U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 2, 2004

Kelly Robbins

Q. Runner up last year, you're only four shots out of the lead now, do you feel like you're in a pretty good position?

KELLY ROBBINS: Yeah, there's still a lot of golf to be played, but to come into a course that it's played pretty difficult, completely different between yesterday and today. To keep myself in the ball game today was great. I was very fortunate early to get off to a really fast start and I gave a few back in the middle of my round, but that was all right. I didn't panic or anything. And I hung in there good.

Q. You went 5 under par through the first six holes. Including an eagle on 15. What was that thought?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I didn't hook my drive, I hit it straight left and it got blocked out by the trees a little bit. I had 115 to the front I think and I just gripped an 8 iron and tried to hit it about 110 yards, 105 yards, and hit it a good 10 too many, right into the bank and, God willing, it rained last night. And I was able to, it just popped straight up and I don't know how fast it was going once it got there, but it was moving pretty good. Well, then it was an even better shot.

Q. And then you bogeyed 16, 17 and 18. How did that happen after such a run of birdies and an eagle?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, 16 and 18 are two of the best holes I think that I've played that I can remember. Especially with the wind direction it was today. So I missed the fairway on 16 and had to lay up and actually gave myself a really good chance at par. I hit a really good putt. The pin was very severe there. I missed my green on 17. Made a really good bunker shot and I think I missed a three or four footer therefore the.

And 18 the same thing. Driver, fairway, hit a really good 3 iron, just short of the green, had a really good look at it, left it probably 5 feet short and missed that putt there for par.

Q. Did you see the amateur, Brittany Lincicome, she eagled from kind of a similar place from where you did. Did you see that?

KELLY ROBBINS: No, I didn't see that.

Q. Did you feel like that that was exactly how you wanted to play it or was it going a little fast?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, actually the shape of the shot was, I wasn't trying to carry it to the front of the green, the only way that ball was going to stop is that I actually hit it into the slope there. That was just fortunate enough to do that. And again it rained quite a bit in the last 24 hours, so that obviously helped that situation out.

Q. What did you hit there at that hole?

KELLY ROBBINS: An 8 iron. Just a punch 8 iron.

Q. What about on No. 9, shot in that almost went in again.

KELLY ROBBINS: What did I hit? A sand wedge. About 90 yards.

Q. How long was that putt?

KELLY ROBBINS: Six inches. A nice little tap in.

Q. What was your yardage there at 15?

KELLY ROBBINS: On 15? I had 115 to the front and I don't know what that total would be like maybe 26, I don't know. I don't know how far it was. Once it went in, I didn't care.

Q. You hit 14 greens today, that's good ball striking in a Women's Open.

KELLY ROBBINS: Yes, thanks. I have been, the last month or so, been really hitting the ball well. I haven't been able to score to save my life. And if it's going to be this week, great. I know I'm close. I've been just taking my baby steps right now and trying to hit the greens. And in an Open, I'm driving the ball extremely well also, which helps my iron play to relax a little bit and I can concentrate on my short game and putting and hopefully that will come around too.

Q. You only missed three fairways. You're driving it well.

KELLY ROBBINS: Yeah.

Q. Juli Inkster was saying there's some newer names or not as familiar names at the top, maybe does that help you veterans that are in striking distance? Sort of maybe your experience could help over the weekend?

KELLY ROBBINS: We like to think so. It's so unpredictable these days out here. It seems like every day you get new young players that show up and have a lot of game. So I think we're just trying to keep our, keep pace with everybody the way things are going these days. But it's great to see the new names. It's exciting, it's a great week for these people, anybody to do well, but what a thrill to do well at a U.S. Open like the gal that played so good yesterday. I'm just so happy for her. And that's probably something really special. I'm sure she won't forget that any time soon.

Q. As well as you played on the weekend last year, you're playing a completely different course, but can you kind of draw back on the memories of how you did.

KELLY ROBBINS: I think we all enjoy coming to the Open. It's such a prestigious event. Maybe the most prestigious that we play all year and we like to do well and to put yourself in position to have a good weekend is half the battle. And so far so good and hopefully this weekend things will continue to go well for me.

End of FastScripts.