U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 1995

Kelly Robbins

KELLY ROBBINS: That is a good question. I guess I tried to stay as basic as possible and first of all, make the cut and be around for the weekend. Fortunately, I have been playing pretty well and hopefully coming into this week with a little momentum, I'd like to see that keep going, but, you know, obviously, all of us that are here for a reason and I wouldn't mind being around on Sunday, obviously, like hanging around and maybe having a chance to win.

KELLY ROBBINS: No, in fact yesterday was the first day I have been on the golf course and oh, that is okay with me. I have gone a lot of places for the first times and have performed fairly well, but, you know, you never know what is going to happen.

KELLY ROBBINS: I don't seem to be, fortunately. I am sure after a couple of long walks I might be breathing a little heavier if I am in a conversation or something like that. No nose bleeds or lungs collapsed yet or anything.

KELLY ROBBINS: Definitely open greens. The speed is quicker than today than they were yesterday. The undulations are obviously there. It is going to probably be the key to The Open which it is, so many years in the past, driving and putting, and, you know, you just -- you want to be on the right side of the holes. Even hitting the green isn't good enough out here on this golf course, so I am sure everybody has said it and is going to say it again, but I think it is going to probably play the outcome of what is going to happen.

KELLY ROBBINS: Yeah.

KELLY ROBBINS: I will use "challenging." It is obviously -- I mean, you have to have so much imagination out there. You really have to trust it and hopefully judge speed right and the mountain and wind and everything, so it is a fun challenge. It is just great to be out there. I was playing with Cathy Guadagnino today. She won The Open, what, almost 10 years ago, she is like, "I love it." She is like it brings back so many memories because she won at Baltusrol and it was neat to be here and what she had to say about it, but I will stick to "challenging." I am not going to get into that frightening stuff yet.

KELLY ROBBINS: At the moment, not too bad. I have had a couple -- I finished 4th last week, 6th the week before out on the LPGA, and, you know, any time you can come to a tournament with that kind of a momentum, you'd like to hope that that will carry-over because there is some confidence there. Again, I have been driving the ball fairly well, and my iron game is coming around. It has been a little weak. I am starting to roll the ball fairly good. If I can get a hold of these greens, and keep the ball in the right spots, I hopefully will be around.

KELLY ROBBINS: No, I don't need to, but I do.

KELLY ROBBINS: Yes. In fact, I think I only didn't hit driver on maybe three holes and, you know, you cut a couple of corners and fortunately, like I said, I have been driving the ball fairly well, which when I stand up on the tee, I feel like I can go ahead and pull that club. It is fortunate that I don't have to, if I didn't want to either.

KELLY ROBBINS: I am sure there is. If not, we will find one. But yeah, you know, it is obviously an advantage, but I think the hitters that you -- normally don't hit it as long, are still having -- hitting short to mid-irons in. I am finding it to be probably -- since I am driving the ball so well, one of the shorter courses I have played this year, and again, though, I mean, it is one thing to drive the ball well to hit that green, but you still got to -- you still got to putt the ball and that is what it is out here. It's a pretty good putting contest week in and week out, and, you know, any time somebody wins, they are going to tell you they putted well, but I am sure there is a debate as far as the distance. It will be fun. It will bring a lot of people into the same ballpark, I think, because I don't really think it is an advantage for a longer hitter.

KELLY ROBBINS: Personally.

KELLY ROBBINS: -- personally I think what has happened is us longer hitters are looking at the hitters that don't hit it as far and their short game is excellent and we are thinking, well, geez, we could have a short game like that too. I think over the last few years we have really worked on that finetuning, you know, the putting, and along with the distance. See, the shorter hitters, they can't do anything more with their game. They cannot find, you know, they have -- they don't have the distance or the power to hit the ball as far and so we could add the short game to our game, but they can't add the long ball. And then again, if we are playing well and putting well, that is to our advantage because we have more opportunities to hit shorter irons and if our shorter irons aren't really putting well, we are going to play well. I'd like to think that since we do hit it long - more power to us. I don't think we need to shorten any courses or anything like that. I think the courses have shortened over the years, but I think that is just, you know, part of the game. The girls out here are very athletic and stronger; that is just my opinion.

KELLY ROBBINS: Yes. A lot of sand wedges, wedges, 9-irons; couple of 8s, but that is about it.

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, what is the first one you run into?

KELLY ROBBINS: Thank you. I do not know my holes. I have had driver 8, 9-iron in there the last two days. I had a 6-iron into 17 yesterday and today I played it with not as much wind and had, I think it was a 4-iron, so, you know, I mean, they play short. They are short. I mean, everybody knows that and you know, it is fun. The crowds like it and maybe we can get a couple of eagles out there and get everybody going a little bit.

KELLY ROBBINS: Tell you the truth, it is not even close and I don't try to make it close. When Laura is hitting it very solid, she is probably 20 yards farther than me. If I get a good bounce maybe I am to-her-type-of-thing. She moves the ball. I mean, she does -- I remember we went through a span when she was hitting 2-irons just as far as I was hitting a driver. She is long.

KELLY ROBBINS: Definitely. Like I said before, it is driving and putting and again, the driving, I meant, not necessarily the length, but in the fairway. She has a great short game; get her irons going short when she is rolling the ball, there is not much stopping her, so I am sure that if she is putting the ball in the fairway and is fairly confident on greens, it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit that she'd do really well.

KELLY ROBBINS: That has been such a hard question to answer because we have had so many winners today on the Tour and that you know, all of a sudden, they just come out of the woodwork and there are so many good players. You would have to -- I mean, you have to include the Sheehans, the Greens, the Mochries the Daniels, the Mallons - I am going to forget everybody. I mean, anybody probably in the top 30 or 40 on the money list you could see them around, so that is really hard to say. This brings out some competitive people this week, really. Really shows the difference.

KELLY ROBBINS: That will be great. Thanks, guys.