California, Mar 24: Annika Sorenstam, who said earlier this year that she wanted to win all four majors this season, tried to ease the pressure on herself as she prepared for Thursday's Kraft Nabisco Championship. "I have maybe put a little bit of pressure on myself but I'm trying not to think about it too much," the world number one told reporters at the Mission Hills Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.
"But I always set myself lofty goals and I went public because it is what I want to achieve.
"No one has done it (win all four majors in one season) before. It's my next challenge, it keeps me motivated and makes me work harder," added the Swede as she put the finishing touches to her game before the first major of 2004.
Sorenstam has dominated the women's tour for the past three years and she is unbeaten in two starts this season. A victory in the Australian Ladies' Masters last month was followed by a four-shot win in the LPGA International in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday. The winner of this title in 2001 and 2002, Sorenstam was second last year before going on to win two majors, the LPGA Championship and the British Open. In the U.S. Open, she missed out on the playoff by a single shot. "Over the past two years I have had a chance to win seven out of eight majors and I definitely think it (winning all four in a season) is possible," said Sorenstam. "But I know that I'll also need to have a little bit of luck."
Sorenstam had a hectic 2003 and was thrust into the spotlight when she became the first woman in 58 years to play on the men's PGA Tour at the Colonial tournament last May. But this season she is concentrating on quality not quantity and will play the minimum 15 events on the LPGA Tour. "It's partly because I'm focusing on the majors but also because I want to cut back on the travel," said the Swede. "If I did manage to win all four majors, then I would certainly feel that my career is very complete."
Bureau Report