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LPGA CHAIRMAN COMPARES SORENSTAM WITH TIGER WOODS

Aired May 22, 2003 - 14:37   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: Now live, the press conference that is about to begin as we listen and get ready to see what she has to say. We are also going to bring in LPGA chairman, Marguerite Sallee. She knows what this is all about and how it's been impacting the LPGA.
Marguerite, great to see you.

MARGUERITE SALLEE, CHAIRMAN, LPGA: Thanks, Kyra. It's great to be with you on a historic day.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to get ready to listen in here. She's getting miked up, and as soon as I see her start to take questions, which will be any second, then we'll sort of listen and talk about this as she responds.

As a matter of fact, I think she's getting ready now. Let's listen in.

(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE)

PHILLIPS: Annika Sorenstam, the No. 1 female golfer in the world right now, finishing her first day in the Colonial Invitational -- finishing one over par. The first time a female to play in a PGA event since Babe Didrikson Saharias, 58 years ago.

LPGA chairman, Marguerite Sallee -- she's joining me from Washington. She's also been monitoring this press conference.

You listen to her. She says when she stepped up to that first tee, her heart was beating, she was sick to her stomach, her hands were sweaty, yet she outdrives the men that were in her group, in her threesome there. The humbleness of this woman is just amazing.

SALLEE: That was definitely the golf shot heard round the golf world. I think all of us were relieved when she made the fairway and I know she was.

Her mental discipline is extraordinary, and I think that's what's made it possible for her to be competitive today. She's like Tiger Woods. She can really get focused and think strategically, and that's part of her own training and part of her own discipline, and we're all proud of her and admire her greatly.

PHILLIPS: You talk about being in the zone. It was so obvious she was just concentrating on maintaining her game. Then commenting about her husband, David. That was reported -- the SARS story. I'm glad she cleared it up. He just has the flu, but wow, she's taking her husband to the hospital, she's playing in this tournament -- the PGA tournament. All this pressure.

What does this say about her as a golfer? What does this say about her future? Pretty amazing -- just the mental discipline.

SALLEE: And, you know, she is a very special person and a very special athlete. So she has made sports history, and that's what this has all been about. Really, it has been sports history, and I think Annika is a great standard bearer for all women and all women golfers, and we'll see where this goes next.

PHILLIPS: Marguerite, what is this going to mean for the LPGA? Of course, there's been lots of talk about the LPGA not having the money, of course, like the PGA, or the attention or the endorsements.

How does the LPGA feel about this? What is it going to do for your organization?

SALLEE: This has been great for golf. It's been great for women's golf, and I think great for the game of golf. And it is big business. It is sports history, and it's turned into gender madness -- which has actually surprised most of us the most.

So it has generated a great deal of excitement. It turns many of our players into real celebrities and great entertainment features for the fans that are in the golf world. So I think it is great for golf, great for women's golf, and an inspiration for young women everywhere.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's a point well made, but what do you want as an organization? Do you want to see more players like an Annika Sorenstam? Do you want to see them playing in PGA events? Or is this just sort of a moment of achievement for her and to be a role model to other women and, okay, but we're still going to have our two separate organizations here?

SALLEE: Well, clearly, we are going to have the two separate organizations, but I think this has been a barrier breaker, and I do think it opens up all kind of possibilities. Obviously, we want to strengthen the tour for women and make that an exciting place -- help the people understand the personalities that play on the LPGA tour. We've got some great players that lead our own leader board, and Annika is certainly one of those.

Then as the women want to test themselves among the best golfers in the world and the most exciting players in the world, they can take what they've really mastered on our tour and test their own ability perhaps from time to time on the PGA tour.

PHILLIPS: Well, just for folks who don't follow very much, it doesn't mean she made the cut yet. She still has to play tomorrow. And everybody keeping their fingers crossed -- including you, I am sure.

SALLEE: Well, she's made our cut. She's proven herself.

PHILLIPS: Marguerite Sallee, chairman of LPGA, thank you so much for being with us. SALLEE: Thank you, Kyra.

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 - 14:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now live, the press conference that is about to begin as we listen and get ready to see what she has to say. We are also going to bring in LPGA chairman, Marguerite Sallee. She knows what this is all about and how it's been impacting the LPGA.
Marguerite, great to see you.

MARGUERITE SALLEE, CHAIRMAN, LPGA: Thanks, Kyra. It's great to be with you on a historic day.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to get ready to listen in here. She's getting miked up, and as soon as I see her start to take questions, which will be any second, then we'll sort of listen and talk about this as she responds.

As a matter of fact, I think she's getting ready now. Let's listen in.

(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE)

PHILLIPS: Annika Sorenstam, the No. 1 female golfer in the world right now, finishing her first day in the Colonial Invitational -- finishing one over par. The first time a female to play in a PGA event since Babe Didrikson Saharias, 58 years ago.

LPGA chairman, Marguerite Sallee -- she's joining me from Washington. She's also been monitoring this press conference.

You listen to her. She says when she stepped up to that first tee, her heart was beating, she was sick to her stomach, her hands were sweaty, yet she outdrives the men that were in her group, in her threesome there. The humbleness of this woman is just amazing.

SALLEE: That was definitely the golf shot heard round the golf world. I think all of us were relieved when she made the fairway and I know she was.

Her mental discipline is extraordinary, and I think that's what's made it possible for her to be competitive today. She's like Tiger Woods. She can really get focused and think strategically, and that's part of her own training and part of her own discipline, and we're all proud of her and admire her greatly.

PHILLIPS: You talk about being in the zone. It was so obvious she was just concentrating on maintaining her game. Then commenting about her husband, David. That was reported -- the SARS story. I'm glad she cleared it up. He just has the flu, but wow, she's taking her husband to the hospital, she's playing in this tournament -- the PGA tournament. All this pressure.

What does this say about her as a golfer? What does this say about her future? Pretty amazing -- just the mental discipline.

SALLEE: And, you know, she is a very special person and a very special athlete. So she has made sports history, and that's what this has all been about. Really, it has been sports history, and I think Annika is a great standard bearer for all women and all women golfers, and we'll see where this goes next.

PHILLIPS: Marguerite, what is this going to mean for the LPGA? Of course, there's been lots of talk about the LPGA not having the money, of course, like the PGA, or the attention or the endorsements.

How does the LPGA feel about this? What is it going to do for your organization?

SALLEE: This has been great for golf. It's been great for women's golf, and I think great for the game of golf. And it is big business. It is sports history, and it's turned into gender madness -- which has actually surprised most of us the most.

So it has generated a great deal of excitement. It turns many of our players into real celebrities and great entertainment features for the fans that are in the golf world. So I think it is great for golf, great for women's golf, and an inspiration for young women everywhere.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's a point well made, but what do you want as an organization? Do you want to see more players like an Annika Sorenstam? Do you want to see them playing in PGA events? Or is this just sort of a moment of achievement for her and to be a role model to other women and, okay, but we're still going to have our two separate organizations here?

SALLEE: Well, clearly, we are going to have the two separate organizations, but I think this has been a barrier breaker, and I do think it opens up all kind of possibilities. Obviously, we want to strengthen the tour for women and make that an exciting place -- help the people understand the personalities that play on the LPGA tour. We've got some great players that lead our own leader board, and Annika is certainly one of those.

Then as the women want to test themselves among the best golfers in the world and the most exciting players in the world, they can take what they've really mastered on our tour and test their own ability perhaps from time to time on the PGA tour.

PHILLIPS: Well, just for folks who don't follow very much, it doesn't mean she made the cut yet. She still has to play tomorrow. And everybody keeping their fingers crossed -- including you, I am sure.

SALLEE: Well, she's made our cut. She's proven herself.

PHILLIPS: Marguerite Sallee, chairman of LPGA, thank you so much for being with us. SALLEE: Thank you, Kyra.

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