On the Upswing

No turning back for LPGA Rising Star Louise Friberg

How would you describe your experience thus far as a rookie in the LPGA, particularly in the wake of your first major win at the Master Card Classic? 
It’s almost like falling down from the sky.  I don’t think I was really prepared for it.  A lot of things happen when you win, everything from changing tee times, getting to play with higher ranked players and a lot of media stuff that is new to me. It’s a learning experience. Overall, I love it.  I love playing in the LPGA and I’m happy with the way I’ve started out my rookie season. Obviously, the win is a big part of that.  I’m fostering my game this year and I’m starting to get my game where I want it to be so I’m loving the life I’m living right now.

What are the major differences between the courses you played in Europe and America?  What did you have to do to adjust your game to the new conditions?
The courses in America are longer. In Europe I’m plus average in length but in America I’m average.  All the girls are hitting longer. The roughs are thicker.  It’s more costly to miss the fairway and the green. I’ve had to improve my short game and I’m constantly working on it. That’s what I meant by fostering my game. I’ve had to learn all these things in America. Hitting the ball straighter and working the ball a little bit more.  It is a different type of game. The LPGA Tour is more a target oriented golf game.  It’s more straightforward. You can hit it to the stick. There aren’t super firm greens or anything like that.  In Europe, the courses seem to be trickier.  There are some dogwood holes and undulated fairways so it peaks left and right.  In America, we don’t see that as much at least on the courses that I’ve played this year.  Learning how to handle the differences is kind of like learning a new language.  You can learn a few words fairly easily but it is going to take you awhile to be able to put them into a sentence.  So I know a lot of shots, but I haven’t mastered it on the golf course yet. Hopefully, in the years to come, I can learn how to put the shots into a sentence. This year I learned how to use my lob shot for high landings on the green. In Europe, I didn’t really feel like I needed all the shots that I need in the LPGA. I find myself calling my coach up and telling him about some weird downhill lie with a different type of grass.  So I ask him what three shots he would suggest that I use on the golf course.  I also ask my caddie what he thinks.  I can’t just open up a book and learn by reading about it.  I have to learn as I go along.  [On the LPGA Tour] there are new shots, new grasses and new situations every week. 

Is there any way that you could have prepared yourself for some of these challenges before coming into the LPGA?
I wish I spent more time on my short game. But I’m the type of person who prefers learning as I go along and enjoying the moment.  If I’m faced with a tough situation on the golf course I’ll learn from it.  But I was pretty well prepared for how it was going to be there.  Short game practice would have helped but that’s it.  In Europe I didn’t have the same course work to practice out of.  I guess you have to work on your creativity too. And if you’re not faced with the different situations where you’re forced to use your creativity you can get lazy.  I don’t know if I would prepare for the LPGA any differently then I did.  I’m still here so I must have done something right.