U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2000

Karrie Webb

KARRIE WEBB: Okay. Well, I think I was at the Merit Club a couple years ago, and obviously, playing it a couple years ago, I didn't -- I knew coming here that the USGA would set it up entirely different to what we played that day, and I was right. Just, you know, the rough is definitely U.S. Open rough, and the course is -- I think it's set up pretty fair. I think if you're hitting the ball well this week, I think you've got a good chance at being right in there because the fairways are pretty generous, and the greens are pretty big. You know, if you're keeping it in the short stuff, I think you've got a good chance, but the rough is pretty brutal on the fairways and around the greens, especially. And right now, the greens are at a pretty fair speed, but I'm sure that they will get a little quicker before we play on Thursday. As far as suiting my game, I tend to enjoy playing in the wind, and I think that's going to be a big factor here. I think that will be a big factor in what score wins, too. I think if the wind doesn't get up for one or two of the days, you the scores, you could see a few red numbers, but I think after the last two days, it's a pretty consistent wind, and you know, at least 10 miles an hour for most of the day and then it gets a little gusty in the afternoon. You know, I think that definitely is a big tell on what the scores are going to be this week.

KARRIE WEBB: I think it just makes you concentrate more. I think when you have perfect conditions, I think you sometimes tend to lose your creativity, but when it is windy, you really have to think about things. Hopefully, that will be a benefit for me this week.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, yes and no. I think, obviously, I think we'd all prefer to have the week to ourselves as far as attention goes. I think, you know, if we had the week to ourselves, you know, obviously we'd have all the media here. You know, there would not be that attention across the Atlantic like there is this week. But as far as, you know, because they are five hours ahead of us, at least the telecast is going to be over before hours starts. With any luck, people watch the men in the morning. And then our tournament is going to be an exciting one, it's the U.S. Open, and normally, have great finishes. So, you know, I think that that's -- you know, a benefit that at least we're not, you know, clashing as far as TV times go.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, obviously, I think so. But I'm not the person or the people that have made that decision. And, you know, I know that there's a lot things that go into making those decisions, and you know, obviously, there's a reason that it happened, and I'm unaware of why that happened. But, you know, I'm probably not the person to ask about that.

KARRIE WEBB: I think the longer hitter you are, the more options you have on the tee, and sometimes that's not a good thing, because you really have too many clubs that you can actually hit off the tee and be in play. You know, a shorter hitter can just hit the driver and they are in the first landing area or the biggest landing area. And you know, I played two -- well, one-and-a-half practice rounds now, with two different winds, and you know, I just find that driver isn't necessarily -- because the fairways are hard and running, too, and I think that driver in some places isn't the best play. I think you could definitely be down there with only an 8-iron into the green, but if you're in the rough, there's no point in having an 8-iron if you've got a 5- or a 6-iron in your own fairway, I think that's always the best play at a U.S. Open.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, there's only been a couple of times where I even attempted to play it to the green, because, you know, most of the time, I just have to wedge it down the fairway and put it in the spot where I can try and get up-and-down for par. You know, I haven't really tried to -- you know the ones that are very deep, I'm not to even going to bother trying to play, because I know I just have to pull my sand wedge out on those ones.

KARRIE WEBB: It's eluded me four times now. But I think to me, I think my biggest hurdle that I have to overcome is my patience. And I tend to -- I can lose my patience, not necessarily in the first day, or the second day, but I think I've gotten to at least get to the third day before I lose my patient earns. I think when I first played at the U.S. Open, I lost it on the first day. But, yeah, I think I have to really be patient and know that I'm going to make bogeys, but try to just, you know, make as few bogeys as you can, and eliminate more than bogey. You know, just try and stick to your game plan and, you know, hopefully things will go well, and you know, you are going to get some bad lies in the rough, and you are going to miss fairways. It's just what you do with it from there that is what -- I think is why people win the tournament. I think if -- if I can keep my patience for four days and, you know, have my game in top form and keep my patience, I think those are the two biggest keys for me.

KARRIE WEBB: I think that it's pretty close. It's not exactly right where I'd like it, but I still have a day and a half to go. And I think with it being a little windy, I think some people tend to think that you have to really be hitting it pure when you play in the wind. But I think that sometimes I can manage extra shots, even if I'm not hitting the ball as well as I would like. So I think with the wind factor, I feel even though I'm not striking the ball as well as would I like, I still feel pretty confident with the way things are turning out right now.

KARRIE WEBB: I think, obviously, I can't do anything to the way that Annika is playing. She has played great, especially in the last couple of months. You know, I've just got to keep doing my own thing, and, you know, just concentrate on my own game, which is what I've done for four and a half years, five years now. And you know, and just try and put myself in context to win golf tournaments, and then try and win the golf tournaments. You know, I can't do anything more than that. I think that's the most I can do, and if that -- you know, puts me No. 1 at the end of the year or whatever, then that's great. But I can only do my best, and if best isn't No. 1, well, you know, I'm still going to be happy with the way things have gone.

KARRIE WEBB: Not really. I think the fairways are really firm, and you know, you're getting so much roll on the ball, and in some ways that makes it play shorter. But in other ways, I think that it's hard to keep it on the fairway; so it's not necessarily an advantage. And with the winds -- yesterday was the prevailing wind, and there's a lot of holes that play relatively short because they are straight downwind, and then with the fairway going so firmly, but a lot of them you don't even take driver out. So, I guess that sort of evens them out, I guess.

KARRIE WEBB: I don't necessarily, inside the tournament, look at one person or a group of people that I feel I need to beat. I think that is when you beat yourself that there's only a couple of people in the field that you have to beat. But, you know, obviously, on Saturday and Sunday if Annika and I are both in contention, it doesn't matter what tournament it is, you know, I have enough respect for Annika's game to know that I'm going to have to play great golf to win the golf tournament. And I'm not going to -- I can't sit back and let her make mistakes. I have to play good golf to win the golf tournament, and that's all there is to it. Obviously, I have enough respect for Annika's game to know that's normally the case.

KARRIE WEBB: I think it's definitely very pleasant today. You know, I grew up in the heat that we played in last year. So I don't think anyone can ever get used to being out in that heat for seven or eight hours a day and trying to compete at 100%; and I certainly in 25 years, have not gotten used to it. You know, last year, people asked me that question, and I said that I don't go out and spend that much time in that sort of heat through the middle of the day. Normally, I'm practicing in the morning and afternoon or something like that. But obviously, the weather is beautiful here, and the temperature is great. So, you know, I don't think that any certain player has any more advantage. I think it's just who is going to play the best golf.

KARRIE WEBB: Which course is that again?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think -- I mean, obviously, two different golf courses. This golf course is wide open, as far as, you know, play about three or four holes within the trees, and even then, it's not having to judge the wind. You're always going to know where the wind is coming from on this golf course. And I think at Du Pont, that's one of the factors you could just never tell which way the wind was coming from. It was definitely set up pretty tough. The greens were very hard and fast and the rough was long. I don't know, I have never played well enough there to be able to judge if that course has played hard or easy, because I've never played it very well. But it did play extremely difficult, especially on the last day.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, you know, I think when people say that I'm the favorite for this tournament, obviously, it goes on my record this year and last, and then in the last couple majors. But like I said before, I don't necessarily ever pick someone out as the favorite to win a tournament. You know, this that goes for me, too. I know that I can win any golf tournament I've got my mind to, and I'm definitely 100% behind trying to win this one. But it's -- sometimes, you know, you can play your best golf and not win a golf tournament. So I just want to get myself into some sort of contention Friday night and Saturday night and then just take it from there.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, first question, I don't know why there is no tournament in Chicago. I think as far as sports fans go in the United States, I think Chicago has some of the biggest and most supportive sports fans from what I understand. I've never been to a sporting event in Chicago. Second question, you know, I find that every week playing in Pro-Ams and listening to people who are fans, they say that they really love watching us play, because they can relate to how we play a golf course. And you know, it's fun to go and watch Tiger Woods hit it over 300 yards on every hole. But the normal person cannot hit that far. And the average male golfer can relate to how he played the golf course, because they hit it about as far as we do, and they can see how we go about making a score from as far as we hit it, and I think that's the biggest thing that draws a lot more people to be fans of the LPGA every day.

KARRIE WEBB: I've sort of been working quite a bit on my swing lately, but not to prepare for this -- I mean, to prepare for this, but just to get it into the sort of shape that I would like it. And because I've been doing that, I really did want to work a little bit more on some lower, punch shots, but I found that I'm hitting them pretty good out there as it is right now. But those sort of things, only because I knew I had played this course before, and I knew it was going to be windy. But most U.S. Opens, most people have never played the course before they get here on Monday. So it's hard to know how to prepare for it, except to know that you're going to be hitting more long irons and you're going to have to hit your driver straight, and you've just got to be on your game, all aspects of it.

KARRIE WEBB: I think it just depends on the winds. You know, today I just played nine holes; so I've played the front nine twice. The two different winds that I've been in the last two days really did change the way I hit what I hit on some tees. So, it's really just going to depend on the wind, and then how I feel, because in some laces, you can be aggressive if you want to hit the driver and take the risk of trying to be on the fairway, but a little further down.

KARRIE WEBB: I don't know. It's too soon to tell. I'd say that I think if the wind stays up for four days and blows the way it did yesterday, I think 5- , 6-under would be a good score for four rounds.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I don't think I've ever worked out that percentage. But I hit my 5-iron 170 yards; 8-iron, 140, and pitching wedge, 120.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I just made my schedule work out that I was going to go back to the Olympics. I'm really excited about going back and I'm carrying the torch the day before the opening ceremony in Sydney. And I'm real excited about that, just to be there and be at the opening ceremony. You know, there's not too many times that -- well, maybe one more time in my lifetime that the Olympics will be in Australia. So, you know, I'm just really thrilled that I could go down there and be there.

KARRIE WEBB: 500 meters.

KARRIE WEBB: I think I would be a little bit disappointed in myself if I couldn't make it 500 meters.

KARRIE WEBB: You know, I think you just have to think your way around, just like you have to with any U.S. Open golf course, and I think that's, you know, a good warm-up to coming here. The rough was pretty thick. It definitely was around the greens last week, and the greens were fast and firm. Actually, the greens were a little faster than they are right now, here. But I'm sure that the greens are going to get a little quicker, as I said. But I think that it was definitely is a good preparation, just to get into the mindset of a U.S. Open, a week early.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think so. I think my patience was pretty good last week. You know, I didn't get too much going, but you know, I still shot three par rounds, so under the circumstances, I was pretty happy.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think I define patience as not -- well, I think I just get very -- I go so long and keep everything in, and then just one bad break or one bad swing, and I just -- I just lose it. And that's what I have to work on is that, you know, just try and make the best of it. You know, especially in a major, in majors. I have, obviously, a lot to deal with at du Maurier last year, and at The Nabisco Championship this year. But, you know, I found that I lost my patience at McDonald's LPGA Championship. It just depends on the week and how you are playing. It's just something that I feel I have to -- every year, and every year that I mature, I feel that that gets a little bit better, and I'm a little less hard on myself, and I know that I've got plenty of holes left and I have the ability to make birdies from anywhere. You know, sometimes, just even in the worse situations, you've still got to believe that you can still do that.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. And I think you have to realize that birdies are not going to come as often as they are on other golf courses, and I think I have definitely realized that. But not to make a bogey and then get on the next tee and say, all right, I've got to get straight back, because at a U.S. Open, sometimes you can't get it straight back, but you might get it back the next hole, two holes later, six holes later. But you know, you want to get up on the next tee and try and make a birdie and you end up making another bogey, then you lose your patience because you made two bogies in a row when you should have only made one.

KARRIE WEBB: I guess it is a little bit. But, you know, I just -- I know myself that you just can't continue -- there is one person that proves that theory wrong right now, but you just can't continue to win week-in and week-out. You know, it's tiring. It takes a lot out of you to do that. You know, I just want to try and stay as consistent as I can, give myself as many opportunities to win. But you know you're not going to win every time you have a chance, and you're not going to win every week, and you're not going to have a chance to win every week. You know, the harder -- I just feel like if I work hard on my game, and I'm happy with where I'm at, then that's all that matters. I mean, the pressure that and the talk about me winning every week, I think deep down, most people realize that that's just not possible, even though they take about it.

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