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Sorenstam Well On Her Way

Aired May 22, 2003 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour with the shot watched around the world. It was Annika Sorenstam's opening drive at the Colonial Invitational PGA tournament in Texas, and the fact it outdistanced Sorenstam's playing partners was apparently a good omen, or at least a highly respectable omen.
CNN's Sean Callebs live from the links with the latest. Sean, she's been playing so well.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you are exactly right, and I think both of those accolades are right on the money. She got off to a rip-roaring start and continued to build on that momentum, just splitting the fairway on No. 10. She started on the back nine, and that began a string of consecutive pars, and then she got her first and only birdie so far in her round.

Right now she is even par, giving up one stroke on the difficult No. 5 hole, but she is playing extraordinarily well. She has now played 17 holes. She is even par, and she is beating both her playing partners at this point as well. However, she is five shots off the lead. The lead 5 under par here.

Without question, this is a historic day, not only for Annika Sorenstam, but for the world of golf as well. The first woman to compete against the men at this highest level in 58 years since Babe Didrikson (ph) Zaharias some time ago.

And indeed, a lot of people here have been waiting for this. They knew it was coming for months. There has been some grumbling among the men on the tour, most notably Vijay Singh, who came out last week and said he hoped that Annika Sorenstam would miss the cut. He later backed off of that comment somewhat.

The PGA -- we talked with members of the PGA this morning, and they think that giving her a sponsor's exemption into the Colonial was simply a stroke of genius.

It is going to turn out to be a marketing bonanza, not only for the sponsor of this tournament, but also it will bring some eyes that usually don't watch golf to the sport, and this tournament sold out very quickly, and there are well over 10,000 people on the course today, which is considering Thursday, Friday and the weather hasn't been that great in Fort Worth until this afternoon, Kyra, it has just been a simply phenomenal tournament so far.

PHILLIPS: Sean, Dean Wilson, one of the gentlemen playing with Annika Sorenstam had the button on, "Go Annika." Give me the background behind these buttons. Are there a lot of people wearing these button -- oh, you even have one. All right.

CALLEBS: Oh, come on. Come on. On command here. It wasn't even for -- yes, exactly. These buttons are selling for $3 a piece in the pro shop, and a couple of the other souvenir concession stands around here, and there are legions of her fans wearing these buttons. They're also selling two commemorative golf balls. She shot a 59, the only woman to ever do that in competition. So Callaway is taking advantage of that and they're marketing these limited edition golf balls, and they're selling for $20 for two, and they're moving pretty well as well.

CALLEBS: We have talked to a lot of fans out here and to a person, everybody here deep in the heart of Texas has come out and said we really support what she is doing. We hope she makes the cut, and of course, that's what it's going to come down to. That is why the PGA players are out here, to finish in the money, and if she continues to play as she's doing now, chances are she will, indeed, be here on Saturday and Sunday and wouldn't that be a tremendous story?

PHILLIPS: Incredible. Now at even par. I mean, you talk about being in your zone. She just has not broken from that concentration.

CALLEBS: I think this round is going to be remembered because she could have gone a lot lower. She has had a couple of birdie puts lip out, and there is a par 3, 248 yards long. She almost birdied that one. She is just playing extremely well. If she had any butterflies, it certainly didn't show throughout her round today, and I think that, hopefully after the round, she's going to sit down and kind of walk us through how she fared out there, what was going through her mind, and I think this is going to be a round that she remembers for a long time, and certainly the people of Texas and across the country talk about it for a long time as well.

PHILLIPS: You save that button for me, OK, because I'm all about "Go Annika."

CALLEBS: OK. It's yours.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Sean.

Well, for what it's worth, odds makers are offering 500 to one if Sorenstam wins, but that's not why so many non-golf fans are following her every swing. CNN's Jennifer Coggiola is live from a sports hang- out in Atlanta, where it is all about Annika -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. I want one of those buttons too. Now, people here aren't wearing them, but we have seen a majority of people down here supporting it. We are at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead. A lot of folks down here watching now.

I want to ask you guys, what do you think about having a woman hit off the tees with these men?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a real problem with it. I'm glad she's doing well, but I think she should have qualified for the tournament.

COGGIOLA: You seem a little hesitant. Do you think this is a good move for golf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a problem with it, like I said. It is a good move, but she should have qualified like everybody else, I think.

COGGIOLA: Do you think this is a big publicity stunt? A lot of critics out there saying it is all a big prop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think so. I mean, she's doing pretty well, so -- I think she's a legitimate golfer, but I think she should have qualified, like I said.

COGGIOLA: She's been able to hold her own pretty well so far today. You think she has got what it takes to measure up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. I think it is amazing that she has been able to perform so well considering the pressure she is under, obviously, in the spotlight, but like my buddy said, it's kind of disappointing to see that she didn't have to meet the same qualifications as all the other players.

COGGIOLA: Now, some other critics have said that if she gets to play in the PGA, that men should play in the LPGA. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess if you want it both ways, then that would make sense to me. I think that would raise a few more -- a few more questions. So I don't think we'll see that any time soon.

COGGIOLA: You said you're a baseball fan a little more than a golf fan. What about having women out there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. If they're good enough to play, I have no problem with it. Send them out.

COGGIOLA: There you go. You got the orders, women. Time to get practicing. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jennifer, thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired May 22, 2003 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour with the shot watched around the world. It was Annika Sorenstam's opening drive at the Colonial Invitational PGA tournament in Texas, and the fact it outdistanced Sorenstam's playing partners was apparently a good omen, or at least a highly respectable omen.
CNN's Sean Callebs live from the links with the latest. Sean, she's been playing so well.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you are exactly right, and I think both of those accolades are right on the money. She got off to a rip-roaring start and continued to build on that momentum, just splitting the fairway on No. 10. She started on the back nine, and that began a string of consecutive pars, and then she got her first and only birdie so far in her round.

Right now she is even par, giving up one stroke on the difficult No. 5 hole, but she is playing extraordinarily well. She has now played 17 holes. She is even par, and she is beating both her playing partners at this point as well. However, she is five shots off the lead. The lead 5 under par here.

Without question, this is a historic day, not only for Annika Sorenstam, but for the world of golf as well. The first woman to compete against the men at this highest level in 58 years since Babe Didrikson (ph) Zaharias some time ago.

And indeed, a lot of people here have been waiting for this. They knew it was coming for months. There has been some grumbling among the men on the tour, most notably Vijay Singh, who came out last week and said he hoped that Annika Sorenstam would miss the cut. He later backed off of that comment somewhat.

The PGA -- we talked with members of the PGA this morning, and they think that giving her a sponsor's exemption into the Colonial was simply a stroke of genius.

It is going to turn out to be a marketing bonanza, not only for the sponsor of this tournament, but also it will bring some eyes that usually don't watch golf to the sport, and this tournament sold out very quickly, and there are well over 10,000 people on the course today, which is considering Thursday, Friday and the weather hasn't been that great in Fort Worth until this afternoon, Kyra, it has just been a simply phenomenal tournament so far.

PHILLIPS: Sean, Dean Wilson, one of the gentlemen playing with Annika Sorenstam had the button on, "Go Annika." Give me the background behind these buttons. Are there a lot of people wearing these button -- oh, you even have one. All right.

CALLEBS: Oh, come on. Come on. On command here. It wasn't even for -- yes, exactly. These buttons are selling for $3 a piece in the pro shop, and a couple of the other souvenir concession stands around here, and there are legions of her fans wearing these buttons. They're also selling two commemorative golf balls. She shot a 59, the only woman to ever do that in competition. So Callaway is taking advantage of that and they're marketing these limited edition golf balls, and they're selling for $20 for two, and they're moving pretty well as well.

CALLEBS: We have talked to a lot of fans out here and to a person, everybody here deep in the heart of Texas has come out and said we really support what she is doing. We hope she makes the cut, and of course, that's what it's going to come down to. That is why the PGA players are out here, to finish in the money, and if she continues to play as she's doing now, chances are she will, indeed, be here on Saturday and Sunday and wouldn't that be a tremendous story?

PHILLIPS: Incredible. Now at even par. I mean, you talk about being in your zone. She just has not broken from that concentration.

CALLEBS: I think this round is going to be remembered because she could have gone a lot lower. She has had a couple of birdie puts lip out, and there is a par 3, 248 yards long. She almost birdied that one. She is just playing extremely well. If she had any butterflies, it certainly didn't show throughout her round today, and I think that, hopefully after the round, she's going to sit down and kind of walk us through how she fared out there, what was going through her mind, and I think this is going to be a round that she remembers for a long time, and certainly the people of Texas and across the country talk about it for a long time as well.

PHILLIPS: You save that button for me, OK, because I'm all about "Go Annika."

CALLEBS: OK. It's yours.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Sean.

Well, for what it's worth, odds makers are offering 500 to one if Sorenstam wins, but that's not why so many non-golf fans are following her every swing. CNN's Jennifer Coggiola is live from a sports hang- out in Atlanta, where it is all about Annika -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. I want one of those buttons too. Now, people here aren't wearing them, but we have seen a majority of people down here supporting it. We are at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead. A lot of folks down here watching now.

I want to ask you guys, what do you think about having a woman hit off the tees with these men?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a real problem with it. I'm glad she's doing well, but I think she should have qualified for the tournament.

COGGIOLA: You seem a little hesitant. Do you think this is a good move for golf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a problem with it, like I said. It is a good move, but she should have qualified like everybody else, I think.

COGGIOLA: Do you think this is a big publicity stunt? A lot of critics out there saying it is all a big prop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think so. I mean, she's doing pretty well, so -- I think she's a legitimate golfer, but I think she should have qualified, like I said.

COGGIOLA: She's been able to hold her own pretty well so far today. You think she has got what it takes to measure up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. I think it is amazing that she has been able to perform so well considering the pressure she is under, obviously, in the spotlight, but like my buddy said, it's kind of disappointing to see that she didn't have to meet the same qualifications as all the other players.

COGGIOLA: Now, some other critics have said that if she gets to play in the PGA, that men should play in the LPGA. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess if you want it both ways, then that would make sense to me. I think that would raise a few more -- a few more questions. So I don't think we'll see that any time soon.

COGGIOLA: You said you're a baseball fan a little more than a golf fan. What about having women out there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. If they're good enough to play, I have no problem with it. Send them out.

COGGIOLA: There you go. You got the orders, women. Time to get practicing. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jennifer, thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com