Quotes of the Day

This week, Swedish golf star Annika Sorenstam tees off against the men at the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. The first woman to play against in a men's PGA tournament since the legendary Babe Zaharias in 1945, Sorenstam spoke with TIME's Jeff Chu at her home course, Lake Nona, in Orlando, Florida.

How do you feel about all this attention because you're playing the Colonial, but they didn't notice you before? I would not have gotten all this attention if I were not a good golfer. And I definitely wouldn't have gotten an invite if I hadn't played well. You know, I wouldn't have tried this two years ago. My golf wasn't ready.

Why are you doing this now? This is a way to push myself to another level. If I don't do well, I go home and analyze: What could I do better? If you never try, you never know. If I don't succeed, people will say, "I told you so." And what's changed? It's only one week. Anything can happen in a week. If you judge someone by a week, you are not a true golfer.

What are your expectations for the Colonial? I'm not worried about the game. It's everything else. Will I be mentally strong? That test is going to be even tougher. Some people will wish I hit 80. Other people will support me. But I'm not going there to prove anything to anybody. This is for myself. Golf is just a game. I'm very competitive, but in the end, it's just a game.

The attention isn't easy for you. I like to keep my private life private. Once I leave the golf course, I like to do the things I like and be with my husband and my family. I never played golf to be in the limelight. I've opened up much more. I enjoy talking about my game. But it's tough to talk about yourself. It was very tough when I won my first tournament: what's your favorite movie? What's your favorite food? The [LPGA] commissioner called me and said, "All you need to do is show up." I freaked out. I was so mentally tired. He called and said, "Please show up." I said I'm here for the long run. I'm not here to show up like a Barbie doll.

Your fame wasn't easy for your sister either. It's been tough for her. She was the one with more talent. I was the shy, laid-back one. She wanted attention. People would say, "Oh, there's Annika's sister." She'd be like, "I have a name." She wanted to build her own identity. In the beginning, she'd never ask me for advice. She'd be like, "No! I don't need it!" Now we talk. We talk a lot, even though we compete. If I can't win, I want her to win.

And expectations for who Annika Sorenstam should be — not to mention the demands of marketing the women's tour? People say: She's so serious, she's so focused. I don't show a lot of emotion. I can't say, "Yes, I do, because I don't." My role model was Bjorn Borg, and you never really saw him jumping and screaming. Swedes are low-key and neutral. Americans are forward and louder. It's the culture. Can you blame any of us for not going, "Yaaaahhhh!!!"? Sometimes people don't think about that. The tour has always sought something new — a new Nancy Lopez. I've always disagreed with that. We should be thankful we had one. You can't ask other players to be like that. Everybody is different: Karrie [Webb], Se Ri Pak, me.

You missed the cut at the British Open last year, which was one of the big tournaments on your agenda. What happened? I try to take each tournament as any other: are there any particular shots I need? That's how I prepare. The ball doesn't know what tournament it is. You just have to hit it on the fairway. I went over early, played links courses. I shot 8-under in a practice round. I overdid it. I get impatient. I think about Sunday and the trophy.

How do you make sure it doesn't happen again? I'm good at analyzing. When I play a round, I go home, I put in the stats, and I look at the strengths and weaknesses. I analyze: How did I feel on the course? I talk to myself: How did I do? Numbers always tell the truth. I started [the spreadsheet on stats] in 1987. In '87, my scoring average was 77. [Last year, she set an LPGA record of 68.70.] It's fun to see the progress.

What can improve about your game? My short game. Maybe I'm just a slow learner. I have days when everything falls into place, but then I think, "Why can't I do this more often?" We're talking small margins. It takes time. I practice seven or eight hours a day — five hours of golf, two hours of fitness. I love it. If I see results, I don't care. If there's a time when I am stagnant, then I say, "What am I doing?" One of my weaknesses is that I don't have a lot of imagination. Jesper Parnevik would fade the ball off the tee or hook it or do something else with it. I say, "I'm good at a regular draw," so I do that all the way. I won't experiment on the course. I'm a grinder. I'll hit hundreds of balls and go for the one thing. If I'm trying [new] things, I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong. If I don't think I can be great, I don't do it. I trust what I've got and I play with that. Let's try to make it as simple as possible — this game is hard enough.

Tell me about Girl Power, the workshop you run with Emilee Klein. We wanted to give something back to junior golf. Eighty girls come here to Lake Nona. We do a clinic, then a few minutes with them on the driving range and a few minutes on the putting green. We've done it twice in Orlando and we're thinking about taking it nationwide when your schedules slow down. I was at that age once. I remember it. When I was 12, it would have been great to meet a pro.

But a lot of kids think golf is boring. From the beginning, I thought golf was so boring. The game has grown on me. I respect it. When I was growing up, it was an old man's sport. It's like baseball. I'm a Yankee fan. When you learn more about the game, you know it's about strategy.

Were you a standout as a junior golfer? I went back and asked one of the coaches: "At that time, did you think I would be the one?" He said no. I was just like all the other ones. What I have is my determination, my stubbornness. I wasn't afraid to sacrifice. It was a big step to come from little Bro to Arizona. In Sweden, I couldn't play all year-round. I didn't think I could ever win one LPGA event. Liselotte Neumann won the Open in 1988. I was a good junior already, but she broke the ice. I saw her do it, and you think, "If she could do it, I can do it."

You've talked about retirement before. I've stretched it far. I couldn't do it another five years. By the end of this year, I think I will have reached the peak of my strength physically. If I'm not motivated, I won't practice and I won't go out there. Knowing what it's like to win and to be in contention — if I can't have that, I can't do it. I don't want to be playing and hear a fan say, "I remember I saw her when she used to be good." I don't want the sympathy. I've never set a date and I never will. The travel gets to me. I go to the gym five days a week. It's something I have to do for a while. I do think of other things. It would be sad if golf is the only thing.

Will you play golf after you retire? I can't play for fun. I can't goof around. I can't even remember when I did it. If I miss a shot, I will just think about what I have to do to get it right. I hope 10 years from now, I can play golf socially.

• JEFF CHU
• Annika Sorenstam talks with TIME's Jeff Chu about her life as a professional golfer