Oklahoma State University Athletics
Q&A With Former Cowgirl Golfer, Future Olympian Pernilla Lindberg
July 27, 2016 | Cowgirl Golf
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State women's golfer Pernilla Lindberg has a pretty impressive list of career accomplishments. She was a Big 12 Player of the Year, a two-time first team WGCA All-American and is now a regular on the LPGA Tour.
In August, you can add Olympian to her ever-growing resume.
Golf is returning to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904, and Lindberg will represent her home country of Sweden in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In fact, she'll join her former Cowgirl teammate, Caroline Masson of Germany, in the Olympic Village.
OKState.com caught up with Lindberg to get her thoughts heading into this historic Olympiad.
OKState.com: Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years. It must be amazing to be among the group that gets to usher the game back into the Olympics.
Pernilla Lindberg: For us golfers it's kind of surreal, because you grow up dreaming of being a professional golfer - being an Olympian was never even on the radar. But, now that it's back I am so pumped about it because I am a big advocate for golfers being athletes. I grew up hearing people say things like, "golf is not a real sport," so the fact that golf is returning to the Olympics is a real validation of our sport. Being able to call ourselves Olympians and to be in that atmosphere with the best athletes in the world makes me feel like saying, "yea, we belong here!"
OKState.com: Are you excited to be a part of the opening ceremonies?
PL: Unfortunately, we aren't going to get to be a part of the opening ceremonies, which is a real bummer. Women's golf is right at the end of the Olympics, so unfortunately I'll be back in the U.S. watching the opening ceremonies on TV just like everyone else. That being said, I plan on going down a few days early just to watch a few of the other events, especially the men's golf competition that is going on right before we take the course. I can't wait to stay in the Olympic Village and hang out with the other athletes, and get to know the scenery a little bit.
OKState.com: This is a normal golf tournament, 72 holes of stroke play, but at the same time it's not – it's the Olympics, and it's going to be way different than playing on tour. Plus, it's being played on a brand new golf course. How does that change your preparations?
PL: It's definitely going to be different, but it's still going to come down to the fact that it's just golf. We'll all have our golf balls, and we'll all be playing a golf course, and no one will have the advantage of having played there before. It will be the things surrounding the event that will be different. The little things, like how the credentials work, to transportation and lodgings, those will all be different than on tour. It's going to be a cool experience, and when it comes down to it, it's going to be about golf.
I'm playing in the British Open (July 28-31), and then afterwards I'll be back home in Orlando practicing just like every other event. We're going to try and treat it like a normal event, but we know that it's a really big deal.
OKState.com: When did you learn that golf was returning to the Olympics, and did you immediately make it one of your goals to be a part of this?
PL: The Swedish Golf Federation has been doing a ton of great work in the years leading up to the Olympics. Way back in 2011, they brought us in for a meeting and put together a group of coaches that they call the "Performance Team" to help all of us Swedish players. That was my second year on tour, and I remember sitting in on that meeting when they told us that golf was going to be back in the Olympics in 2016 and that their goal was to do everything they could to help Sweden earns medals. So I was a part of it from the beginning, but at that time I was pretty far away from being qualified to actually make the Olympics. But ever since that day it was one of my main goals to be a part of the return of golf to the Olympics.
OKState.com: Tell the Cowgirl golf fans what you've been up to aside from playing pro golf and making the Olympics?
PL: I have a very busy tournament schedule – I play around 30 events per year – but whenever I'm not on tour I call Orlando home, just like a lot of other professional golfers. I still keep in touch with Par [Nilsson, Cowgirl assistant coach] and Courtney [Jones, Cowgirl head coach], and I actually got to see Par at the U.S. Open in California a few weeks ago. He even hooked me up with some new Cowgirl gear. I keep telling them that I can't wait to find the time to get back to Stillwater because it's been way too long since I've been back. I would love to come back and just hang out and practice at Karsten Creek again. That's still one of my favorite places to play.
OKState.com: One of your former Cowgirl teammates, Caroline Masson, also made the Olympic field for Germany. You two go head-to-head nearly every week on tour, but how special will it be to face off as Olympians?
PL: It's really cool! We get along really well, and we were actually paired together for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open last month. It's just fun to have another Cowgirl out there, for sure. With all of the relationships you get to build throughout golf, we are both sure to have a ton of good friends down in Rio.
OKState.com: What made a girl from Sweden want to come to Oklahoma State?
PL: Luckily, we have a pipeline from Sweden to Stillwater, and I just followed the crowd. I came over on a few recruiting trips, and Karsten Creek and the tradition of the golf program were the main reasons that I wanted to come to OSU. But then, I talked to some of the other Swedish players that had played at OSU, and they loved it. That had a big influence on me.
OKState.com: You're a seasoned pro now. How much did playing at OSU help you prepare for your career as a professional golfer?
PL: I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for my experience at Oklahoma State, that's for sure. I got to play four years of college golf on the best courses in the country against the best amateur players out there. Everything I need on tour now, I got exposed to at Oklahoma State. As a student-athlete, I learned time management, which I think is the most valuable tool you can have in your life.
In August, you can add Olympian to her ever-growing resume.
Golf is returning to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904, and Lindberg will represent her home country of Sweden in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In fact, she'll join her former Cowgirl teammate, Caroline Masson of Germany, in the Olympic Village.
OKState.com caught up with Lindberg to get her thoughts heading into this historic Olympiad.
OKState.com: Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years. It must be amazing to be among the group that gets to usher the game back into the Olympics.
Pernilla Lindberg: For us golfers it's kind of surreal, because you grow up dreaming of being a professional golfer - being an Olympian was never even on the radar. But, now that it's back I am so pumped about it because I am a big advocate for golfers being athletes. I grew up hearing people say things like, "golf is not a real sport," so the fact that golf is returning to the Olympics is a real validation of our sport. Being able to call ourselves Olympians and to be in that atmosphere with the best athletes in the world makes me feel like saying, "yea, we belong here!"
OKState.com: Are you excited to be a part of the opening ceremonies?
PL: Unfortunately, we aren't going to get to be a part of the opening ceremonies, which is a real bummer. Women's golf is right at the end of the Olympics, so unfortunately I'll be back in the U.S. watching the opening ceremonies on TV just like everyone else. That being said, I plan on going down a few days early just to watch a few of the other events, especially the men's golf competition that is going on right before we take the course. I can't wait to stay in the Olympic Village and hang out with the other athletes, and get to know the scenery a little bit.
OKState.com: This is a normal golf tournament, 72 holes of stroke play, but at the same time it's not – it's the Olympics, and it's going to be way different than playing on tour. Plus, it's being played on a brand new golf course. How does that change your preparations?
PL: It's definitely going to be different, but it's still going to come down to the fact that it's just golf. We'll all have our golf balls, and we'll all be playing a golf course, and no one will have the advantage of having played there before. It will be the things surrounding the event that will be different. The little things, like how the credentials work, to transportation and lodgings, those will all be different than on tour. It's going to be a cool experience, and when it comes down to it, it's going to be about golf.
I'm playing in the British Open (July 28-31), and then afterwards I'll be back home in Orlando practicing just like every other event. We're going to try and treat it like a normal event, but we know that it's a really big deal.
OKState.com: When did you learn that golf was returning to the Olympics, and did you immediately make it one of your goals to be a part of this?
PL: The Swedish Golf Federation has been doing a ton of great work in the years leading up to the Olympics. Way back in 2011, they brought us in for a meeting and put together a group of coaches that they call the "Performance Team" to help all of us Swedish players. That was my second year on tour, and I remember sitting in on that meeting when they told us that golf was going to be back in the Olympics in 2016 and that their goal was to do everything they could to help Sweden earns medals. So I was a part of it from the beginning, but at that time I was pretty far away from being qualified to actually make the Olympics. But ever since that day it was one of my main goals to be a part of the return of golf to the Olympics.
OKState.com: Tell the Cowgirl golf fans what you've been up to aside from playing pro golf and making the Olympics?
PL: I have a very busy tournament schedule – I play around 30 events per year – but whenever I'm not on tour I call Orlando home, just like a lot of other professional golfers. I still keep in touch with Par [Nilsson, Cowgirl assistant coach] and Courtney [Jones, Cowgirl head coach], and I actually got to see Par at the U.S. Open in California a few weeks ago. He even hooked me up with some new Cowgirl gear. I keep telling them that I can't wait to find the time to get back to Stillwater because it's been way too long since I've been back. I would love to come back and just hang out and practice at Karsten Creek again. That's still one of my favorite places to play.
OKState.com: One of your former Cowgirl teammates, Caroline Masson, also made the Olympic field for Germany. You two go head-to-head nearly every week on tour, but how special will it be to face off as Olympians?
PL: It's really cool! We get along really well, and we were actually paired together for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open last month. It's just fun to have another Cowgirl out there, for sure. With all of the relationships you get to build throughout golf, we are both sure to have a ton of good friends down in Rio.
OKState.com: What made a girl from Sweden want to come to Oklahoma State?
PL: Luckily, we have a pipeline from Sweden to Stillwater, and I just followed the crowd. I came over on a few recruiting trips, and Karsten Creek and the tradition of the golf program were the main reasons that I wanted to come to OSU. But then, I talked to some of the other Swedish players that had played at OSU, and they loved it. That had a big influence on me.
OKState.com: You're a seasoned pro now. How much did playing at OSU help you prepare for your career as a professional golfer?
PL: I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for my experience at Oklahoma State, that's for sure. I got to play four years of college golf on the best courses in the country against the best amateur players out there. Everything I need on tour now, I got exposed to at Oklahoma State. As a student-athlete, I learned time management, which I think is the most valuable tool you can have in your life.
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