U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 1995

Jean Bartholomew

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Yeah.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Resident. My parents still live in Garden City. I was born in the City, actually.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Well, when I turned pro, let us see, I played a little bit, mini Tour in the States and then I spent a lot of time in Europe playing the Tour over there for about, I guess, four years, but that Tour was sort of losing sponsors every year, so you'd have two tournaments, two weeks off, two tournaments, so it sort of -- so did that for about three or four years and then tried for my card, a couple of times and missed. Once in the finals and didn't get to the finals the other time. Then, I have been in Japan the last - over two-and-a-half years. I have been there; took me a year-and-a-half -- it takes -- an average it takes about a year to get your card there because they have a long drawn out qualifying process. In between the qualifying, I worked -- I wouldn't say worked, but I represented this course over there, I gave playing lessons and basically, I went back to Europe in between the qualifying for Japan so I was all over the place. But now, I have my card there, so I am pretty much playing there. Not full-time. It is such a -- really complicated system. You get your card, you have it for life, but that doesn't mean you could play the tournaments. Then you have to go through more qualifyings to qualify for spots in the tournament, so it is sort of more a test of your patience than your golf ability, I think. It is a good Tour, though, very good Tour sponsorwise, moneywise, the tournaments are run very well.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: In college or as an amateur?

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: I really didn't do much my first three years as a pro. Struggled; missing a lot of cuts in Europe, and had a couple of, you know, 12th and 20th, and top 20 finishes, but never anything that I was near the leaders and last year I had a couple of -- had a 10th and 12th, played very well. Had 8 under par run round in Europe, so that sort of gave me some confidence and this year in Japan I have had a 12 so far, and no Major big finishes really. I haven't played that many tournaments if you think about it. I played five or six in Europe and come home and work -- I have always sort of worked in between. Then I have been in Japan last few years during the qualifying. You don't really get to play until you get your card. Sort of sacrifice a few years to get my card there.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: I wanted to come back and visit my family any way. I decided to make a longer trip and do the one-day qualifying in Connecticut; I did that. I got in the playoff, actually, and so that that is how I qualified.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Yeah, there were 3 girls for one spot and it was with Caroline Keggi. She got in, which is great. One other girl, I am not -- I don't know very well. Not a Tour player.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: At Sandwich, which is a course that has greens just like here.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: No, actually, I didn't. I just -- the course we played on was very difficult. The greens were actually worse than here, just -- I don't know if you ever heard of Sandwich, they used to play an LPGA tournament there. It was just -- everybody was 3-putting all over the place. I just 2-putt for par and Caroline left her par putts short, something like that, but I didn't have to birdie. I know somebody had to eagle, which is great.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Par saves, I had a -- I didn't 3-putt once today. I am trying to think -- the one time I missed the green, I just had an easy chip and what hole was it? Number 3, just -- I hit the shot short and then had an easy uphill chipping putt. That was number 3.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: 3 -- sorry, the one bogey I had -- 3, a lot of the girls -- it was playing a lot longer today. I hit it way right and into the trees. I had to chip out and just take a bogey chip out to about 100 yards to the green, 2-putt for bogey. One of those -- you really want to try to go for it, but you have no shot from the right there. I saw a lot of girls, we had to wait on that tee for about a half an hour and the girls in front of us had the same -- two of them had also chip back because it was playing a lot longer. The two girls I played with had woods in today, so it was playing fairly long today. And the rest were all green on 2 putts and No. 8 the par 3, just a nice birdie putt.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: 8 is the one up the hill, right? I hit a 9-iron. It landed past the pin, so I had about a 6 foot downhill birdie putt.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: I didn't have anymore bogeys after that.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: 10 was just, 10 downhill to the left -- 10 was -- I got -- I hit a little right, but far enough that, you know, I just got a good kickback to the left. I sort of had to cut 9-iron around; hit that on and made about a 10-foot putt. I was in a good spot where I put a straight putt up the hill. I was to the right of the pin. If you are to the left, you can't stop it.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: 13 was really -- I had a lot of lucky kicks today. Hit my drive left today in the rough; not very good lie; had about 70 yards to the green. And just took a sand wedge and turned right over, but I got over the bunker; it kicked back to the right, right near the pin; had about a 15 or 12-foot putt, I'd say, for birdie. 17, again, I am in the rough. I tend to be in the rough a lot. I just -- I couldn't take a wood or anything. I just -- I had 220. I took a 4-iron just punched it out as far as I could to about 10 yards, 5 yards in front of the green chipped and putt. Good chip and made about a 5-foot birdie putt. 18, was that a ridiculous 2-putt? 18, I think I was just a little pumped up or adrenaline was flowing because I had 126 to the front of the green, so I have 135 to the flag. I hit a wedge; flew it to the back. I thought it might have come back, but it didn't. That was just lucky -- good 2-putt.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Everybody is asking me that. I just go out today -- I just went out and tried to take one shot at a time and enjoy myself. I just hadn't been enjoying golf too much. It was just putting so much pressure on myself to play well there; no way you are going to play well. I just enjoy playing in The Open and don't get down on myself and just take one shot at a time. I think that is the way you can shoot a good number. Like I knew on that bogey, I had to take a bogey on number 3, there was -- maybe a month ago I would have tried to take a 2-iron and hit it 40 yards; slice out of the trees or something over the water, that is -- I tend to think that way. But instead, just be patient and -- I think I can shoot low numbers. I hit it far enough. I hit it fairly long so that gives me an advantage because of the short irons in the par 4s where some of the girls having longer irons and some holes, woods. I think so that it is my advantage. Just believe in yourself. It is easy to say; hard to do.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: When I did work I worked like in Florida, I waitressed. I worked at golf courses, just work in a restaurant, do whatever to have practice privileges at the golf course, you know. I used to work pretty much always around golf courses. Couple of times waitressing. I work for this company in Japan, the company is the owner of a golf course, so I work -- I wouldn't call it work. I am at that golf course all time; if they want me to play with their customers, I have to do that; it is not very often, but I am sort of showing my face for them.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Yeah. Well, actually half of it is paid by the company and half of it is mine, but if you live outside of Tokyo, it is not that expensive. Everybody thinks it is so expensive. Coming from New York City, I mean, it is comparable. Vegetables are expensive. If you like vegetables and salads, you have to pay a lot of money.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Everybody is asking me about surprises. There are still a lot of players out there. It is just the first day. I mean, I am just happy with the way I played and I wouldn't say "surprised." That is not the word. I can't think of the word. I am happy that I played well and I look forward to trying again tomorrow. But -- I can't describe what I feel right now. I think I am just exhausted to tell you the truth.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: That, I understand. I guess nobody knows who I am - I understand that.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: I can't even describe it. I have been speaking Japanese so long -- I don't even know what to say.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: I call back. I let them know what is going on. As long as it is golf related, I am going to play a tournament -- I went back to play a tournament. They are very nice with me, this company. They are really -- I have vacation time which I use, of course, and then if I am going to go somewhere and play a tournament, they are "sure," but if they ask me to do anything, I always do it for them. It goes both ways, sort of like a flexible contract.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: They get -- I am representing them on the Japanese Tour, so their name is being, I guess, spread around Japan, because things are very tough for golf courses over there right now. It is hard --

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: 1989.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Not in the last month but let us say when you feel like I hadn't been hitting the ball very well for maybe last couple of months you just get to that frustration point where you just try anything. It is more -- it is in your head that you are not hitting it well. I think that comes from -- if I am in Japan, I am practicing on my own a lot. I tend to practice too much. If you are practicing on your own, you are going to tend to look for all the bad things that you are doing and not having somebody say, "hey, that is okay; you are just lined up a little crooked." I tend to get that way. I am starting to hit it better recently, so...

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Definitely. I didn't hit in the fairway today, but I mean, if you just keep your driver in the fairway -- I had like a 5-iron in the practice rounds; today I just -- you get so much run also in that fairway; you just sort of have to play it like a par 4. There is nothing in front of that green which I thought for a U.S. Open par 5 there would be more -- like they would have a rough there in front, something to stop all these balls from running onto the green. I think all the girls are looking at that and also No. 8? The other par 5.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: The dog leg, that is sort of more risky. You have to hit a perfect positioned drive on that one.

JEAN BARTHOLOMEW: Thanks.