Interview with Finland's Riikka Hakkarainen

Q. Who do you think will win The Solheim Cup at Halmstad this year?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: Europe of course!

Q. Is making it into the European Solheim Cup Team one of your goals this year?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: I would love to be in the team! It is a matter of playing good golf and then you are there!

Q. Do you follow the updated rankings each week?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: No. I know roughly where I am but my main goal is to play well. My ranking is only getting better by working hard! It would be nice though if the ranking would go up just by staring at it… I would be so hooked up to my laptop in that case.

Q. Which players do you think would make up the perfect team?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: There are a lot of good players so it’s hard to say… (Plus I don’t want to make any enemies by saying one name and maybe forgetting someone else…!)

Q. What are you doing in the two months leading up to your title defence at the Tenerife Ladies Open?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: I’m practising hard in Florida, mostly by myself. It’s a quiet but very determined threesome: me, myself and I! When Ursula Wikstrom gets here for couple of weeks we have planned to play and practise together.

Q. How is your game at present?
RIIKKA HAKKARAINEN: I’m getting there! It’s getting better day by day! I didn’t play well in Australia but it was a good warm up and now I know what I want and what I need to do!