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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY AIG

June 24, 2001

Karrie Webb

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

LAURA NEAL: Tell us how you are how you are doing and how you are feeling right now.

KARRIE WEBB: I am at a little loss for words. This is, obviously, something -- this tournament is obviously a tournament I've wanted to win, and obviously, this year I've thought about trying to win this tournament to complete the career Grand Slam. Just right now, it doesn't really mean a whole lot to me.

Q. You birdied 2, 3 and 4. Did you get a sense that you were in that zone?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess it may have looked that way. I think I was focused when I was actually over my shots. But in between shots, you know, obviously my thoughts were not necessarily on the golf course.

Q. How hard was it to play through the emotions today? When did it hit you the hardest?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, to be honest with you, I nearly didn't play today. I did have a flight booked to fly back with my parents today at 12:30, and I decided that with my mom and dad last night about one o'clock in the morning. My dad didn't sleep very well, and he talked to the rest of my family today and they all wanted me to play because Grandad would have wanted me to.

Q. What was his name?

KARRIE WEBB: Mick Collinson.

Q. Could you talk about the stretch on the beginning?

KARRIE WEBB: Obviously on the first hole, I realized that Maria meant business today. Really, I guess I don't know how I did what I did today. I don't necessarily think that I was on my own. I think it -- I think when I get between -- inside the ropes, I think I have some sort of control of blocking certain things out, and I think I did that for the most part today when I was actually trying to execute a shot. But, you know, as far as 2,3 and 4, I think that -- I don't think I ever settled down for the day, but really, that gave me hope that I had a chance to win.

Q. Was your family with you walking through the round? Did you get any support from them being there?

KARRIE WEBB: My mom and dad flew back to Australia today.

Q. Was there anybody out there with you that knew what was going on?

KARRIE WEBB: Just Mike, my caddy.

Q. Can you talk about how quickly this whole Grand Slam thing came upon you? Is it a shock to you and has it happened so fast that it is hard to comprehend?

KARRIE WEBB: I think so. Obviously, eight majors ago, I had not won a major and now I have completed the career Grand Slam. So definitely, in two years, it has been quite a trip. I just feel very fortunate that I've been given the talent to be able to put myself in those positions and to pull it off as many times as I have.

Q. The fact that Mickey Wright had been the youngest previously, does that make it anymore special?

KARRIE WEBB: I didn't know what the youngest age was and who that was. Mickey Wright was an incredible player. I don't think I -- I don't sit down and look at record books and try and beat records. I think I just try and play good golf. Along the way, I've broken some records, and this is a really big one. It will sink in eventually and I know it will be really special.

Q. How big of a situation was it: Diaz holes a putt on 17 and less than a minute later, you bang in a fairly long birdie putt. Was that a settling factor in terms of the golf?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I heard a really big roar after that, so I think Laura must have birdied, as well. So, I knew at least one of the roars was for Laura Diaz. I knew that she had made birdie. But today, I never was really that nervous because I just thought if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. I made some pretty key putts at crucial times today, and a couple of times, I just shook my head because I couldn't believe that I was doing it.

Q. You've had some big moments over the last two years, your first major, du Maurier, your first Open last year and now this. Has there ever been such an important victory that you ever felt the whole day was such a blur?

KARRIE WEBB: It's really hard for me to -- I don't know. It's really hard for me to think about this as -- I mean, it is a special occasion for me, but right now, it isn't for my family. You know, I was pretty close to not even playing today, so I just -- I don't know. I didn't really do it for myself today. I did it for my grandad and I know that it might not help out the situation, but my grandma told me on Thursday that she wanted me to win it for him.

Q. Had he been sick?

KARRIE WEBB: Not until Thursday.

Q. Was this as difficult a day on the golf course that you can ever remember going through?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess emotionally because I didn't just have golf on my mind. But as far as handling nerves and stuff like that, like I just said, I really -- I wanted to win, but I wasn't overly concerned about it if I didn't. I wasn't going to make it easy for Laura to win, but if she kept coming at me, I wasn't -- it's just not the end of the world. It's just a golf tournament and I'm going to play in a lot more.

Q. Sounds like you almost had a peaceful feeling at times?

KARRIE WEBB: I don't know about peaceful, but I guess just not overly concerned about the outcome of a golf shot. It just -- the only thing I wanted to do was I wanted to win for my grandad, and that's all I kept thinking about.

Q. Had you not been in the lead or close to the lead, you obviously would have been gone?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah.

Q. Where did your parents fly out of, Washington or Philadelphia?

KARRIE WEBB: Philadelphia.

Q. Will you go home tomorrow?

KARRIE WEBB: Yes.

Q. You had your parents come here just for this tournament, and then have them there to witness you, it's kind of like you planned it that you were going to make the Grand Slam; "Mom and Dad, you've got to come."

KARRIE WEBB: They had not been over for a major for a few years. My dad, especially. I just thought that would be a pretty cool one if they were here and I did happen to win. It would have been just special to share that with them.

Q. This isn't a course that you've always had fun on. How did you sort of breakthrough?

KARRIE WEBB: I really putted well this week. I made a lot of key putts at crucial times in the round. For the most part, I really swung it well, except for probably a few holes yesterday. Other than -- for the most part today, there was a couple loose irons shots, but other than that, I drove the ball extremely well most of the week. Especially today. I never really put myself in a lot of danger of making too many mistakes.

LAURA NEAL: Do you think your parents know or they are in the air right now?

KARRIE WEBB: They are on their way to L.A. I don't think they know just yet.

Q. I know this might be a tough question, but do you have a fondest memory of your grandfather, something that you thought about today, doing something with him?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I did -- when I was four years old, my grandmother and my grandad used to take me out on Sunday mornings to play nine holes with them and I used to have my plastic club and my plastic ball and I would play three or four holes, walk that many and then Grandad would put me on the back of his -- he would have his bag on a trolley and put me on the bag and put me, as well as the bag for the remainder of the holes. They were about the only two people in the world who were patient enough to go out with a four-year-old and play golf on a Sunday morning.

Q. Your grandfather is your mother's father?

KARRIE WEBB: Yes.

Q. Your grandmom's first name?

KARRIE WEBB: Joyce.

Q. Were they the first people that introduced you to golf?

KARRIE WEBB: Both my parents and that set of grandparents.

Q. When you were like talking with your parents last night into the late hours, I mean, were you pretty much all set to go home like if they said, "okay, come home," you would have done it?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I decided to come home. Then my dad didn't -- he didn't feel good about that. Because my grandfather's been in the same condition for two or three days now, except that we went from thinking that he was going to be all right to not being so good; that was the only difference. But as far as his condition, it had still been the same. It was just what the doctors had told our family was different one day to the next day. And he hasn't passed yet, so Dad said that -- you know, and they don't know how many days it will be. He spoke to all of my mom's family, and they all said that Grandad would not have wanted me to come home just yet. So, the fact that my whole family said that I should play -- I mean, there was a part of me that wanted to play anyway, and the fact that my family said that they wanted me to do it; is that's what changed my mind. But it wasn't until about 8:00 this morning.

Q. What is the issue, is it a heart?

KARRIE WEBB: He had a stroke.

Q. How old is your grandfather?

KARRIE WEBB: 71.

Q. Did he have any nicknames for you?

KARRIE WEBB: No. I don't think so.

End of FastScripts....

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