U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 1, 1996

Kris Tschetter

KRIS TSCHETTER: I was real disappointed with my round yesterday, to go out and shoot 74. And I actually felt like I hit my driver much better yesterday and didn't make the putts when I needed them; hit a couple errant iron shots. So I was really disappointed last night and real determined to come out and have a good round today.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Yes. My boyfriend is caddying for me, and he's a teaching pro up in Washington, D.C., so he was helping me, and we worked on things. It's actually nothing new, just the things I've been working on. And just trying to hang in and get a little better each day.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Okay. Let's see, my first birdie was on No. 5; I hit a good 4-iron about 8 feet below the hole and made that for birdie. And yesterday, after the 30-minute wait, I hit a really nice 3-iron up there and had about a 14-footer and 3-putted. So I was definitely out to get that hole today.

KRIS TSCHETTER: My next birdie was 11, and I hit a really good driving there --

KRIS TSCHETTER: You're right. I hit a good drive at 10, and I had 220 yards to the pin, and I just ripped a 3-wood over the green. I hit it too good. And used my putter from the fringe, putted it down about 5 feet and made that for birdie. And then on 11 I hit a good drive and hit a wedge up 5 feet and made that for birdie. And then 14. I think 14 is the hardest driving hole on the course.

KRIS TSCHETTER: You have to pick such a perfect line, because you can go through left or miss it right, with the dog-leg right. And they moved us up a little bit, so I was a little unsure about my line. But I hit a good drive, had a 9-iron into that green. That's one of the toughest holes out here, I think. I had a 9-iron, was in between clubs, opted to hit a hard 9, and my usual mistake in my swing, left it out to the right and short and in the bunker, and was kind of up against the lip. And I hit a decent bunker shot, had about a 10-footer and didn't make it. It was pretty disappointing to make a bogey with a 9-iron in my hand. And then actually 16 -- 16 I missed the green and got it up-and-down out of the bunker. And then 17 I missed the green and had about a 30-yard bunker shot and put it up about a foot and made par there, so those were two nice saves.

KRIS TSCHETTER: About four feet.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I talk to both of them periodically. I talked to Mrs. Hogan just last week, and he was sleeping, so I didn't want to wake him up. But he's struggled a little bit. He got bronchitis, and it's been hard to get over that. But she said that he was feeling a little bit better the last couple of days, so that's good.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Oh, he's always so supportive, and it's just so funny. He's so understanding of how difficult this game is. He's the first one to say, you know, it's a tough game, you've just got to keep grinding, keep practicing and it will come.

KRIS TSCHETTER: It's my practice area.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Well, first of all, I think that Mr. Hogan, he's not a teacher. People always wanted him to watch their swings and see if he could help them. And that is something, to me, that's a gift if you're a good teacher. And Mr. Hogan was always so afraid of hurting someone more than helping them. I think that's why he didn't want to help people. And maybe I came along at a time where I was going to be in Fort Worth. It wasn't like he was going to give me a tip and I was going to go overdo it and end up overdoing, maybe, something that he would say. And I think that I was fortunate enough to see him on an almost daily basis where he would -- and it wasn't like he was giving me a lesson every day. He would just come out, and we would hit balls. He'd hit and then I'd hit. I was very fortunate. I will say I read that book -- I can't think of -- Curt Sampson, is that the author of that book, Hogan? And I was really disappointed in it. I read things that I knew weren't true, and I read things that he -- it was his opinion a lot of times. And if you're a fan of Mr. Hogan's, that book is just -- it's really not a very good book, in my opinion. I guess because I know him. A lot of the things that were written in that book just -- I sat there and went, that's not him, at all.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I was disappointed to see a book about a friend of mine that so many things weren't true.

KRIS TSCHETTER: I don't think moving the tee up on 14 made it any easier. I think it actually made it a harder driving hole. No, I don't really think they're trying to make the course easier. Of course my memory is not very good, but I think that was about the only -- there were maybe a couple of tees that they moved up. But I don't think they've really tried to make the course easier. And the greens I think they're getting firmer as the week goes on. I don't think they've watered them.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Well, there's definitely some birdie holes out there. But then you -- there's some severe greens that you have to be real careful if you get on the wrong side you can three putt real, real quickly. Yeah, it's a U.S. Open, you know. It's always hard to get on a roll in a U.S. Open.

KRIS TSCHETTER: Against her it's tough, because she's such a great player, she's so steady. Chances are if she has a good round tomorrow, she will win the tournament. I don't think that anyone can catch her if she plays well tomorrow. And it's not like Annika to falter, but it is a U.S. Open and that adds a lot of pressure and I think anyone can falter playing on Sunday in the final round, final group. So we're going to need some help from Annika.