U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 9, 1997

Kris Tschetter

KRIS TSCHETTER: I'm feeling much, much better. I had hip surgery last June, which I actually got a Cortisone shot, hoping to make it through last year's Open. And after about a week I said I'm just wasting my time. So I ended up getting it done June 28th. And I not only had a labral tear, I had a cartilage tear, which when the doctor went in, he thought it was a torn -- with the cartilage it turned into 6 to 8 months. So I wasn't able to even start in January. And started slow and still have to be careful not to do too much. But I'm so much better than I've been in such a long time that it's fun again.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I have.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Yes.

KRIS TSCHETTER: It's hard to say, because there's just been so much rain that the course is playing real slow, the last six holes are playing really long. But that can all change. I'm sure the course, if we don't get anymore rain, is going to speed up and we're going to get some more roll out there. I'm sure the course is going to be playing so differently by Sunday. We're going to be getting more roll on our drivers and the putts aren't going to be quite as friendly.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I do believe that walking is part of the game. And I do think that by not walking, it definitely gives you an advantage, at the end of the week, at the end of two weeks, at the end of the year. There's some wear and tear. That was what kept me from coming back this year, was I knew I could not walk 18 holes of play. I could play 18 holes in a cart or I could walk 18 holes, but I didn't do both. Do I think he's taking advantage? No. I think he's got such a weird problem that I don't think he gets an advantage from being in the cart. But I think for most people not having to walk would definitely -- you'd have more energy at the end of the day.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I do have a chair.

KRIS TSCHETTER: No, I think -- like I said, I think walking is part of the game. And I'm sure that he -- in my situation it's not severe enough. I think I would gain an advantage over some people. But I really have to consider things. I have to -- like today, I got done with my practice round and I went back home and laid down for a little bit. Because I just know that if I try to push myself too much, that's when I get into trouble. So I really had to change my practice routine. When I'm out here I get done playing and I go rest a little bit before I come back and practice. And when I'm home I try to work harder at home and save my strength a little bit when I'm out here. So things are definitely different for me now. And the chair, it's been great. It's kind of the joke out on the LPGA right now, the caddies are all worried that it's going to become a trend. But for me just being able to get off my feet -- it's really more my back gets real tight and gets tired and just to be able to sit down, even if it's three or four minutes rather than standing in a fairway, that makes a big difference for me at the end of the day.

KRIS TSCHETTER: A little bit. I had to make more -- I'm able to get back to the way I was swinging before. In the last couple of years I've messed around with my swing quite a bit, just trying to figure out a way to play. And now I'm able to swing pretty much like I want. There's a few things that I -- I can't do. But fortunately my husband, he's a great teacher, and he knows my swing so well that he's been able to really figure out how to get the maximum out of what I can do.

KRIS TSCHETTER: It's not as high as you might think.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Definitely to have these good memories from this golf course. I really, really like this course. It really suits me. And so I think that will definitely help me. And to answer your second question, I feel like I'm playing really well. I've been just really working on a lot of things. And, again, to just be healthy again is -- has been so much fun. My caddy -- actually, my husband's caddying for me this week, but my regular caddy the last few weeks, it's been really interesting, because he's had to really learn about my game again. He's been caddying for me for two years, and I've been lame the whole time. And finally one day I had to look at him and say look, I'm a different player now, I can hit these shots again. And it's really learning to adjust to that.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I think so. I mean, I really enjoy playing golf courses and playing tournaments where par is a good score, where you really have to think your way around the golf course and place your shots and be patient. So I hope that the course really does kind of stand up and show us who's the real champion, which would be the golf course, in a U.S. Open, usually.

KRIS TSCHETTER: It's really hard to say. I did start back taking ballet about five years ago, and then I had my hip problem. And then I looked at film of me in college, and I was doing this thing with my foot, trying to compensate for my hip, even back then. So it's really hard to say. I have a little bit of hip dysplasia, which is your hips aren't fully covered, and it really lends itself to having -- getting a tear, plus the fact that I'm real loose jointed. I'm able to compensate and kind of do things. And I was able to play a lot longer because I was compensating so many other joints in my body. So the answer is I don't know. And the doctor didn't know. I asked him about that. And he said it probably got worse because I played with it for so long. But I went to several doctors that told me I had nothing wrong for two, two-and-a-half years.

KRIS TSCHETTER: He got my swing on a better plane. And I think we all have our mistakes in our swing that we will fight with until the day we die. But I've worked on getting my downswing a little bit better. And actually, with all of my injuries, I've had to really -- all of my injuries have been joint related. And I've had to strengthen the muscles around my joints in order to continue to play. And I think that that's helped, because I've gotten stronger.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Yes, it is. Actually, in the last year, after my hip surgery, I had to hit a lot of wedges. My wedges are getting really good.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Phoenix, I don't know what it is about that air, you just hit it long out there. You know, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure if I would lose distance or not. I don't feel like I really have. But I do find that I have to be careful. Sometimes the better you start to play and the better you start to swing, it's easier to swing harder. And I really have to kind of pick my moments. I've learned to be a little more conservative on holes where I don't need to hit it far, to try to hit a real controlled driver. And on the par-5s maybe try to hit it a little harder. But it's just a wear and tear thing. And I think the more I can save it a little bit the better off I am.

KRIS TSCHETTER: You know, I don't think it ever even entered his mind to ask for something like that. I think that -- that's why in the last few years he didn't play many tournaments. His body just could not handle the week in, week out of playing tournaments. But I just -- I don't even think he thought about it. And I don't think golf carts were that big back in the '50s. Did they have them?

KRIS TSCHETTER: You know, it was interesting, I always felt like I would eventually figure it out. I went to a lot of different people and everybody kept saying, well, I think it's this, I think it's that. And nobody was really sure. And there were times where I was really concerned because I knew there was something wrong. But nobody could really help me. And I think deep down I always knew that we'd figure it out. Because I was going to keep looking until I figured it out. But it was just a question of how long is it going to take? It's not like I'm at the beginning of my career here. I'd like to figure it out and get it fixed and be able to go on. So I guess the answer is just I always knew we'd figure it out, I was hoping it wouldn't take too much longer.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I don't know. I'll let you know after the second one. I'm such a better player now than I was. And I've been a better player for a lot of years. And there's just -- there's so much to winning. It kind of has to be your week and you've got to get yourself in the game. And I think that's my biggest problem is just not being consistent, not giving myself a chance every week. The top players, they have maybe 10 to 15 chances a year, where I'm just not giving myself enough chances. I think being healthy again will definitely help. I feel like I'll be able to be more consistent.

KRIS TSCHETTER: It's just very subtle. And you really have to know where you need to hit it. You have to be able to hit. I think it helps to be able to hit different shots into these greens. If the green is sloping this way, you can hit a little fade and not be such a victim of the slope. And I like to work the ball. So I guess that's kind of why I like it.