ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 23, 2002

Rachel Teske

RACHEL TESKE: The first hole I hit 6-iron to about 15 feet. Made the putt for birdie.

Number 3 I hit a 7-wood to about 25 feet and two putted for birdie.

Number 4 I bogeyed, I missed the green, I missed the fairway right and laid up short. And then I missed the green right again and had one putt from about five feet for bogey.

Number 5, I hit a 9-wood to about four feet for a birdie.

Number 8 I missed the fairway left and missed the green short left, I guess it was. In the trap. And had two putts from about 12 feet for bogey.

Number 13, I hit a 5-iron to about six feet for birdie.

Then 14 I 3-putted from about 30 feet. Hit an 8-iron in there.

15 I just was short of the green, probably about five or six yards and I chipped up to a foot and made the putt for birdie.

16 I hit an 8-iron to about 15 feet and made the putt for birdie. And then 18 I hit an 8-iron in about 15 feet again and made the putt for birdie.

Q. Not many pars?

RACHEL TESKE: Yeah, true. I just realized that. I didn't realize I had so many birdies. But, yeah, the front nine I didn't really time the ball all that well and was struggling a little bit. I missed a few fairways both right and left. And then on the back nine I just sort of started striking it a little bit better. So I was swinging a bit fast on the way back before and kind of took a bit of tension out of my hands and kind of on the grip, and that seemed to free it up a little bit. So I started hitting the ball well on the back nine.

Q. Obviously with Karrie and Annika at the top, are you comfortable with playing with them?

RACHEL TESKE: Well I felt pretty good today and really all year I, this was probably my best year as far as ball striking and being real consistent. So I just feel really comfortable with the way I'm hitting the ball and even though I didn't time it too well on the front nine, I still kind of felt in control. So that's a big plus for me. I enjoy playing with Annika and Karrie as well, and just this course, it's in great shape and you got to play some pretty tough shots out there. So I kind of enjoy that challenge as well.

Q. What is your history with Karrie?

RACHEL TESKE: I played a lot of junior golf with her. Both played a state junior teams and played against each other in match play and with each other like as teammates kind of thing. Probably since I was about 16 or 17. I've known her for awhile.

Q. Where in Australia are you from?

RACHEL TESKE: Brisbane, which is a southeast corner of Queensland. Same state. She's about a 15 hour drive north, but she's far north Queensland. It is a big state, yeah.

(Laughter.)

Q. Texas size state?

RACHEL TESKE: Yeah, true.

Q. What promoted the physical makeover?

RACHEL TESKE: Well, I got kind of a little bit lazy, I guess, toward the end of last year and felt like I put a bit of weight on. And then when I got home my sister, she's younger than me and has two children. And she lost 25 pounds on a diet. And she kind of like inspired me to get serious about my fitness and so I've been doing weight training for probably about three years or so. But haven't really got serious about losing weight and trimming down. So I cut bread out of my diet and really just stopped eating carbohydrates after 4 o'clock. So and then I kind of kept pretty focused on workouts and stuff like that. And so I tried to workout probably about four or five times a week when I'm on the road whereas you can get a little easy and do it once or twice. So I've been really trying to keep motivated in that area. And I think it's kind of gone through my game and made me feel a little bit better on the golf course. And a little bit stronger too.

Q. Re: What do you eat?

RACHEL TESKE: I eat a lot, actually. A lot of people are like, oh, you must starve yourself. Just meats, oh, vegetables, salad. Just a lot, really. You just don't eat like your pasta or your rice or potatoes. You have that for lunch if you can.

Q. Beer?

RACHEL TESKE: Beer? Yeah. I have to sneak one in every now and then, I'm Australian.

Q. How much weight did you lose?

RACHEL TESKE: It's pretty close to 20 pounds. And it's 12 months this month. I started when I got back to Australia in November last year. I gave myself a weak or two to totally pig out and like eat all the bad food I could. And then I went strict from then. And I still allow myself like a day off a week where I eat whatever I want. You still got to have some bad stuff, so.

Q. What is your game plan for tomorrow?

RACHEL TESKE: Really just to probably just trust myself a little bit better in that first nine. I just really started to adjust my timing and it was just a little fast. So I really just to give a hundred percent to every shot tomorrow from as soon as we tee off. And I'll go from there. I feel like I'm playing pretty well, so really just to keep on going.

Q. What is your most recent run-in head to head with Karrie?

RACHEL TESKE: I don't know. I know that in Toledo this year when I won I know she was maybe a couple of shots back. So it was pretty close. But it's great to see her playing well. She's started a little bit slow and it was great, it's great to see her play well. And she's had a couple of wins and a lot of people are kind of saying that she's had a pretty rough year, but I think that it's great to see her playing well again.

Q. Do you look at yourself in Annika and Karrie's class?

RACHEL TESKE: It's really, I feel like when I'm playing well I can, I am playing just as well as them. I think that the biggest thing for me is, for me, are the difference between me and say Annika and Karrie, I think the biggest thing is the short game. I've always struggled with chipping and especially the last couple of months with making a lot of bogeys. I've been making the birdies, but making a lot of bogeys as well just because my short game hasn't been good enough. So that's kind of one frustrating thing of this year, because as good as I've played I know that I've wasted a lot of shots out there and it could be a little bit better. And it's great. I'm proud of it. It inspires me and it makes me excited that I'm playing with these girls and playing as well as them this week.

Q. Do you look at yourself in Annika and Karrie's class?

RACHEL TESKE: No, not really. Especially in a field like this. Because it's the top 30. So really anybody could, anybody here has been playing well and has the ability to go low and make the shots and make the putts.

Q. Was it good to make that putt on the last hole?

RACHEL TESKE: Yeah, any time you can birdie a hole it's a good thing.

(Laughter.)

Q. But was it important to make that putt to be in the lead?

RACHEL TESKE: Yeah. It was just good to -- I hit a good shot in there. More than birdieing a hole or anything like that, I get more confidence out of just hitting a good shot and knowing that you can work on that and build on it hole after hole after hole. And so I, so it was great birdieing it, but I hit a good tee shot down there and hit a good second shot. And that was what gave me the momentum and the confidence, really for the rest of the day.

Q. Most people will come out tomorrow and expect Karrie and Annika to win, how do you feel about that?

RACHEL TESKE: Well with their records, I guess, and their successes, chances are, I guess they do have the I don't know how to say it, I guess, chances are they will -- no, that's not right either. I don't know how to say it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

RACHEL TESKE: Yeah, true. I believe that I'm playing well and I have just as good a chance to win. So I mean their records are great and they have achieved a lot, but if I didn't think I could win I wouldn't be in this position. So I wanted to make the putt on 18 and I kind of did. So, yeah, if I didn't want to win I didn't think I could I wouldn't have put myself in this position.

Q. Why was it important to make that putt on 18?

RACHEL TESKE: Why? I don't know. One shot any time is good. So I had a quick look at the leaderboard and saw where we were, at nine, and I just had a good feel for the putt. I had, I knew it was going to break a little right-to-left. It's kind of been a funnel on the green there. And so I just wanted to make it I mean any time you have a birdie putt within about 20 feet, you really are working hard to put a good stroke on it and make it .

Q. Did you have to make it for the lead?

RACHEL TESKE: No, I don't think it's important to be in the lead for me. I don't feel like you have to be in the lead after the third round or anything like that. I just hit a great drive down 18 and really I just was gripping an 8-iron trying to get the distance right. And I did that and my putting felt good, so it was great on that hole so far.

Q. Would winning the season-ending tournament mean more than winning a regular-season event?

RACHEL TESKE: Well I think just the fact that it's the end of the season, we're not going to play until probably mid February, so it would be pretty special to win. An end of the season event and against this caliber of field as well it would be pretty special.

Q. How was the wind today?

RACHEL TESKE: It kind of felt like it was a little stronger, but then on the last couple of holes like 17 and 18, it didn't really feel like it was -- it was just kind of straight across. It didn't really -- I think on 17 a couple of days I'm not positive but it's kind of been at an angle. I don't know whether it was helping or not. But so it was just straight across. Yeah, it seemed to die down a touch from the back nine to the front nine kind of thing.

Q. What are the misconceptions of Australian's that Americans have? Drinking a lot of beer?

RACHEL TESKE: Thank God my husband isn't like that. No Fosters Beer commercial. What misconceptions? I think it's changing in Australia. I think for a long time you always kind of had the drinking beer and the beer belly kind of guys. And I think it's changing just with the change of people in Australia. We're very similar to the U.S. we have a lot of different cultures and a lot of different people immigrating to the country. So you're getting a real blend of cultures and different foods and I think that people are kind of changing to getting a little bit healthier and stuff like that. So, although beer is still a big past-time.

(Laughter.) Don't get me wrong. But I think most people go and work out the next day. And we don't wrestle crocodiles either. No matter what Steve Irwin says. Okay? Thanks.

End of FastScripts....