U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 23, 1994

Helen Alfredsson

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Sorry for taking a long time, I had to let the steam off a little bit. But I hope you guys understand, it is not easy to take a day like this sometimes.

LES UNGER: We understand, we appreciate you are here.

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well --

LES UNGER: Thank you. Give the guys a chance to come back. We gave them a recess here. Most sports, we get to interview athletes when the game is over. In golf, you have to talk while the game is in progress. So sometimes it is good and sometimes not so good. We appreciate you coming by. Why don't you just carry us through whatever you would like to tell us.

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, it is just one of those tough days. I mean, I start -- first couple of holes I made some good saves. Came back on the fifth hole to make a birdie. I hold a long birdie putt there. On 6 I had probably about a ten, 11 footer for birdie. I had a good 8-iron into the hole there. On 7 I had a good 5-iron to about five feet. On 8 I don't know what happened. I hit, I felt, a pretty good driver. It was out in the right in the rough there, and then it went in the bunker. I tried to chip it up. I was told that I shouldn't be inside the ropes, they thought I was somebody just walking out -- hanging out in the rough. I figured, hey, I am playing. Well, so anyway, I ended up making a bogey on that hole. On 9 I had a very good second shot, actually, 6-iron in to about four feet. Missed that one and missed the return to make a bogey, which is kind of a slap in the face when you are counting on birdie, all of a sudden you have a bogey which is sometimes very hard to take, but just got to go on, and it was pretty tough day so... On 10, I mean nothing happened. On 11 it was same the thing. I had about a five footer downhill and I just barely, barely touched it, and it hit the lip and then just rolled down about another, what, four -- about twelve feet. You just don't want to be on top of that pin. I knew it, but I didn't know it was going to be that fast. On 14 I hit it right, again, up in the thick rough. Played it out. Played it up to about another twelve feet. I thought I had a good putt, it hit the lip and came out; just barely out. On 16, I had -- I thought, I was standing with a 7-iron. I am thinking well, because it has been very fast, yesterday; I hit a 9-iron in and it just went to the back of the green, so I said to my caddie, let's hit an 8. I hit it pretty good downhill. I didn't get the height of it. So it carried way short of the green and stayed right there and I chipped it. I missed the putt coming back 17, I hit a little draw. The wind was going right to left. It hit the side of the green, kicked way down the left side. Chipped it up, hit a branch that I never thought it was in play even; hit the branch; dipped down and then I had a small chip and the pin is more or less sitting like this (indicating slant) to the green. So it went all the way down to the bottom. I 2-putted from there.

Q. What did you hit off the tee?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: A 3-iron off the tee. On 18, I had a fairly good -- 3-wood; went a little bit right. I had a downhill lie. I hit an 8-iron. I thought I hit it very good. I didn't see it. I guess it just strolled way over everything on the back. And then you probably saw the putt that I missed coming back there about four, five footer. Just been the kind of a day, you know, when you make a mistake it costs you right away. It is hard-- it is very hard to explain. I guess I have to go to the range to figure out what I was doing. I couldn't really pinpoint something because, I mean, most of the day was good golf shots. I either had a wrong club, or I missed a putt. But, you know, it is not much I can say really.

LES UNGER: Were you getting frustrated?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, not really. I mean, it is -- it was -- it is much tougher out there today, you know. The tees were a little further back, and so on. I mean, I just -- I felt that I stayed patient all day. I always get a little upset. I always show a little anger, nothing more than normal that I felt that I should, and it just kept slipping away. It is very hard when you feel like you are paying attention and you are putting your best effort on every shot and you still lose shots. That was just that kind of a day today, and you know, it is just hard to -- I don't have any excuses, and it is just the way it is.

Q. The obvious downside is the scoreboard. Optimistically, probably won't shoot a round like this ever. Only two shots out. Can you look at that as a focus for tomorrow?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: I am sure today is over like the other days have been over. It hurts right now to have been 13 under and losing eight shots coming in. You know, but obviously, you know, I realize I am not that far off even though, for me, it feels like I totally lost everything but, I guess it takes a little while before I calm down and get my senses together, and look at it from the bright side which is the way you always have to do.

Q. Helen, you have had laser-like putting all week and really through the first 8 holes today and then 9, you know, the 3-putt. You are such an emotional player. Did that play any games in your head? Did you feel like you just were off balance putting the rest?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: No, I didn't. I mean, I hit that fairly good. I mean -- well, I knew what I was doing on that putt. I think the one that really took me by surprise was the coming back because I haven't really been missing any of those, but then, you think, you know, I was in pretty good position right there, so you know, I didn't think about it. But then when you keep having-- I mean, I had a few today that was very close coming in. That you know, probably I would have gone in like yesterday or the day before. So it is just sometimes you got to keep grinding, keep doing what you are doing, and keep taking the lines, keep trying to strike the ball well, and do all that, you know. We all know that some days the putt goes in and sometimes it doesn't. Obviously, today on the back 9, it wasn't my day on putting.

Q. You said you needed some time before you came in here to cool down a little bit. Do you feel like you have put all the frustration today behind you, or--

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, it is there. I mean, it is hard to take it. I mean, you feel like you have been striking the ball well; you wonder why, it is always -- like I said before, I was in here. This is a game where you never try to understand. You just are going to try to play it, and try to play as good as you can and today was just one of those days where, you know, you tried to play it and it just didn't go the way you would like it to go. I still feel a little bit emotional. Obviously, it is hard to digest something like this in 15 minutes. You know, if I can get to the driving range and maybe hit some putts and kind of cool down that way, feeling like I know what I am still doing, you know, to try to find the good stroke, on the putting green also; maybe I will feel a little better.

Q. So we understand you didn't lose your composure?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: No, I didn't feel like I lost my composure today on the golf course. Every shot, I took my time. We paced it up. It wasn't like I said, okay, I don't care. I don't play golf like that. I always try to give it is 100 percent, and I think that is why sometimes it is hard when you give 100%, you end up with a day like this.

Q. After the disappointment last year in the fourth round at Crooked Stick and today, now having two U.S. Open disappointing rounds, does that kind of give you an idea of experience now; how better to deal with the fourth round tomorrow since you have had two prior times?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: You never know what about this game and with the day. I can't think about last year. I can't think about today tomorrow. I just got to go out and do it. If this is what is going to cause me to get experience, but then sometimes, I mean, I won quite a few tournaments around the world; I figure I should have enough experience and I won a major over here, and I won a playoff in Europe with the British Open, so, you know, I guess the emotions is different in each tournament, and I mean, I never forget, Gary player was playing. He has been on the Tour for 50 years and still get the butterflies coming down the last few holes. I figured, you know, I got a few more years until I have been on Tour for 50 years, so I guess I have to deal with them for awhile longer.

Q. In an odd way, being two strokes back takes the pressure off? If you had gone into tomorrow two strokes up, the pressure being ahead, I mean, is there some good that comes out of this, by actually sort of having the pressure off you?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Maybe. Maybe not. I mean, maybe-- right now, it is very hard to see that way. I mean, always nice to have -- particularly losing as many shots as I did coming in today, right now it is hard to see any light actually. But you know, hopefully if I can you know, do my own thing in the evening, and maybe go to the movie or something to kind of just try to forget about what happened today and find some new strength for tomorrow.

Q. Helen, did you say your tee shot on 17 was left of those bunkers down the hill?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, it hit up on the green, but it hit in the little downslopes; had bounced way left of the bunkers, yes.

Q. Then your next shot hit a branch?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Yeah, up in the trees and I never-- I mean, I didn't even-- usually when you stand in the shot and you look at it, you have a feeling if it's going -- the wedge could reach up there. I didn't think there was no way that my wedge was going to get up there. It did. It kind of put it all the way down and I knew the only thing I knew I was not going to be short because I knew the next shot you would have no shot on that shot, but...

Q. How far did your ball roll, Helen, after you chipped on?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: It chipped on, I mean, it rolled probably about 30, 40 feet, 50 feet, something like that down the hill.

Q. How closely did you watch the scoreboard to see how close people were getting to you?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: I wasn't really watching. I mean, I knew when I was, you know -- I watched the first maybe eight holes, you know, just to see if you know, whatever happened and then I just kind of just concentrated on my own game and did my own thing, you know, what I had to do, you know, the scoreboard is hard not to because it is like that (indicating in front of your face) but it wasn't like I am paying any special attention to it. I had enough.

Q. So the 17th or 18th did you look at all?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: No, not really. The only thing -- I mean, I saw my name and then I think, I saw maybe Patty was 6 at that point. I mean, I had no idea what the other one was doing.

Q. Helen, will you play your usual game tomorrow or will you try some daring stuff to make up ground?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, I mean, it is not a course where or a tournament where, you know, people are going to run away with it too much. I mean, first of all, I am just going to try to get my game in shape and just you know, play down the fairways and try to play up on the greens and hopefully from there, you know, make some birdies, but you never -- I am not going to try to do -- this is not a course where you take stupid risks anyway.

Q. You said you had 15 minutes to let off some steam. How do you let off steam in only 15 minutes?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Just scream at everybody that is around you. Mainly my fiancee that was right there.

LES UNGER: In Swedish, right?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: And the poor LPGA -- what is her name -- Beth. She takes the steam from most of us.

Q. In retrospect looking back now, were you at all playing safe at any point today?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: No.

Q. Looking at the leader board, were you at all thinking --

HELEN ALFREDSSON: No, it was -- it is only Saturday. I mean, you cannot played safe on a day like today. You just got to go full out. I mean, you don't win a tournament today. You know, the last 9 tomorrow that is when you start getting there if you are in contention.

Q. Normally one hole doesn't influence a round but on the front side today you made two great par saving putts; then you rolled three birdie putts in a row, you come to 9; you got a very makeable birdie putt. Do you feel at all that if that putt had gone in, things would have been completely different on the back 9?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: You know it is hard to say because that wasn't what happened. But you know, when I missed that, I always think that, you know, the game takes a few and it gives you a few. I mean, the putt that I did in-- my first birdie putt that I made, that was pretty much it. That was a very strong bonus because that was a tough putt up the hill and the curve; you think, well, you are going to miss one of those and I hadn't really missed any of those all week, so you know, it is always-- you are always going to miss one or two, or whatever, you know, and I didn't try to pay too much attention to it. I mean, I had a good shot on 10 and a good chance there, you know, just went on from there. I didn't think about it.

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