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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 7, 2004

Kimberly Williams

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

PAUL ROVNAK: Thanks for coming and joining us. Not much can be said, 63, that's 8-under today; that's better than anybody else for two rounds. So you are at 11-under with a four-shot lead.

KIM WILLIAMS: Sounds good.

PAUL ROVNAK: Sounds real good. Tell us about that special round. We'll take some questions after that.

KIM WILLIAMS: I hit it pretty well, just steady and the few times I didn't hit, I hit a couple shots that weren't very good. I made some long putts for par, made a couple like, probably about 20 feet on 17, made a couple other par putts. Just steady. I putted, obviously putted very well and I hit the ball very well.

Q. You said yesterday you made a little putting adjustment last week. Can you sort of go into that?

KIM WILLIAMS: I did. On the 18th green on Thursday I hit it really well last week and I putted horrible. On the 18th green on Thursday I was getting ready. I had about 20 feet for eagle and my caddie is like, "I think you need to move your hands forward." I am like, "You know, that feels really good." Knocked my putt down there. I didn't make it, lipped it out. Next day I putted quite well, but I didn't make the cut. I said to him today: "Thanks for telling me to move my hands forward, but you could have told me earlier, 17 holes earlier would have been really nice." I felt a lot better when I did that.

Q. Was that something new for you or had you gotten away --

KIM WILLIAMS: No, I get in a bad habit and my hands getting back a lot of the time. He just caddied for me this year, so, just enabled me to stop, really thinking about my mechanics, I did that. Then I was just, you know, I didn't -- it just felt good; then I stopped thinking about my stroke and just started thinking about my line and my speed.

Q. When you get something going like that, are you thinking I can shoot a really big number or keep it going?

KIM WILLIAMS: No, just hitting each shot as it comes along. I didn't even know what I shot, so....

Q. Until you added them up in the scorer's tent?

KIM WILLIAMS: I don't add it up. You just do your hole by hole. He told me what I shot.

Q. He, Paul?

KIM WILLIAMS: Somebody in the scoring tent what I shot, too. It's like playing basketball. You don't think about the total score. You are just scoring as much as you can, so same thing out here. You just hit each shot as it comes along, so.....

Q. You don't seem all that cranked up about this round.

KIM WILLIAMS: I am excited. I played well. I am just, you know, it's like well, can you tell me who was leading halfway through the Super Bowl? No. Can you tell me who was leading halfway through the Boston Marathon? No. You know who won. So in two more days I would be, to use your terminology, "Cranked up" if I was sitting here and I had a four-shot lead, I would be quite excited. I have led the U.S. Open after the first day a couple of times. All it gets you is making the cut, so...I am excited. I am glad I played well. I have been struggling this year. I am hitting it a lot better, but, you know, you can't get ahead of yourself, so.....

Q. Fair enough.

KIM WILLIAMS: I am just happy I made the cut.

Q. Talk about 15 where you got the eagle, how long was that putt?

KIM WILLIAMS: Oh, not very far. Like maybe two feet, It might not even been that far. About a foot and a half, two feet, maybe.

PAUL ROVNAK: Let's go over the rest of the score card.

KIM WILLIAMS: I am not the greatest at this.

PAUL ROVNAK: We'll work our way through it. Birdie on 1, what you hit in and how far the putt was.

KIM WILLIAMS: You know, I can't tell you how far the putt was. It was fairly close. I remember that. Probably about six feet, I think. I think I hit a pitching wedge in there. Yeah, I did.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 3, the par 5.

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah, I hit it -- I had like 206 to the pin and I hit it right into the bunker and hit a good bunker shot out and I made -- it was a tough bunker shot; made a pretty good putt. Probably about 15 feet, I guess.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 5, par 3.

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't remember that hole. Oh, yeah, hit it was funny, I hit a 6-iron pretty close, probably, I don't know, ten feet, maybe. And then I didn't hit it all that great and my tee shot, and I thought it was a little short and ended up flying to the hole.

PAUL ROVNAK: 7, the par 5 again.

KIM WILLIAMS: 7, knocked it on in two quite close and I missed my putt for eagle. Probably rolled over the hole, actually, my second shot. It was maybe like 20 feet, that -- probably not even that far. 15, 20 feet behind the hole. I rolled it up there, and just 2-putted.

PAUL ROVNAK: What did you use to get on in two?

KIM WILLIAMS: I believe I hit 7-wood there.

PAUL ROVNAK: You told us about the eagle on 15. What did you use to get on the green.

KIM WILLIAMS: I hit a 5-wood.

PAUL ROVNAK: To about two feet, you said?

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah, about two feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 16.

KIM WILLIAMS: I hit kind of a grip 9-iron, probably about ten feet, maybe.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 18.

KIM WILLIAMS: I hit a grip pitching wedge. I was pretty close, three feet, maybe. Maybe even a little closer. I had made a long putt for par on 17.

Q. That was like 20 feet?

KIM WILLIAMS: On 17, yeah, kind of a sliding -- it was 15, 20 feet, I guess.

Q. Can you go over a couple of the other good pars or par saves?

KIM WILLIAMS: Sure. No. 2 was big because it's the beginning of the round. I didn't hit a very good shot off the tee, pulled it a little bit. I hit in the bunker, face of the bunker, bounced left into the bunker. I hit a good bunker shot out and made -- I hit a really good bunker shot; then made a pretty lengthy putt there. It was probably, I don't know, again like 12, 15 feet. I was in a situation where I couldn't get it close out of the bunker and lucky to make that putt. Got me started off on a good note.

Q. You have had some really, really rotten luck, I guess, the only way to put it, in your life and your career.

KIM WILLIAMS: I am still here.

Q. How much do you think ---

KIM WILLIAMS: If I was really unlucky, I think I probably wouldn't be here. (Laughs). That's one way to look at it.

Q. Sure. Has that impeded your career, do you think, all those things?

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah, absolutely, before my car accident I was playing really well, the year before my car accident, and I have not played well since my car accident. I haven't putted well 'til really this tournament. I think I was like 132nd or 136th in putting last year and the year before, really putted very poorly since that car accident.

Q. The stray bullet that hit you?

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah, that's old news.

Q. But that's more recent news than the car accident?

KIM WILLIAMS: No, that was ten years ago.

Q. Does that kind of impact how high and low you go with excited over a 63 --

KIM WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. -- you're thinking: I can have a bullet in my neck, it is like --

KIM WILLIAMS: You are like really it's not that big a deal. I mean, yeah, it's great. I am excited I played well. Like I said, doesn't matter we're only halfway there.

Q. Is winning something that, I don't know, you think about all the time?

KIM WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, everyday when you go to the gym you lift weights and you practice, absolutely. Yeah, that's why you are here. If you are not thinking about winning you should go do something else. It's all about winning the U.S. Open. I mean, you know you want to win all the time, but I mean, look at Hilary Lunke, that's a life-changing experience.

Q. Other players have said that this tournament has the feel of a major to it.

KIM WILLIAMS: Absolutely, yes. Great tournament. Yeah. I played in a practice round with Annika last year and we were talking about how great the golf course was and how we really enjoyed it, and it was the atmosphere of a major championship and just everything, you know, the way they run the tournament is just perfect. You can tell they put a lot of pride into everything they do out here.

Q. Is the prize money just a bonus or is that part of the thing that makes it so special? Is it more the atmosphere or the fact that there is 2.2 million or whatever?

KIM WILLIAMS: I think the prize money, the purse definitely brings in a strong field which adds to the feeling, you know, of it being a top-notch event. But it's the atmosphere definitely. It's the golf course, No. 1. The way it's set up, the conditions that it's in, just everything, the facility, the venue is absolutely outstanding. The volunteers, just, you know, you can tell they had a men's event here for a long time. It's extremely well run. They are very thorough in everything they do. They treat us very well.

Q. When you guys are out on the course do you pay attention to the ambience, you know, like the river view, all that stuff?

KIM WILLIAMS: Absolutely, yeah. Oh, yeah. My caddie and I were talking about it today when we came down 16, yeah. The ghost fleet out there, so.....

End of FastScripts.

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