(Barsebäck G&CC, Malmö, Sweden – August 6, 2005) Sweden’s Annika Sörenstam came out fighting on day three of the Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika, to seize the lead in her own tournament, at Barsebäck G&CC in Sweden.

Suzann Pettersen acknowledges the crowd

Sörenstam had a mixed front nine, starting birdie bogey birdie. She then birdied the fifth and bogeyed the eighth to turn in 35. Then, after warming up, she came back in 32 with birdies at the 10th, 13th, 17th and 18th holes.

“I had a great opportunity on 18. I hit a seven iron to about 15 feet it was a little bit uphill breaking a little bit right to left. I was in a great position to make birdie and put myself for sure in the last group so I’m very happy with that today,” she said.

Sörenstam, who is aiming for her 75th worldwide victory and seventh of the season, (her first since the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in June), will be playing with Pettersen in the final group tomorrow.

Pettersen, who exploded onto the women’s golf scene with a victory at the 2001 French Ladies Open on the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour, is playing in only her sixth golf tournament of the season, since she was forced to take an eight month break from golf altogether when she slipped a disc in her back in September 2004.

“I never thought I was going to play golf again. I mean when you can’t walk and you can’t dress yourself, golf is not the first thing you think of,” said Pettersen, adding: “It’s given me a different perspective on life and golf is definitely not my life. It’s a part of my life; it is not my life.”

The feisty 24-year-old from Oslo had a major set back around Christmas time: “On the 2nd January I felt really bad and my legs just collapsed. For the next six weeks I was lying straight out so I couldn’t walk,” she said.

“I had to learn how to walk again. When I finally got up I could maybe walk around for half an hour and then I had to lay down for another three or four hours to rest. So I’m just glad to be back and to play and be healthy.”