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Happy Annika
Aired May 22, 2003 - 13:02 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: Annika Sorenstam is winning over the doubters. Right now, the world's No. 1 female golfer is playing better than most of the men at the PGA event in Fort Worth, Texas. Just in case you didn't know, she is the first woman in 58 years to tee it up with the boys, and she's holding her own and then some.
CNN's Sean Callebs is standing by at the Colonial Country Club to tell us the very latest.
She's coming out strong -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Without question, she came out strong from the first swing this morning, splitting the fairway on her opening drive, and she has only gotten stronger since then.
She is one under par after 13 holes. She is only three shots off the lead, and she is, right now, beating both of her male playing partners, Dean Wilson, who is even par, and Aaron Barber, who is one over at this point.
And the challenge for Annika Sorenstam, as the day continues to move on, is going to be to somehow keep this energy under wraps, to feed off the positive vibe she is getting from the crowd and try and fend off a world of distractions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): The best female golfer in the world insists taking on the Colonial and the PGA is a one-time personal struggle to test the limits of her game, not to try and show up the men.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM, LPGA GOLFER: I believe inside that I can still be a better player. And, you know, I've pushed myself in the gym, I've pushed myself on the golf course, and now I get an opportunity to play against the best men in the world.
CALLEBS: There is some grumbling among the men on the tour, most notably, Vijay Singh, who is skipping the tournament this week. Initially, he said he hoped Sorenstam would miss the cut, but later backed off that statement.
The PGA says once the men step back and gauges the amount of attention, they should realize having Annika Sorenstam in the field is good for the game.
BBO CROSS, SR. VP PGA TOUR: We're probably bringing a significant number of new fans to the PGA Tour just because they're enticed through the exposure of this week's event. Long run, this can only be good for the tour.
CALLEBS: The LPGA expects a big bounce as well. But Tiger Woods has said if Annika Sorenstam plays poorly, it could hurt the women's game, a charge the LPGA disputes.
LAURA NEAL, LPGA COMMUNICATIONS: You know, she's also said if she shoots a high number and people say, I told you so, well, they probably weren't fans of her to start with, so we're really not losing anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And at this point, no one is talking about a high number. Right now, she is playing the teeth of the course -- three, four and five -- the most difficult holes. She started on the back nine today. And this may be remembered as a round that could have been that much better. She slipped out a number of birdie putts, and she only has five more holes to go down the stretch. And while a number of golfers, of course, here on the PGA Tour making it to the weekend, making the cut is what it's all about, for her perhaps the goal not so lofty. She says she would consider this big test a big success if she's able to shoot even Participant: -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Sean, we'll be checking in with you and, of course, following her all throughout the day. Sean Callebs, thanks so much.
Well, you don't have to be a golfer to get excited about all of this. Folks around the country are tuning in to see how Sorenstam fares against the guys.
CNN's Jennifer Cajiola (ph) is standing by at the Sports Bar in Atlanta catching the buzz from there.
What are they saying -- Jennifer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Kyra.
Well, so far this morning it's actually been some pretty positive support for her, like we saw out on the course. But certainly, everybody's got an opinion.
We want to talk to some folks here.
Now, you told me earlier you've got an opinion. What do you think about Annika out there, hitting the tees with the men?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's great, and I think, you know, that she has this opportunity to do it and I think she's doing really well. I'm very impressed with how she's done so far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think she can hold out on the pressure through the weekend? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like to me like she can. I mean, if she's going to do bad, you figure she'd do bad at the beginning of the round. But, you know, she seems very comfortable with playing the way she's played today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, comfortable so far this morning.
Let's go over here -- thank you -- and talk to these guys.
Hi. Good morning. So, what do you think about having women out there on the tour?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's awesome. I mean, she deserves the opportunity to test herself against the best. That's all she wanted to do, you know, that's what she said. And she looks real comfortable out there, and so she's holding her own. She looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you think this is going to change the game of golf in general?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just going to draw more interest and everybody's just going to be more interested. And, you know, it's great for her. I think she's a super girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
We also want to talk to -- got a young woman over here. We mentioned earlier how Tiger maybe brought all the popularity to the younger generation. But what about for women, seeing a girl, a young woman out there, what does it do, you think, for women golfers?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's giving me more interest in the sport, watching it. And I think it's a male-dominated sport, and it's changing, bringing her into it. I think she's doing really good out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you think it's about time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I think it's definitely about time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about you? You said that you, you know, had some interest, maybe not a big player. But what about seeing the women out there in this sort of male-dominated arena?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, as a golf fan, I think it will be great for the game. I mean, it will spice things up. I mean, Tiger is usually winning everything, and she's winning everything on the women's tour. So, I figure let her give it a shot and see how she does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like so far so good. Thank you so much, both of you.
So, you can see here, Kyra, everything seems to be supportive of her so far. We'll have to see how she finishes out the rest of the day -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, we'll all be watching. 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 - 13:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Annika Sorenstam is winning over the doubters. Right now, the world's No. 1 female golfer is playing better than most of the men at the PGA event in Fort Worth, Texas. Just in case you didn't know, she is the first woman in 58 years to tee it up with the boys, and she's holding her own and then some.
CNN's Sean Callebs is standing by at the Colonial Country Club to tell us the very latest.
She's coming out strong -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Without question, she came out strong from the first swing this morning, splitting the fairway on her opening drive, and she has only gotten stronger since then.
She is one under par after 13 holes. She is only three shots off the lead, and she is, right now, beating both of her male playing partners, Dean Wilson, who is even par, and Aaron Barber, who is one over at this point.
And the challenge for Annika Sorenstam, as the day continues to move on, is going to be to somehow keep this energy under wraps, to feed off the positive vibe she is getting from the crowd and try and fend off a world of distractions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): The best female golfer in the world insists taking on the Colonial and the PGA is a one-time personal struggle to test the limits of her game, not to try and show up the men.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM, LPGA GOLFER: I believe inside that I can still be a better player. And, you know, I've pushed myself in the gym, I've pushed myself on the golf course, and now I get an opportunity to play against the best men in the world.
CALLEBS: There is some grumbling among the men on the tour, most notably, Vijay Singh, who is skipping the tournament this week. Initially, he said he hoped Sorenstam would miss the cut, but later backed off that statement.
The PGA says once the men step back and gauges the amount of attention, they should realize having Annika Sorenstam in the field is good for the game.
BBO CROSS, SR. VP PGA TOUR: We're probably bringing a significant number of new fans to the PGA Tour just because they're enticed through the exposure of this week's event. Long run, this can only be good for the tour.
CALLEBS: The LPGA expects a big bounce as well. But Tiger Woods has said if Annika Sorenstam plays poorly, it could hurt the women's game, a charge the LPGA disputes.
LAURA NEAL, LPGA COMMUNICATIONS: You know, she's also said if she shoots a high number and people say, I told you so, well, they probably weren't fans of her to start with, so we're really not losing anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And at this point, no one is talking about a high number. Right now, she is playing the teeth of the course -- three, four and five -- the most difficult holes. She started on the back nine today. And this may be remembered as a round that could have been that much better. She slipped out a number of birdie putts, and she only has five more holes to go down the stretch. And while a number of golfers, of course, here on the PGA Tour making it to the weekend, making the cut is what it's all about, for her perhaps the goal not so lofty. She says she would consider this big test a big success if she's able to shoot even Participant: -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Sean, we'll be checking in with you and, of course, following her all throughout the day. Sean Callebs, thanks so much.
Well, you don't have to be a golfer to get excited about all of this. Folks around the country are tuning in to see how Sorenstam fares against the guys.
CNN's Jennifer Cajiola (ph) is standing by at the Sports Bar in Atlanta catching the buzz from there.
What are they saying -- Jennifer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Kyra.
Well, so far this morning it's actually been some pretty positive support for her, like we saw out on the course. But certainly, everybody's got an opinion.
We want to talk to some folks here.
Now, you told me earlier you've got an opinion. What do you think about Annika out there, hitting the tees with the men?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's great, and I think, you know, that she has this opportunity to do it and I think she's doing really well. I'm very impressed with how she's done so far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think she can hold out on the pressure through the weekend? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like to me like she can. I mean, if she's going to do bad, you figure she'd do bad at the beginning of the round. But, you know, she seems very comfortable with playing the way she's played today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, comfortable so far this morning.
Let's go over here -- thank you -- and talk to these guys.
Hi. Good morning. So, what do you think about having women out there on the tour?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's awesome. I mean, she deserves the opportunity to test herself against the best. That's all she wanted to do, you know, that's what she said. And she looks real comfortable out there, and so she's holding her own. She looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you think this is going to change the game of golf in general?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just going to draw more interest and everybody's just going to be more interested. And, you know, it's great for her. I think she's a super girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
We also want to talk to -- got a young woman over here. We mentioned earlier how Tiger maybe brought all the popularity to the younger generation. But what about for women, seeing a girl, a young woman out there, what does it do, you think, for women golfers?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's giving me more interest in the sport, watching it. And I think it's a male-dominated sport, and it's changing, bringing her into it. I think she's doing really good out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you think it's about time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I think it's definitely about time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about you? You said that you, you know, had some interest, maybe not a big player. But what about seeing the women out there in this sort of male-dominated arena?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, as a golf fan, I think it will be great for the game. I mean, it will spice things up. I mean, Tiger is usually winning everything, and she's winning everything on the women's tour. So, I figure let her give it a shot and see how she does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like so far so good. Thank you so much, both of you.
So, you can see here, Kyra, everything seems to be supportive of her so far. We'll have to see how she finishes out the rest of the day -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, we'll all be watching. 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.
