sponsors. We also added to the marketing partnerships with Blue Diamond Almonds, Dry Grip, and Mirassou, and renewed our marketing partnership with Anheuser Busch.

We've made significant progress in our efforts to restructure the LPGA business model. This year we were able to provide greater resources for player services and still return a profit to the organization. The financial rewards are not just for the LPGA, but also for our partners.

This year the LPGA generated more than $2 million in cash for the Tournament Owners Association. This was a 40 percent increase over 2007. The additional funds were generated as a result of the new television revenue share agreement. Renegotiated international right contracts, marketing and sales programs where the LPGA passes the funds directly from our sponsors through the LPGA to our tournaments.

While we're very pleased with our 2008 accomplishments, it's no secret that the road ahead, particularly 2009, is going to test our metal. We face real challenges. The greatest of which is faced not just by other sports and entertainment organizations, but by every business enterprise of any kind in all corners around the world.

And who among us knows how the economy will really perform in 2009, much less in 2010. This includes our friends Ginn, who have reduced their commitment from two events to one, and want to focus their energy and efforts to make the 2009 Ginn OPEN in Orlando the best entertainment experience in central Florida.

When our valued partners at Safeway decided to consolidate their sponsorship and focus on their Portland event, we needed to ensure the continued presence of the LPGA in Phoenix.

We're pleased to confirm that with joint efforts between the LPGA, and Tournament Golf Foundation, the LPGA will return to Phoenix in March.

We're still working through the final details of the event with the Tournament Golf Foundation, details we'll be in a position to discuss more in the future. But today we will confirm we will be returning to Phoenix. It's a favorite tour stop, and one of the great tour stops in a great city in this country.

Each and every year, the LPGA schedule evolves with an avid flow of events, but like many businesses and individuals, the state of the global economy, and the economic crisis we're all facing has resulted in a slightly different tournament landscape for 2009.

It's not something that comes as a surprise to those who have followed the news of all of the sectors impacted by the economic crisis, including the sports and entertainment industry.

Today we're announcing the LPGA's official money event schedule plus The Solheim Cup. We anticipate that we'll have an unofficial money, sanctioned tournaments in the postseason in 2009, and we'll talk about those over the course of the next few months.

Let me begin with one of our shining stars for 2009, and remind you to join us in August 2009 as we host The Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago. We look forward to players vying for the spot to represent the United States and Europe in the return of this spirited and one of the premier competitions in the world.

As was announced by CN earlier this year, the 2009 CN Canadian Open will feature a $2.75 million purse, that's a $500,000 increase from 2008.

The Stanford Financial Tour Championship will be played in Houston, and will feature a $2 million purse to conclude the 2009 event. Stanford Financial has stepped up with a major increase in commitment to the LPGA.

As far as LPGA official money events in 2009, we'll have 31 official money events. So you don't have to count. That's versus 34 in 2008. Given what could have been the potential negative economic impact on our schedule, we view this as a barometer of stability, appeal, and value for our players and our property.

Players will compete for nearly $55 million of official money. Again, so you don't have to add it up, that's down from a little more than $60 million in 2008. The average prize money will be $1.767 for those of you taking out three decimal points. And that's similar to this year, which was a little more than $1.77.

Finally, I will note that we'll return after an one year hiatus to Thailand for a tournament sponsored by Honda. This was a deliberate move to create a more desirable geographic flow in 2009, where it will partner with the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. That's only a two hour flight.

We're working to finalize a new television package for the U.S. that will provide the future LPGA with the kind of platform for exposure, coverage, and awareness that we think fans, sponsors and the organization and our members deserve with consistency being one of the cornerstones.

In our pursuit of equitable benefits, despite the economic challenges, the LPGA is in strong financial condition, stronger than it has been. The work we've done on the business model over the past few years has fortified the organization, enabling us to better navigate through the economic realities of this marketplace.

I wish this economic downturn had waited one more year. I wish we'd had one more year, but I'm grateful that we had the past three.

Our 2009 budget plans for a solidly profitable year. A continued high level of contributions to our member benefits, including a 25 percent increase in the pension fund contributions.

If we had not undertaken the substantive changes to the business model of the LPGA during the previous three years, our picture would be decidedly less hopeful.

In closing, I would be remiss if I didn't end my remarks this morning taking just a few moments to reflect on a career, the career achievements and contributions of one of the greatest golfers in history. One of the greatest athletes in history, and one of the greatest role models in our sport.

This woman in particular is owed a significant share of credit for the performance, and the organizational milestones that were achieved this year, and for much of what the LPGA has accomplished during the past 15 years as an LPGA member, and that would be Annika.

She continues to set the global bar for excellence in all statistical categories, and yet to judge Annika only by her on course performance, is to miss the essence of a woman who is the ultimate role model. She's set an incredible standard for the talented young contingent of players who are following in her footsteps on and off the course.

While we'll miss her in our tournaments and on our leaderboards, we will look forward to her continued contributions to the game.

As Annika begins an exciting new chapter in her life and in her career, we're also eager to enter a new chapter with Annika, who will always remain one of the LPGA's and one of our game's greatest ambassadors.

I'd like to thank you for your time and attention. Those are our prepared remarks today. I will take questions from the floor.

Q. Did you try to talk Annika out of not retiring?
CAROLYN BIVENS: I think everybody has tried to talk Annika out of retiring. (smiling) At the same time, you're pulled by the fact she's a young woman who knows very much what she wants, and she has priorities. I think you've got to admire her and respect her for that. We'll miss her very much.

Q. What was it like for you trying to sell the tour for '09 and '10 without her being here?
CAROLYN BIVENS: You know, the question was what was it like to sell the tour without Annika going to be a part next year. Annika's a very big part of the past 15 years. And as I just said, she's a very large part of the accomplishments that the LPGA has made and where we are right now.

At the same time, the depth of our talent and the breadth of our talent, and the globalness of our talent is one of the biggest attributes. It, frankly, is our pull for differentiation right now.

Q. Can you discuss this event and its future? Where it's going, when it's going?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Yes, and no (smiling). We are very sorry to see this event go. However, this event was not ever on the 2009 schedule, regardless of what has been reported.

As part of the strategic plan that the LPGA built over the course of the last couple of years, we've always planned for 2010. We've talked to you all over the course of the last couple of years that contracts were all set to expire in combination with television. It's very hard for events to contract past the existing television contracts without knowing what the new event or what the new deal, if you will, is going to be.

So there's nothing new about that. What we have wanted is we've wanted a season opening event and a season ending event.

As a membership organization, one of the things we struggled with over the last few years is the last standard of eligibility, which is our new term for what you all used to call full field events, was at Longs Drugs (Challenge). That's pretty early in the year. So there's a lot of women that were left out of our season that doesn't finish until November.

We were able to add Kapalua this year, to be able to add a season ending championship that offers more earning opportunities and offers a more traditional season ending event is one of the things that we think will serve fans, and it certainly has served Stanford Financial. They're a great partner in this and we wanted the same things.

This event and reprising the top money winners of the previous year is a wonderful way to start off the season and to pull our fans back in and reintroduce the top players from the previous year.

Q. Are you searching for a title sponsor?
CAROLYN BIVENS: There are several companies who are right now the single elimination format, this event, is in front of as part of the marketing package, yes.

Q. The nature of changing the big payoff to the beginning of the year. Obviously, it affects the money list. Can you just tell us about your decision of why to move it to the beginning?
CAROLYN BIVENS: For several reasons. But it effects the money list as much as having it at the end of the year. Somebody wins a million dollars. And frankly, I hope five to ten years from now, somebody's standing up to you and talking about $9 or $10 million events, and that this event would have a purse of $2 million.

I know that people say you shouldn't compare the LPGA to the PGA. I actually believe these girls really do rock. I believe these girls are great, and I believe this is a great value proposition, and that's where we're growing.

Q. Would the format for the tournament, this event, I want to call it ADT, it won't be ADT anymore?
CAROLYN BIVENS: We all will for a long time.

Q. Secondly the China event, the China Air event that was added late in the year is a TBA here on the list. Could you elaborate on the details there going forward?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Yeah, as a result of the Olympics in Beijing this year, and the government is a partner. The China Golf Association, IMG is also our partner in that there are a lot of entities and things don't always move slowly. Until we're just really positive we're going to put a TBA (for the sponsor), we expect the China event to be back there.

Q. The format the same?
CAROLYN BIVENS: The format's going to be exactly the same. It's one of the other things we're grateful to ADT. They were courageous in working with us. This format is one of the most compelling. We'll keep it the way it is.

Q. I was wondering if you could comment on drug testing. I know you changed companies earlier in the year. You talked about it in Kraft, and how the new company handled the situation, and how many times you tested this year, how many weeks and why it was a success?
CAROLYN BIVENS: We're very happy with our partner in drug testing. But no, we won't comment on how many times we tested, how many women were tested, no.

Q. Did you announce people who flunked the test?
CAROLYN BIVENS: No. The way the program works, until someone was all the way through appeals, there would not be an announcement.

Q. Back to the schedule. Beginning with the Women's Open all the way through perhaps the Safeway Classic, there are some events in there, one, two, perhaps even three that a lot of players may not qualify for, which would leave some pretty large gaps within the schedule. Is that something you're working to try to fix in future years and are you only uncomfortable with the fact that some players could go as much as a month without any play?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Sure we're uncomfortable with that. We want to fill the holes. And there's actually a concept that we mentioned briefly last year. It's called the challenger series. It's something that we have in front of companies right now and are talking about a challenger series event.

It is one that would incorporate some of our (Duramed) FUTURES Tour players, some of our Hall of Famers or veteran players who are no longer playing. Some call them legends. I prefer not to call them seniors. I'm actually older than a number of them. But the veteran players, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 of our current players. And they would be held either in some of those open weeks, or they would be held opposite limited field events.

Q. But nothing for next year as of yet?
CAROLYN BIVENS: There may be.

Q. Can you just update us on what are your pursuing TV rights fees? And how this economic climate effects that plan?
CAROLYN BIVENS: You can't negotiate television in the media, but I will tell you this, it's a very important part of – it's an important aspect of women's sports. It's incredibly important to the LPGA.

We can have the very best players in the world, the most dynamic, charismatic players and the people don't see them. You don't increase the value. It's also very difficult for an organization to operate and for there's a phrase that's been thrown around a lot this week, a price value equation. It's very hard to have price value equation when you're underwriting all of the costs of the television time as well as of the production.

So we have to be able to show our value. That's number one. Number two, I would say – I would put it as 1a – and that is it is so difficult to find the LPGA telecast right now. Consistency of viewing is extremely important to us.

Q. Given the nature of how TV is changing, the number of choices, is network TV as important?
CAROLYN BIVENS: That's an interesting question. The question is is network TV as important?

I think network TV for the foreseeable future be important. The most important thing is consistency of viewing, so the people know where to tune in, and when to tune in. You're not going between trying to find which channel it's on. And trying to find out is it on at 9:00 at night or 1:00 in the afternoon or is it not on?

Q. The climate, how much is that affecting your rights fee for 2010?
CAROLYN BIVENS: I would say that the climate – for those of you who really know the advertising on the sales side of media, you know that most rights fees or even revenue shares are underwritten by a guarantee that the organization is going to deliver advertising dollars.

From that respect, it's something that concerns the LPGA less than it would our television partner. We say that we will provide X amount of advertising to them. So that's a concern for the LPGA.

The value of the LPGA and the content of what we provide is good, even in this environment. It is appealing to television partners.

Q. The Stanford event is that no longer a Pro Am?
CAROLYN BIVENS: That's correct. It's no longer a Pro Am.

Q. And secondly, the move to Houston, was that strictly a sponsor option or did something not work about South Florida or Turnberry Isle?
CAROLYN BIVENS: We loved Turnberry. But at that time of year Stanford Financial would like to play at their North American headquarters location. And frankly, we want to be back in Texas as well.

Q. As you look past '09, and into whatever's on the drawing board for '10, would it be proper to characterize it maybe as a bit frustrating just because no one knows if we've hit bottom yet? No one knows what will happen in '09, the uncertainty over TV? Is this a particularly unsettling time, a frightening time for you in any respect just because there are so many blanks still on that drawing board for '10?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Make no mistake. If any of us could choose, we would not choose to be faced with this economic crisis. Having said that, for organizations who are agile enough and analyze their strengths and their value, there's actually great opportunities to come out of this better off than we went into it.

What happens in this kind of an economy, there's no renewal for anything. For any expenditure in any corporation that is automatic. Everything gets reviewed. That means whatever sponsorship dollars are being spent, however marketing dollars are being spent, yes, you get to value it based on what the corporation is going to do and what their objectives are.

It also means you get put on the consideration list where somebody may have to cut or is reevaluating saying, Wow, maybe I'm paying too much for this. What are my alternatives?

The LPGA is getting put on consideration lists that we weren't on a couple of years ago. That doesn't mean that it isn't tricky to step through this.

Q. If I recall correctly, think there were going to be some serious tweaks to the English proficiency policy. Is there anything can you update on that or when we can expect to hear some something?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Let me go back and reprise a few of my remarks and say performance at the LPGA, and frankly, the survival and ability to succeed here is more than performing on the golf course. The international nature of our tour offers us great opportunities and it also offers us challenges.

As we went to benchmark best practices in this area, there is no other program that exists like this in a sports or an entertainment world. What's come out of all of that is offers in some cases for some pro bone owe work from some pretty impressive groups and organizations, and we're taking them up on it.

So we're actually going to make this more extensive than we'd ever intended to in the very first place. And our goal is to come out of this a year to 18 months from now and have a model program.

Q. It's the first time in a dozen years there won't be a South Florida event. Can you address the importance of this market?
CAROLYN BIVENS: We live in Florida. We love being here, and we will endeavor to be back in South Florida.

Q. What, if anything, has been the difficulty in getting tournaments to establish in South Florida, and in some cases to stay in South Florida, or Florida in general?
CAROLYN BIVENS: Florida and California are both states that are near and dear to my heart. I have ties to both. Both of those are areas that have – that don't have an extensive corporate headquarters base. And as you know, putting together a schedule takes a lot of elements coming together: Corporations, the golf course, the availability of the golf course, the availability on the schedule.

Annika Sorenstam

DANA GROSS RHODE: Thank you all for joining us. Annika, thank you for joining us after your Pro Am. Hopefully, it was a good day today. We're at the ADT Championship, which I'm sure you've been reminded numerous times, is your final official LPGA event.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, it is?

DANA GROSS RHODE: Again, we want to welcome and if you would just talk about being here this week going for the $1 million grand prize.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I'm happy to be here. This has always been, I think, the highlight of the season. It's always an honor to qualify with this tournament. As you said, this will be my last ADT, and pretty much last of the season and my career.
So it's a special week in many ways. You know, I feel I must admit I have some mixed emotions. I mean, I'm sad that it's coming to an end, but it's my decision and when I decide to do something, I stick with it.
I'm excited about the future as well, so the feelings are very mixed to be here. But I'm going to enjoy the week and try to play some good golf. Maybe the momentum from last week will continue, and be able to have a chance on Sunday to go for the big jackpot.

Q. I know you have said before that you're not calling this a "retirement" and you could be leaving the door open at some point to return. Is that something that maybe two years from now you pull a Brett Favre or Michael Jordan and come back to the sport you love and play again?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, time will tell. I mean, you're right. I'm not using the R word for many reasons. I mean, if you know me well, I mean, I have a lot of other things to do. So I'm going to be quite busy the next coming years. That's why I'm excited. It's another chapter of my life, new challenges.
And I've enjoyed it immensely out here. And obviously achieved a lot more than I ever thought I could. So the game will always be with me. You know, if I get the urge to practice again and the motivation to go out there and grind and compete again, I know the door is open. So if that's two years from now, five years or if it never happens, I really don't know.
I do not have any plans other than in '09 I'm just getting married and work on the business I have and go from there.

Q. Is there a specific moment when you knew that you were ready to step away?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I have felt it for a little bit. When I won in Dubai last year I really felt like I had come back from an injury, and, you know, I felt good about my game. I just realized that if I want to do it, I can do it.
I had an off season and practiced pretty good, but still felt like, you know, it wasn't the normal off season. My brain, I wasn't as focused as I should be. Then I came out and had a super start, and I was quite surprised about that. But that pretty much sealed the deal. Again, knowing that I could do it if I really wanted to.
Bottom line is I'm satisfied. I'm very content. I have done what I want to do, and nothing else is really going to change that. I mean, another victory, another three more years is not going to change my career, not the way I look at it. That's when I realized that, I said, hey, it's time to move on.

Q. Given that this could be, will be, might be your last, what would mean more, your 73rd LPGA win or another million?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I've never played for the money, so that's just never been a motivating factor for me. I mean, I'll always enjoy the challenge coming down the stretch, and having to hit that perfect shot or that perfect putt to beat the best players in the world. That's been the driving factor from the start.
You know, I would say when I turned pro I might have thought about the money, but that's over 15 years ago. That's not why I played. But I will tell you that the million would come to good use. I wouldn't deny that.

Q. You've had so much success on this course in this event, but I do remember you last year, and I remember the look on your face when you left. How much motivation is there motivation in that?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I mean I remember, too. I have not really done well in this format. This is a format that I'm not really sure how to play other than to try to just shoot 65 every day, you know you have a chance.
You know, I love to be part of being in the hunt. I love coming down the stretch and having a chance to win. You know, when you're out on a Friday, it just takes the steam out of everything. I know how to play this course. Like you said, I've had success here before.
So I know that it's just that this is such a different format as you all know. You've got to be solid for two days. And there's no room to come back, really. I mean a shot here can cost a lot, so you have to be just 18 holes or 36 and that's it.
I would say I'm a very consistent player, and the 72 holes works just fine for me. So I think it would be great to change that this year, and, again, walk away with some great feelings and really living at the top.

Q. Along the lines of what I was going to say, it's an odd format, and people might have tickets and there's no assurances that you'd be here Sunday or Saturday or how long your swan song's going to last. It's an odd place to sort of wave goodbye?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It is.

Q. Not that you had a choice necessarily. It's the last one?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: That's true. I'm happy to be here, number one. So I know just going to try to play the best I can. I mean, of course we all say that ask we all try. You know, it's a little bit like match play. You know, every day is a new day, and that's just the way it is.

Q. You just talked about how much you like to be part of the hunt and in the thick of things. How much have you thought about what it's going to be like to not have that option and to have to do it in another way in business or however you're going to pursue the competitive side?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, it's a good question. I mean, my answer to that is, you know, that's probably what I'm going to miss the most is being in the hunt or having the chance to win the tournament.
But to get there, there is so much more than that. It's all the grind that it takes, all the motivation, and all the hard work to get there before the Sunday, if you're even lucky to get there. That's just what's hard for me to do nowadays.
I'm hoping to be able to channel my competitiveness in other areas. I mean, I've got my foot in other businesses. It's hard. Especially these times. So I'm going to put a lot more energy into that.
You know, I have a name and a brand to protect, and something that I stand for. I want to try to do the best I can there. So I'm not worried about where to put that. I have a place to put my energy. We'll see if I succeed or not. But the goals are there, and the motivation's there.

Q. First question, who all is going to be here to experience this last week with you? And the second one, what's it going to be like to not be around Terry all the time and working with him? I mean, you know, he's been part of your life?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I mean, Terry's a huge part of my life. This is our ninth year together. We have experienced a lot of highs, I would say, just a few lows. He's become a very good friend of me and the family. Luckily he only lives 40 minutes away, so hopefully we can come out and maybe play golf for fun or just have dinner together.
You know, I know we're not going to lose touch by any means. He has a love for the game as I do. I mean, there might be things that we can do together down the road, so that door is always going to be open.
What was the first question?

Q. Who is going to be here?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Oh, here. I actually asked for 50 tickets this week. So I have a lot of friends, a lot of family members coming in. I mean, normally I ask for between 4 to 10 tickets, and this week is 50. I've got people flying in to come here and it means a lot.

Q. Along those lines, is it difficult for you to have that razor focus, that locked in with all the extraneous last tournament this, last tournament that, and all the extra people here this week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: It's been hard. I have to admit. Since June I really haven't played as good as I want. It's been very different. I come to a tournament I'm so focused on playing and nothing else. All of a sudden, it's a lot of responsibilities, a lot of extra things. You know, I've had a bad hole and you walk off the green and people say, We love you. You're the best. It's been very different.
The emotions have been there for me this year a little bit more of a roller coaster. Normally I'm kind of this cold Swede just going down the fairway. It's been very different.
But I have enjoyed it as well. It's been a great year in so many ways, and I really have had a chance to summarize my career, and had a chance to share my memories with a lot of fans and a lot of you guys and my family and so forth. So this year goes in the history book for me as one of the top years, maybe not performance wise, but memory wise, for sure.

Q. You had mentioned a few minutes ago all the business interests, your brand that you want to protect and see grow, of course. When you announced you were stepping away in mid may, of course we were in the throws of this downturn, and we've kept turning down ever since financially it seems like. As a business woman is this the best time for you to devote all of your attentions to the business world? I mean, it is, again, you didn't create the situation. It is the situation. But as a business woman does the state of things right now, how much does that worry you?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I don't think I could have timed it any worse (smiling). But I guess, you know, you learn from the lows. The way I look at it, there are a lot of opportunities out there.
Bottom line when times are tough, you have to stick to the fundamentals and the things you stand for and quality. Those are things I've always believed in.
So, again, I'm just a beginner in this game, so I'm learning a lot myself. But times are trying. I think it just takes a little bit more dedication, and like I said, the quality, and what you produce is more important. That's really what I'm going to focus on.
So, again, it is a challenge, a big challenge, I would say. Who knows. I might just come back sooner thinking, hey, a three footer wasn't so bad.

Q. Today is usually a big day because the new schedule is released. Did you even bother looking? If you did, was there some emotion?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I actually have it right here (smiling). I have not reviewed it. But I took it, so, I'm sure I'll check it. You know, the LPGA is I feel comfortable leaving the tour. It's in a good position. There are great players out there, and a commissioner that legally cares. So even though times are tough, we have some great loyal sponsors, and again, the product is good, so that's really all we can do.

Q. When that final shot in your final U.S. Open went in the hole, in your mind is that just a really good shot that went in the hole, or was there something else at work that made it go in the hole?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I believe in fate. I always have. I think there was a reason why that shot went in. I've had some moments this year that you can just not explain. I holed a 6 iron in the tournament in Sweden, my tournament, on the 71st hole. I hit a 6 iron into the 18th hole at the British Open, and it rolled over the hole and rolled in for birdie. Is that a coincidence? I don't know. I don't believe in that. So there's something to it.

Q. Is that the longest, the U.S. Open shot, would that be the longest shot you've ever holed in competition?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I believe so, yes.

Q. Do you recall what it was?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: 199, yeah. So when I saw Terry in Canada he said, I'm going to lay up to 6 irons the rest of the season.

DANA GROSS RHODE: Ladies and gentlemen, before you government we have a special presentation for Annika.
Marcia Bullard, President and CEO of USA Weekend magazine is here. USA Weekend magazine is one of the largest publications with a circulation of 23 million. And Marcia is here to present both for USA Weekend, National Most Caring Athlete Award for 2008. So we have a special presentation for that.

MARCIA BULLARD: Thanks very much. I'm glad to be here especially on such an important occasion as Annika's last LPGA Tour. She's had a spectacular career, and of course over the years she's won, many, many, many, many awards for recognizing her athletic achievements. But today we're presenting an award to recognize the great work that she has done off the course, and that we hope that she will continue to do in the years ahead.
She, as you know, has formed the Annika Foundation, which is dedicated to providing scholarships and golfing opportunities to young golfers, especially young women golfers, to give them an opportunity to enjoy the sport and to achieve the great heights that Annika has.
She's also focusing her attention on finding ways to help American children become more physically fit, something that she feels passionate about.
Since 1994 USA Weekend has named a most caring athlete each year. And we do this because we want to recognize inspiring professional athletes who live up to being the role models that they are, and take their role model status very seriously. Annika has done that.
And so we published a cover story about Annika recently two weeks ago in the magazine, and brought attention to her foundation, encouraged readers to contribute to it, which I hope they have. And have a little kickoff check of $5,000 to add to your kitty. Also, a nice candy dish for your office.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Perfect, thank you.

MARCIA BULLARD: But really, I just think it's terrific when athletes use their time, talent, and money to do humanitarian work to get back to society, and to give other people an opportunity to succeed. So, Annika, congratulations on being named the Most Caring Athlete of 2008.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Marcia. Thank you USA Weekend. This is a great honor. You know, like you said, I have other trophies that I've played 72 holes to earn, and this has been a lot more than that, and hopefully it will be a lot more.
Really excited about the next chapter in my life which will include a lot of Annika Foundation and giving back to kids.
You know, I had that photo shoot in New York with Eli Manning, and it was just a lot of fun, and great to get a chance to talk to another athlete about his goals and some of the things that he's doing. So, therefore, thank you very much. It's a great honor to receive this award.
I have a lot of work ahead of myself to live up to this, and to continue to make a difference for children. But I'm also lucky to be in a spot to do that. Thank you for recognizing that. This is going to come to very good use, and make a lot of children happy. So thank you very much.

Lorena Ochoa

THE MODERATOR: Lorena, thank you for joining us. Welcome to the ADT Championship. You're the defending champion. You've had a successful year, seven wins this year, and right after you won here last year you made the $100,000 donation to the flood victims in Tabasco, Mexico. Can you just talk about everything that's been going on, and you also had your tournament last week as well. So it's a jumbled introduction, I apologize.
LORENA OCHOA: Hello everybody. Yes, I mean, it's been a really good year in many different ways. Where I finally here the last tournament of the year, we all know this is an exciting week.
I would love to defend my title for sure. You know, especially having seven wins, it would be great to get the eight, the same as last year.
You know, I think what is important is that we're all here with the opportunity, and this tournament plays different being with the format. But I think I'm ready. You know, being last week in Guadalajara, I think it helped me to be a better player today.
I learned a lot. It was a great week. We enjoyed it a lot. It was really a dream come true being able to play in my hometown, and I'm really motivated to play good the last one of the year, and after that go home.

Q. Was last week the most emotional week you've ever had in a tournament? I mean, what did it feel like trying to concentrate on golf?
LORENA OCHOA: Not about the trying to concentrate. I think that was okay, but it was very emotional. I wanted to cry all the time. Starting on Thursday, you know being on the first tee shot, and making a goal here, making a birdie. I wanted to drive always. And my caddie just, you know, it was impossible not to enjoy it.
It was not about golf, it was about everything we've achieved outside the golf course. Having so many fans, and the response from the public, you know, the professionals that were there, they had a great time. Hopefully they pass that, you know, and we'll see them, you know, next year, too.
It was just a great week. It was a gift for everybody, you know that I wanted to share with everybody. Like I say, it was very emotional. I wanted to cry all week. Finally on the last day, on 18, you know, with all the emotions, it was done, and I feel like I have nothing left. It was tough.
Yesterday I was dying. Yesterday I had no energy. Today I feel a little bit better, and it was good to play the Pro Am and be relaxed. I think I'll be ready for tomorrow.

Q. So did you cry then when it was all done?
LORENA OCHOA: You know, I cried every day (laughing). It was something to enjoy with the crowds and the gallery and the support.

Q. I think I can guess the answer to this after last year, but do you like the format here? I would think for somebody that makes a lot of birdies like you, this would be fun because every day it's just kind of go for it?
LORENA OCHOA: You're right. I think I very like it here. I like the format. You can see it both ways, you know. But I think what's important is not that we have the opportunity to do it. We are here. It's the best players and everybody can really win this week.
I'm not going to change anything. I'm going to play the same golf. I don't need to have any different strategy. Just, you know, play consistent the first three rounds. I think on Sunday is where you can be more aggressive, because only one round you need to do something special to win. But I'm not going to change anything. I'm just going to play the same.

Q. If my math is right, I think Paula still has a chance to catch you for the money title. Are you aware of that? Does that money title mean something to you?
LORENA OCHOA: Of course, it means something to me, and of course I'm aware. I think we all know it. It's very simple. We're just going to leave it at that. She will have a chance to win and me, too, and I would like to stay at the top. So I'm going to do my best.

Q. Did John Koch help your team today?
LORENA OCHOA: He did, yes. He was very knowledgeable about the course, and he made good putts, important putts. He was good to be around.
We had a great group. And of course I want to say thank you to all the support for the ADT and the sponsors. It was a nice day.

Q. What was the most - I have two questions, what was the most special moment last week at your tournament if you had one? Can you think of something that really stands out as being like a highlight?
LORENA OCHOA: No, I don't have a particular one. All of it, you know. Arriving, the players, there on Monday and seeing the course with the ropes and the stands and starting to play the tournament Thursday. It was really crowded on Thursday. You can feel the whole, the first hole. Everything.

Q. The former world No. 1 is now leaving after this event and she won't use the word retiring, but this is her last event. Do you think she's still competitive enough to win out here on a regular basis? And is it surprising to see someone who is, if she is, leaving this early in her career?
LORENA OCHOA: I think Annika would be competitive all her life. I think she's ready to win any week. You know, she's the one that knows how to do it. She's very experienced.
But I also understand and I'm happy for her that she's moving on and seeing different aspects of her life. I wish her the best. Personally, I hope she can have a great family. I think she'll be a great mom. And sometimes it's just time to move on. You know, she's been here for many years. We'll miss her for sure, but I think she's done us a great job. And number one, say thank you for that.

Q. The global economy is in more than a little turmoil, and the commissioner was in here talking about next year's schedule and the reduction in the number of tournaments and prize money. What is your reaction to that and your viewpoint of the future of the tour?
LORENA OCHOA: I think you're putting everything together. We are going through hard times, and, of course, it will hurt a few tournaments or sponsors. But I think we're in good shape. We believe that we are in great hands.
I feel that it's been a blessing to be an LPGA player, and it looks pretty good. We just need to keep doing the right things and supporting our commissioner and our sponsors, and keep going in the right direction.
But I think as far as comparing ourselves to other organizations or professionals, you know, we're in a great position. So, hopefully, we continue that way.

Q. Concern?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, or maybe losing a few sponsors or tournaments because of the economy, but we are doing okay.

Q. Morgan Pressel is a local here. Is it easy or hard to be at home? Is it hard to be at home and play and try to win? Or is it easier?
LORENA OCHOA: I didn't even know she was a local. I guess in a way it's easy, because you have a little bit of an advantage of the course knowledge and with the crowds. You can use them, you know, for your support, you know. It's nice to feel that support and that love.
So we all have to learn, you know, to be in that position, and I think it helps you. It motivates you to play better.

Paula Creamer

JASON TAYLOR: Welcome back to the ADT Championship. You've had a nice year. You have four wins and 14 of top-10s. Can you just talk about your year and being back here in West Palm Beach?
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, it's nice to finish out the year here. It's a beautiful place. I've played well on this golf course, so it's a good way to go out of 2008.
But so far this year, you know, I can't complain. I've had four wins, and I felt like I should have won many more. You know, I've learned a lot just about myself out on the golf course.
You know, I hit the ball well all year, worked on a lot of swing thoughts and changing that. What I'll do in the off season is kind of the same thing I did last year. We'll see what happens. But I can't complain with the way that I've played this year.

Q. The money list title is still in play for you this week if you finish first and Lorena Ochoa doesn't finish second. I wonder if you can talk about that and if you're aware of how long it's been since an American led the money list? It's been a really, really long time.
PAULA CREAMER: I am aware of that very much so. However, you can't win the tournament on Thursday, and you can't win it on Friday. You can win it on Sunday. You know, this format is very.

Q. Especially this tournament?
PAULA CREAMER: Especially this one. You have to go out and play each day as its own day. Then you start over, start back again. So for me just to go out and put, hopefully, four good rounds of golf and give myself a chance on Sunday is all I can really ask for.

Q. Nice to see an American back atop the money list given that this is an American tour and it's been a good long walk?
PAULA CREAMER: That would be very nice, definitely. I would like to be that American, I can tell you that.

Q. We were in here earlier announcing the schedule and a few tournaments for next year are gone, including Tulsa, which I'm sure you're disappointed. Can you just talk a little about the economy? Do you pay attention? Do you watch CNN or are you paying attention to your money, or are you just kind of closing your eyes and hoping it gets better?
PAULA CREAMER: Both, both (smiling). I am very aware, however I am closing my eyes and hoping also (laughing).

Q. Kind of a follow up to that. The commissioner was in here talking about the economy and the reduction in tournaments for next year, and the average prize money is what it was, but total prize money is down. What is your reaction to that? What do you think the future of the Tour is, in relation to the economy?
PAULA CREAMER: Obviously, the economy has a huge impact on that. However, seeing us lose events, that's hard. You know, it's hard for me to see, especially, hopefully not this tournament, but just in general.
I like to play in a lot of events and it's sad that we are losing events. But hopefully in the next couple of years once the economy does get back to where it was at, we can have more events, bigger events, just things like that.

Q. The commissioner talked about moving this event to the beginning of the year in 2010. What are your thoughts on that? Do you have any qualms with starting the year off with a million dollars if it's not you winning?
PAULA CREAMER: To me, the ADT Championship is what it is right now. It's the last tournament of the year. I think it's a big goal for everybody to make it to this event. And to have it at the beginning of the year, I don't think it would have, well I don't necessarily know how they would have the tournament. But the same effect could be different.
You work so hard all year to get into this event. I'm not sure what or how the format would be or whatnot in the beginning of the year.
To come out of an off season and go for a million dollars would be interesting as your first event back.

Q. What would the mentality be like trailing someone who has a million dollars after the first tournament?
PAULA CREAMER: You know, I haven't even given that much thought. But it's a huge point. It's a valid point. You know, you play one week and you're already a million dollars behind.
I'm not sure exactly. I can't really give you an answer to that.

Q. Morgan Pressel's hometown is here. Is it easier or harder to win a hometown tournament? And isn't the Longs Drugs Challenge a hometown for you? What's it like?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes. Well, when I go to Longs at Blackhawk, it feels like a U.S. Open. It feels like a lot of, not pressure in itself, but you play in front of all the people that have supported you and gotten you to where you are today, just being part of your team. My family, and people I've grown up with, it is, it's a different situation.
This year I had Samsung, which was an hour from my house, and then Longs back to back. I've never experienced that before. That was just a different situation. Being around so many people, there's a lot more demands that week. More just media, local channels and things like that.
But it's hard. You know, this is my fourth year on tour, and I struggle every time at that event at Longs. I play the golf course well, it's just kind of maintaining myself and not putting too much pressure on myself.

Morgan Pressel

JASON TAYLOR: Thanks for joining us. Just talk a little bit about being here at the ADT Championship. You have one win on the year at the Kapalua Classic, and five top-10 finishes. Talk about how you feel this week.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I'm excited to play at home as always here at Trump International. It's one of my favorite spots. Sometimes I come to practice quite a lot when I'm home in general. So it's always nice to be here.

Definitely, coming off of a win at the Kapalua Classic, I feel a little bit more confident about my game than I have earlier in the year.

I mean, it's still a work in progress. And it's truthfully not even close, so hopefully I can have another good week this week after the few poor weeks I had in Asia. So maybe this is the time to bounce back again.

Q. Was there a while this year where you were concerned that you'd be home this weekend, but not necessarily here this weekend?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Actually, I said I was going to leave. I wasn't going to stay. Yeah, I mean, there was a time when I didn't qualify in the first half, and I was not playing well at all through the second half.

And I knew that I was going to be making changes, and I kind of said well now is the time to make changes and not necessarily focus on short term of playing in the ADT championship, but of long term of playing a lot better through the next many years on tour.

That was always something that I said. I said if I make these changes and work hard and I don't make ADT, it's not the end of the world. But I'm definitely happy with how things went at Kapalua, and that got me in, so...

Q. Could you talk about your thought process in making the changes, and how difficult it is to do that in the middle of the season as opposed to three or four months in the off season?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, it's better to make changes than to continue to playing poorly (laughing). That was kind of my mindset. I didn't want to continue playing like that. Continue beating myself up over the poor play, and it just kind of it feeds on itself after a while.

I mean, it's not easy to make a change while you're playing, and that's why I took off Mobile so I could have a good month to practice and spent a lot of time training in the gym and things like that.

You know, it's just something that I kind of set my mind to in the middle of the season. I said, you know, I'm not too worried about even when I went to Navistar this year, I tried to play and not really focus on how I finished. But just testing my swing on on the course, and seeing how it worked. Not necessarily worrying so much about the score, but trying to see progress and things like that.

Q. There's not going to be an ADT next year, per se. They're going to move it to the beginning of the 2010 season. Wondering what your thoughts are as far as starting with kind of the biggest purse event right out of the chute, versus kind of an end of the year deal? Pros and cons, you might say?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, it's not the biggest purse. It's the biggest winner's paycheck.

You know, it will give us a big event to start the season. I'm not totally sure on on exactly how I think it's going to be a similar format, is that what I've heard.

I mean, I've got to play this week, first, and then I can worry about a year and a half from now. But we don't even know where it's going to be or anything like that, so...

Q. Could you talk about what led your coach Adam, and what specific changes are you concentrating on?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, just a couple of recommendations from my manager, Chris Armstrong, my caddie, Jon Yarborough, as well as just a little bit of research on my own. Anthony's obviously been playing Anthony Kim's been playing great this year. He had a great year, and we do work well together. It's been very good.

We're working on a lot of different things, trying to generate more club head speed through the ball, more solid shots. Just really opening up the club face a little bit more. Set at the top, and more powerful positions through the ball. Try not to bore you with lots of details, but that's the gist of what we're trying to do.

Q. Have you gotten longer?
MORGAN PRESSEL: We're getting there. I mean it was I mean I had gotten shorter, so now I'm kind of back to where I was. Now, I mean, first of all we've got to get the technique down, then we can try to speed it up. You've got to first component is technique, second is speed.

Q. Can you talk about how hard it is for an elite player to add yards?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, it's not easy. It's something that's it's not easy to make a change period in terms of I mean some of these habits have been engrained for all the years I've been playing golf. So old habits are definitely hard to break.

But it's something that you've just got to spend a lot of time on and you've got to be patient with it. That's sometimes hard for me, I'm not the most patient person in the world. That definitely gets in my way sometimes, but it will come.

You know, spending a lot of time in the gym, I mean, there's a lot to it. The fact that I'm so short means that there's hopefully there are more yards out there for me.

Q. Was there a specific tournament, a specific round that was kind of a low point that made you say I have got to take the drastic action and do it right now?
MORGAN PRESSEL: No, I've had a lot of that this year (laughing). I had a long stretch starting with Rochester this year where I was on the road for seven weeks, and I finished poorly at Evian and missed the cut at the British. And I was pretty upset about that. Just after that that it's not where I said this is it, we need to make a change. But it was something that I had been thinking about. You know, just another set of eyes. Somebody who sees something a little differently.

Q. I'm wondering as one of the younger players out here, obviously this is Annika's swan song week and you're probably going to field a lot of questions relating to her. If, in any way, she might have influenced you?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Absolutely.

Q. She got players into the gymnasium and working out and another variety of ways.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Absolutely. I've grown up watching Annika, starting when I guess she won the Open in '95 and '96, I think, is when she won her Opens. And she's definitely been on top almost the whole time while I've been growing up and playing the game and winning all the events that she has.

Like you said, she definitely started the fitness craze out on tour. It's just taken off, and now it used to be if you were one of the only ones who went in the gym, you were definitely on top. Now if you don't go in the gym all the time, you're just passed like crazy.

So she definitely started that trend, and she's just a very classy person. She's very competitive. She goes about her business and does her own thing, and it's certainly paid off.

Q. The format has been the story the last couple of years. Is it less so now? Are you used to it? Or does it still take some adjustment playing to a second cut and then playing basically a winner take all?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know if you ever really get used to the format. It's definitely a bit crazy. That's part of the reason why it's like that. It's a story line, and it draws attention. I mean, it makes it exciting. It definitely makes it exciting come Sunday. I mean, what can you do? You've just got to play well.

Like last year, the three scores, I just know I shot 65 the second day, and maybe even or 1 over the first day, and the third day, if I would have shot them in a different order, I would have made it to Sunday.

So it's that kind of thing that you've just got to take. I mean, what can you do? You've just got to play well every day, and hope that you're there on Sunday, and then go for birdies.

It's a tough golf course. It's definitely a course where you've got to stay patient and know that you do wash your scores the first two days, so a bad number's not the end of the world. You've just got to come back with a few birdies and get in there for Saturday and the same for Sunday. So definitely teaches you patience out here on this golf course. Especially, if the wind blows like it had this morning.

Q. Do you think all the money should be official? The first place money, should it all be official, the whole million?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I mean it's an official event, so. I know people talk about how it skews the money list, and it certainly does to an extent. And the purse breakdown isn't quite ideal, and it's definitely something that I think we'll see changed, hopefully, in the next few years, because I think that that's probably the next big issue.

Q. Do you really believe that this weekend will be the last time we'll see Annika Sorenstam play in an LPGA event?
MORGAN PRESSEL: For a while. I don't know. I don't know how long. Maybe she won't get the itch to play again, but I would think that somebody as competitive as she would. Just like Nancy Lopez, comeback.

I don't know if Annika would want to play if she couldn't really play well and practice and give it her all. She's getting married and probably going to start a family. I don't know if she'd be interested in that. Those are all personal preferences.

Q. When you look at where this economy is going, I know you're young and all of that, but do you have great concern right now over the state of this game, particularly because there are so many big companies that are facing so many big problems and a lot of them have names attached to tournaments on this tour?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Absolutely. The LPGA Tour is definitely in a tough spot right now in terms of sponsors. I don't think it's just the LPGA Tour.

But I think the PGA TOUR is going to see some of it as well with all of the financial companies that they're associated with that have had their share of problems.

It's just it's a tough time right now. You know, hopefully, we just got to continue to give the best product, to provide the best product that we can, and be as appealing to potential sponsors as possible.

Q. Not too get too into your own personal situations right now, but have you lost any sponsorships or any deals that might have extended to '09? Have you seen them go away in the short term?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Not at the moment, no.

Q. Getting back to the format, do you find that you change your approach or mindset from Thursday Friday, to Saturday. Being or even Sunday, being that it's only 18 holes and you've got to there's less room for patience, I guess?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Sorry, repeat that. I was thinking about something else.

Sorry, I want to go back to that question. SemGroup did go bankrupt, so they are no longer going to be my sponsor. But it was a year to year deal, so anyways. I was just thinking about that, sorry (laughing).

Q. I was just asking if the approach changes in the format for you as a player going from Thursday Friday, to the weekend rounds because there's only 18 holes to get it done.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Uh huh. I mean, when you only have 18 holes, it's what this event was intended to create, which is a shootout. You just you've got seven other players and yourself, and you've got to just go all out.

You've got to stay patient, because it is a difficult golf course, and that forces patience, and forces you to not be too overly aggressive. They've definitely changed some holes out here to where you can no longer even be as aggressive as you used to be.

The holes are like, what is it, 6, where if you move the tee up you can go for the green. But they entirely shaved off the right side, and that didn't used to be like that. So if you get up there or go just over the green, you're going to go into the water. Things like that. So they've definitely made the golf course a little bit more challenging over the years that I've played here. But I think it sets up well for the type of event they have here, so...

Q. It's kind of odd in that the first two days are almost like Q school, because 16th is as good as first, because they throw the scores out and you start over. You get to the weekend, and it's stand on the gas pedal. Kind of position yourself to make a sprint?
MORGAN PRESSEL: To an extent. I mean, when I did go through Q school, I remember the first Q school out in Palm Springs, first stage, I was just like right on the number at 30 after three days. I was sweating it out. It was just because I had the mindset that 30 would make it.

There are times where we still every week we still play to win tournaments. So you've still got to play for the top of the leaderboard, even though it really doesn't matter. If you do play well, it just gives you more confidence through the weekend. You just kind of can't really have that mindset out here.

Q. Play down to your expectations, is that what you're saying?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Uh huh.

Q. Could you talk about what the winning meant, especially when you look back at some of the changes you're going through? I was wondering how much was your confidence tested this year and how did winning help that?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I mean, any time that you play poorly or I play poorly it's definitely it's not a confidence builder. I mean, the thing that continued to improve throughout the year was my putting. So that basically held me in the rest of it. It wasn't pretty.

So the few event that's I did play well, I putted well where the golf course was a little shorter, it suited me better, for instance, at sigh base and things like that.

It was great to see the LPGA at Kapalua with the times that I've been there and I've enjoyed it, and they can come and enjoy it themselves. Then to win on top of it was just great. Especially, coming off swing changes and playing not so great at Danville. Sometimes it just clicks, you never know.

Q. Did you learn anything about yourself this year that you didn't know? Or did you relearn something?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think that you can just, I mean, it's not really it's something that you always know, you just kind of never give up on yourself. It's sometimes you need a little change here or there to give yourself a little more confidences.

I mean, you just don't give up, you never know. Even as poorly as I play in Danville, I played a lot better in Hawaii. You've just got to take it as it comes. You never know what might happen next week.

Cristie Kerr

JASON TAYLOR: Thanks for coming in, and welcome to the ADT Championship. You have one victory this year at the Safeway Classic, and 11 top-10 finishes. Could you just talk about your year and being here this week?
CRISTIE KERR: It's great to be here back in south Florida at Trump International Golf Club, where I'm a member, I'm proud to say. You know, it's a fantastic golf course. It's a great event, with a huge first-place prize. There's a lot on the line.

You know, I've been working a lot on my game, and I feel like my game is as good as it's been in a long time heading into this week.

Q. You said being a member here and knowing this course almost as well as probably anyone maybe, besides you and Morgan Pressel, it seems like that's about it, can the importance of that be overstated this week at all? Do you think it's a real big factor as far as just knowing this layout as well as better than just about everyone else playing?
CRISTIE KERR: I think it is an advantage. You know, but at the end of the day those last couple of closing holes are determining factors in who will play on Saturday and who will play on Sunday.

Ultimately, I've been here a long time and seen a lot of tournaments here. Ultimately, I haven't seen really a winner where it hasn't come down to those last three holes. So, you know, I think it is definitely an advantage, but you still need to be able to win. To win you'll have to play those last three holes better than everybody else.

There's definitely some birdie holes on this course. And there is definitely some holes if you par them every day you're not going to be losing any shots to the field. Like seven, let's see, seven, eight on the front nine, and the 13th hole is a great hole. Obviously, you've got to try to take advantage of 15, and 16, 17, 18, if you play those even par for the week or 1-under for the week, you're doing pretty good.

Q. Understanding that all three of those closing holes is dicey. But has one of them got a greater penalty than the other two in terms of trying to come down the stretch and put the tournament away?
CRISTIE KERR: I think 16th hole, if you play 16th hole well it gives you a sense of confidence going into the last two holes. You know, 16 and 17, again, it's a great layout in the sense that you play 16, it gives you confidence. You play 17. You play 17 well, it gives you confidence for 18. It's sort of like a domino effect.

Because if you bogey 16 and you need to birdie 17 or something, you want to be able to just play the rest of the golf course well enough to where you're a couple under, and then on the last three holes you're just sort of trying to make pars. You don't want to go into the last couple of holes having to make birdies.

It's just a great design. This is one of my favorite courses I play, so I like the challenge very much.

Q. With the in essence two cut format, does the approach change going from Thursday, Friday, to the weekend rounds where it's 18 holes to get it done?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I think it's a case of wanting to just basically keep qualifying and just play well. Then, you know, you have enough left in the tank to be able to try to get it done on Sunday.

It's the most unique format that we have, that we play. Like I said, my goal is to just try to keep play. You don't have to win, you know, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You just want to be able to be in the Top 10 for the first couple of days. Then obviously you need to play well enough to get to Sunday.

So just try to keep qualifying. Kind of like you do when you played in the U.S. Amateur or the Girls Junior or the Public Links where you just qualified to get into you stroke play to get into the match play. It's been a long times since I played those, so if I mess it up, forgive me.

You just keep qualifying, and then get off to a good start on Sunday. That's all you can ask for. Anything can happen from there. That's why this is so covered and so exciting, because nobody really knows what's going to happen.

Q. Do you scoreboard watch?
CRISTIE KERR: I do. I like to know where I stand. Making it to Sunday and then having a chance to win. You know what, I think I'm taking a little different view this year than I have in the past.

You focus on the million dollars, million dollars, million dollars, but this year I'm going to try to not think about that so much. Because, you know, I take I've always taken greater satisfaction in winning than I ever have playing for money.

It's kind of daunting seeing the cube and the million dollars that's right there. You really don't get access to that unless you play to win, unless you don't care about the money. So that's kind of like what I intend to do this year.

I've already said if that does happen I'm going to give a good portion of it away to my parents and to charity. So I'm really going to just try to focus on doing what I know how to do to win, and I get greater satisfaction in that than winning the money, ultimately.

Q. Do you think that as this tournament has evolved and the players who are here every year get used to that, is that maybe the approach that's kind of shared among all of the women in the tournament? Or is it still tough to make that million dollars less daunting?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, for me, you know, that's my approach this year. I don't think that's the case with a lot of the other girls. But I can't speak for them, you have to ask them. That might be a good question to ask them. So that's what I'm going to try to do this year.

Q. Did you find yourself in past years at odd times thinking there's a million dollars out there?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, last year I got off to a good start. I was 1 under through a couple of holes, then you start thinking about it. Then you start thinking about it. It's kind of like when you're 8 under through 10 holes thinking I can shoot 59, I can shoot 59, and then it doesn't happen.

You know, I think I'm going to draw on my experience for that. I'm working with a new mental coach this year, Dr. Joe Parent. He wrote the books on golf. He's a Zen Buddhist. He's given me a great sense of peace with myself. He's helped me take my game to better and higher levels.

Q. What is your personal ‘pucker level' on dollars when you start, a million bucks when you see it in that see through glass display case, probably even smell it if you got close enough, is there a number that makes you blink personally?
CRISTIE KERR: I wouldn't say anything really makes me blink. I mean it's exciting. I love the challenge.

Q. It's life changing for some of these players?
CRISTIE KERR: I think what is more interesting about this event more than anything is the psychological effect it has on the players. If they were playing for $200,000, you wouldn't have that level of anxiety for some people.

So I'm going to try to just remove that this year, because in the past when I thought about it, it hasn't worked anyways. So I'm going to try to just focus on my golf.

Q. Do you have any thoughts on the floated change of this thing in the beginning of the year?
CRISTIE KERR: You know what, the first year that it was ever, I thought it was the way it was last year. So that shows you how much I understand about the format the first time. I thought it was like the first year was the two rounds, cut, wash it, then you have to make it to the last day. So you wash for the third and wash for the last round.

And the first year I found out that the scores were cumulative. So the first two counted, and then they cut people. But the scores carried over. So I thought the first year was like it was last year, so...

Q. I meant there's a proposal to move it to the beginning of the season from the end to the beginning of the 2010 season has apparently been discussed and could be imminent?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I'm not really sure where that stands. I think we're having a meeting tomorrow to announce the schedule. Is that what they have said?

Q. That's what they usually do with us?
CRISTIE KERR: I'm not quite sure what's going on with that. They mentioned there might be some kind of version of the tournament maybe at the beginning of the year for next year, like in one of the player meetings. But they didn't really announce who the sponsor would be or anything.

So I don't really know what they're going to tell us tomorrow. And the economy, I just hope that we keep all of our sponsors.

Q. Do you have a player meeting tomorrow?
CRISTIE KERR: You know, we usually just have a meeting where they get together and they kind of announce the schedule to us before they announce it to you, I think. Yeah, that's been that way for the last six years, so I wouldn't think it's any different.

Q. You talked about anxiety levels, when is that challenge when it's not involved money. Just at the majors?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, there's good anxiety, bad anxiety. When I play it's like a good anxiety. It's an anxiousness. It's an excitement to play. It's any time you're playing for a big title for me. It doesn't really have anything to do with the money.

I mean, there was definitely good anxiety when I won the Open last year coming down the stretch. But not like where you couldn't breathe or anything. Not like when you get stressed out by your parents, that bad anxiety.

Q. But practical adaptation of that.
CRISTIE KERR: He just teaches me to understand that you really can't if you cannot control the process that you go through which is getting the plan together, what the yardage is, what you're hitting. Okay, I've got the idea, committing to that and being at peace with that before you go and trying to actually execute the shot. If you're in conflict with yourself over something, you won't be able to do that.

So I've just tried to make it more my plan. Get my plan, do all the thinking beforehand, and I'll take a breath before I walk to the ball. Then you basically have said to yourself, I've done what I need to do to prepare, and it will just happen.

Q. Morgan Pressel was in here a little while ago, and her up and down years are well chronicled and the swing changes and all of that. Two questions on that one, I know you've known each other a long time. Was it obvious, did she ever have to express to you how hard a year it was for her at times and two, did you think it was kind of bold for her to go out mid season, two thirds of the way through the season and make some changes?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, almost at the end. Well, you know, Morgan's always been one of my good friends. She was a bride's made in my wedding as was Natalie Gulbis and Kelly Kuehne, and Emily Klein who is no longer playing.

Morgan's not the kind of person that usually will she kind of consults within her own camp. If she ever needed me I know she would reach out.

But Morgan's always been the best part of Morgan's game is her will. You know, the kind of similar thing that's we all kind of share, our genre. She's got a great will for the game, and feistiness about her that it doesn't matter. Nothing. I mean, as long as it takes nothing's going to hold her down, and that is just the kind of person she is.

It didn't surprise me. I guess she made a change in coach and some changes to her putting and some things. But that's what good players do if they want to succeed. If something's not working, they find a way to make it work.

Q. You had said earlier when the schedule came out that you hope you keep all your sponsors.
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah. I hope I keep all my personal sponsors.

Q. Is this a real given what's going on everywhere in all walks of life, is this a particularly scary time for this game and for you? Just knowing that it all hinges on sponsors out here and the wells are drying up really fast?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, it's a scary time for everybody. My whole outlook on that is you've just got to be able to ride the waves.

This is my 12th year on tour. I've seen years when I first came out, 40 something tournaments, and then the next year, I don't know how many we're going to have. But I would expect with the way the state of the economy is not just here but around the world, that we're going to lose some tournaments.

The same thing on the PGA TOUR, same thing on the senior tour. It's scary. It makes you think about where you're going to eat dinner, when you never thought about where you're going to eat dinner. It makes you think about not going shopping. Or maybe not going shopping as much (laughing). As much.

That's where having a great clothing company like Lacoste comes in. I just call them more often now, "I need more clothes."

Q. The number being thrown around is 31 tournaments for '09, and 11 or 12 of them overseas. Is it unsettling?
CRISTIE KERR: How many was there this year? 38 or something? 37?

I was talking to my caddie, John Klein, about this. When I first came out I played about the same number of tournaments, anywhere from a very low end of 22 to a high end of 28. So I average 25, 26, 27 a year. And never really being this tired at this point in the season.

I mean, it's definitely a lot of international travel. But we still have to make a living. So if that's where we need to go to make money now, we're going to have to do that. It's not like they make us fly over there coach. We fly over business class. They usually take care of our hotel when we're overseas. You've just got to kind of deal with it.

Or just win the first two events and then you can take the rest of them off. .

Q. I want to ask you an Annika Sorenstam question since this is supposedly her last hurrah. She's got a bunch of irons in the fire outside the game. She wants to segue into doing these other things, teaching at her academy and designing, she's got perfume and wines and all these other things in the pipeline. I don't know that any female player has ever really successfully launched herself as a brand. You know, I think Nancy Lopez had a few years there where she was fairly popular, and pretty quickly faded. Do you think she can pull that off? Even on the men's side, you can probably name five guys, that's about it.
CRISTIE KERR: If anybody could do it, I think she'd be able to do it. She's got a great team around her. She's won, you know, worldwide. Obviously, LPGA tournaments, she has won like 70 something, and worldwide a lot more than that.

But it's difficult. Trying to do that right now with the state of the economy the way it is. Like John McCain's campaign, you know, I think it would have been even though a lot of people were anti Bush, I think had the stock market not crashed at the end of his campaign when things began to speed up, he probably would have at least I don't know if he would have won, but he would have had a lot better chance to see that. I think she's going to be kind of careful with when she decides she wants to launch a lot of these different brands she's coming out with.

If she's going to try to do it now it would have more chance to not succeed. I'm sure she knows all of that though. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Q. Obviously she wants to start a family, and you know, the marriage?
CRISTIE KERR: And she deserves it. She's in her late 30's, and she's done a lot of pretty amazing things for the game.

People always ask me is she going to retire for good. And she's never used the word retire. She's used the words stepping away from the game. Personally, for me, I think she'll be back in a couple of years. But that's just me and my hopes that we don't lose one of the best things that's ever happened to women's golf.