Following is a transcript of Annika Sorenstam's news conference at which she announced her retirement from tournament golf effective at the end of the 2008 season. The news conference took place in Clifton, N.J., where Sorenstam was to play the Sybase Classic. The transcript is provided by asapsports.com.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Everyone, thank you for coming in and joining us. I have Annika Sorenstam in here and I'm going to turn it over to her at this time. She has a special announcement to make.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, hi, everybody, and thank you for coming. I thought before we start this press conference, I wanted to make some remarks on something that's been on my mind for a little while and I wanted to share it all for you. So I think last time I saw so many cameras was at the Colonial, and that was a life-changing moment, so I guess we have another one.
After some serious consideration, I have made a decision to step away from competitive golf after this season. And this is obviously a very difficult decision for me to make, because I love this game very much. But I know it's the right one.
Q. How do you know it's the right one?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I wanted to let you all know that. I feel like I have a responsibility to the LPGA, to my fans, and I wanted to announce it as early as I could.
The reason for this decision is that I have other priorities in my life. I have a lot of dreams that I want to follow, I want to live, and I'm getting married in January. Mike (McGee) and I want to start a family. I want to continue to build the Annika brand of businesses, and this includes my academy, my foundation, my golf course design projects, all my corporate relationships, hosting golf tournaments, clothing lines, etc.
I am very, very proud of what I've achieved. Golf has been great to me. I think I've achieved more than I ever thought I could. I have given it all and it's been fun.
I have come back from an injury, and I feel strong, I feel healthy, and the season has started really well, and I'm leaving the game on my terms.
I was watching a press conference a few months ago with Brett Farve when he announced his retirement, and some of the things that he said was, you know, he loves the competition, he is just tired of the daily grind, and I feel the same way.
While I'm stepping away from competition, I will be very engaged and very involved in the game of golf, but in a different way. I want to make sure that I can give back to the game that's been great to me, by helping and inspiring young kids to develop and reach their dreams. I know I can do that with the growth of my academy. I can do that with the growth of my foundation, and I want to do it with the commitment from my sponsors that have been there for me all these years and have played an instrumental part in my success. So I'm looking forward to doing clinics, outings, promotions, you name it.
I am also very proud of women's golf and the state it's in today. I think the last 15 years, I've seen a tremendous change, and it's really grown to an amazing place. I'm just very, very happy to have been a part of it and had a chance to follow my dream. And I believe that this decision comes at the right time for the LPGA, it's in very good hands with great talent and a commissioner that really cares.
Of course, there is teamwork behind my success and I wanted to thank some people. Some of them are here and some of them are not. I wanted to start with my parents for their love and support. I want to thank Mike, my fiancee, I'm not sure where he is, but thanks for your support and love, as well; my sister, for her friendship; my caddie, Terry, for his hard work and his dedication; my agent, Mark Steinberg for his hard work and helping me to go in the right direction; my coach, Henri Reis, for giving me all the knowledge; all of my sponsors for their support and sticking with me; to my friends, some of them are here, I appreciate your friendship as well; and of course, the media, thank you for writing some nice things about me; and then also the fans that have been cheering me on for all these years.
Last but not least, you know, having said all this, there's still plenty of golf to be played. I have another seven months left, and my goal is to win tournaments, many tournaments. Thank you.
