U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 5, 1999

Sherri Turner

SHERRI TURNER: That was '88.

SHERRI TURNER: I've been working really, really hard on my putting. There have been a lot of times in the last ten years where I thought about quitting golf, but I knew that I still wanted to play. I knew that the desire was still there. And a lot of things have happened in the last few years. My best friend, who was also my teacher, passed away from breast cancer in 1996, and she actually traveled with me for about three years on TOUR. And that took a lot out of me when that happened. She wanted me to play. I wanted her to be where she needed to be, getting the best possible care that she could, but that took a lot out of me. And just, I would say within the last year, I've really gotten back concentrating on my golf and trying to get back to where I was. And it's been a long struggle. I will tell you it has not been easy. There's been a lot of times where I thought: Man, do I really want to keep doing this? This is my 16th year on TOUR. It's been difficult also, because I did have some success, and I kept thinking: Man, is that all there's going to be? And I kept thinking, you know: I know I can play. The players are getting so much better out here. The depth is incredible. And I just kept playing, you know, trying to figure out what I want to do. And I think this year, I finally decided: Let's just go out this year and have a good time, and whatever happens this year, happens. I've been playing well recently, and I'm not really that surprised that my game has been coming together.

SHERRI TURNER: On Monday when I stepped on this golf course, I fell in love with it because it is truly a magnificent golf course. I know the USGA probably doesn't like the scores being as low as they are. It's not a typical USGA course, but it is a truly wonderful test of golf, and I think all the girls are enjoying it. One of the reasons I like the course so much is because every whole hole is so different. You have to hit a lot of different variety of shots. Every hole looks different when you step on the tee. The par 3s are all different. The par 5s, two or three are reachable, which is always fun for us. I just think it's a great place. We're all having a good time. My housemate this week is Becky Iverson, who also is playing well. We have been kidding around about trying to shoot the lowest score. It's been a great week. I love being here. It is truly, in my opinion, one of the best golf courses I've ever played.

SHERRI TURNER: I don't know if Juli is catchable. What is she? 15, 16? Well, if it is possible that Juli might shoot an even par round tomorrow. But the way she is playing, I don't really expect that to happen. Juli is going to be hard to catch. Juli has been playing well all year, actually, the last few years. And I'm very happy that she's playing well again. It's not that she has not played well, but she's just excelled the last three years. I think there's maybe one or two more 64s out there, and I hope that maybe I have one with my name out there.

SHERRI TURNER: I'm going to keep playing like I'm playing, because I've been taking risks all week. I've been going for most of the par 5s when I felt like I had an opportunity to get there, and I feel like, that my game plan is where it should be, and I'm going to continue where -- doing the same thing.

SHERRI TURNER: I hit probably my career 4-iron on 15, the par 5. I probably had maybe 14 feet max for eagle. I hit a really good putt. I thought I made it. I think I had just come off of three birdies in a row. I felt really good. I was rolling the ball well. And then I got to 16 tee, and I don't know what really happened. I just made a bad swing. It was really the first bad swing I felt like I made all day. I got a little quick with it. I may have been thinking ahead a little bit, which is what I've been working on all week -- staying right here, in this shot, right where I am. I had an opportunity, even so, to make par there; but my chip -- I was a little unlucky on my chip. It kind of hit a ball mark, an old ball mark, and kind of bounced up. So I made a bogey. I went to 17. I made a great shot there and had a great opportunity for birdie there. I had probably maybe 15, 16 feet. 18, I hit exactly where I wanted to off the tee. And I got out there, and I had a little bit of a funny lie. My stance was a little funny. My left foot was a little bit above my right foot, so I knew that I was probably going to have a tendency to maybe turn the ball over a little bit. And I just turned it a hair more than I expected to, and that's basically all that happened there. It really was not a bad swing. The bunker shot was a little difficult. I had not been in the bunker all day. I'm a little disappointed with my finish, because I played so solidly all day. And the previous two rounds I finished strong, which is the reason I shot 69 the first two days. I played solid, solid, solid, and birdied the last three holes. Yesterday, I think I birdied, 15 -- 14, 15, 16. And so, you know, it's not like I'm afraid of those holes, because I've had some luck on them and I've hit some good shots on them. So I've maybe gotten a little anxious. I think that's probably what happened on 16 for sure. I've been hitting my driver really well all day, and I just kind of turned it over and hit it left and didn't really have any shot, because the ball was sitting down in the rough. But, yes, I'm a little disappointed with my finish, but I'm going to remember how solid I played all day; because it was there, and I could have easily been two or three more under today.

SHERRI TURNER: Probably. So it's been -- it's been a long time since I've been in contention to win the tournament. Last week in Corning I was playing really well, and I think I was three shots out going into the last round. And I knew I had an opportunity there. I played solid. Nothing happened. My patience finally ran out on me. Another thing this week is that I had a TOUR friend LPGA player who is also caddying for me. She and I had a little deal that if one of us qualified for the Open and the other didn't, we would caddie. I'm really glad I'm not caddying this week, I'll tell you. I don't think I can make it out there. She's been really, really great. Keeping me patient. Keeping me right there, in the moment, with the shot that I'm hitting and it's been really good. And fun. Lots of fun.

SHERRI TURNER: Extremely so. I remember in '88 I had been playing really well for a long time, and I kept thinking I was going to break through one week and win the tournament. And it was very frustrating for me because I knew I was really, really close and I needed to get over the hump. And what happened the last day of the LPGA Championship, which happened to be my first win, was I went out and shot a 67 the last day, and ended up beating Amy Alcott. That was extremely rewarding, because I had been right there for so many weeks right there, right there, Top-10, Top-10, Top-5, Top-5. This is probably an even more incredible feeling, because I know that I can play. I know that the hard work is paying off. And like I said, there have been a lot of times in the past few years when I wasn't sure that was going to happen again, and it's very rewarding to know that I can still compete with these players out there. And that makes me feel really proud of myself for my hard work.

SHERRI TURNER: Exactly.

SHERRI TURNER: One of the big things that I try not to do is I try not to make the major events a bigger deal than any other week and I think that helps me a lot. It has really helped a lot this week, because as soon as you think about being at the Women's Open, you automatically, in my opinion, you automatically tack two-strokes onto your score, easily. But I have always tried really, really hard to make it a point of playing each tournament as a tournament in itself; not making a bigger deal out of one week as opposed to another. But I have been able to do that this week, and in a way I'm amazed that I have been able to. But in a way, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I like this golf course so much, and I have been able to just go one hole, one hole; all right, let's get this shot and we'll worry about the next hole when we get there. And I know that's the key to any event, and especially a major event, and definitely a key -- a key this week for any player that's playing well is to stay right there, right at that moment, the shot that you're hitting right then, because there's some holes out here that can get you into trouble if you start thinking ahead and you start worrying about: I wonder where they have that pin on this hole and this, that and the other. And another thing I've tried really hard to do, and I've done really well at it, is not look at the leaderboard. Actually, somebody asked me last week in Corning, I was tied for the lead after the first day and some guy came up to me right on the first tee on my second day and said: The gal who had played really well had come close to shooting the course record, and how is that going to change your game plan now that she shot this. She played a great round of golf, and I have no control over what she does and I can take care of myself. And that's basically what I've been trying to do this week, as I do every other week, and stay right where I am and stay focused and try not to look -- every now and then you've got to take a peak and see what's happening, you know, but I'm not real big on following the leaderboard.

SHERRI TURNER: I think one of the biggest things that amateurs do is they start thinking about the holes ahead, or no, I don't like that hole up there. Sometimes they tee up on the 1st hole and look over at 18 and say: I don't like that hole over there. They get worked up before they get anywhere near that hole. I think amateur golfers, and I know Rhonda will agree with me on this, they talk themselves more about bad things and good things. I really believe that. And we as professionals are the same way. I'm not saying we can't do that, because we can, and that's why it's so important to stay right there in the moment where you are.