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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 30, 2004

Hilary Lunke

SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, here is our annual interview with the defending champion, Hilary Lunke, the 2003 U.S. Open Women's Champion. Welcome back.

HILARY LUNKE: Thank you, glad to be back.

RHONDA GLENN: You were just saying to me that the types of courses that the U.S. Women's Open is playing on, this would apply to this week as well, particularly suit your game. Would you explain the difference between this type of golf course and the normal week to week courses that you play on Tour.

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, I was just saying on the LPGA Tour we tend to play courses that are pretty long and pretty wet and pretty wide open and doesn't really play to the strengths of my game, a couple of them do, but the Open I can always count on to have tighter fairways, usually the ball rolls out more, makes it more difficult to hold the greens, and the short game comes into play a lot. I always enjoy coming back to the Open and hopefully my game will be here this week, and we'll have another good week.

RHONDA GLENN: Certainly one of the greatest finishes in Women's Open history, Ernie Els went up to the President of the LPGA, and said that was the greatest golf he had seen. And that was so great for the game.

Q. Do you have the exact same 11 wood that you made famous last year or have you gone to a different model, is it the same?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, the exact same. I'm not going to take that one out of my bag not yet, probably until it breaks, and I'll be forced to go to the new model.

RHONDA GLENN: What make of club is that.

HILARY LUNKE: Callaway, it's -- it's the Steelhead III.

RHONDA GLENN: 2003 version.

HILARY LUNKE: I think I got it in 2001.

Q. What was your reaction or how do you feel about playing with Angela and Kelly for the first two rounds again?

HILARY LUNKE: I'm looking forward to it. I was mentally preparing myself, trying to visualize the whole experience, I was visualizing playing with Virada Nirapathpongporn, and Annika, because I thought it would be the traditional pairing of the British Open champion and the U.S. Amateur champion. Other than the fact that I've been mentally preparing for that, I'm really looking forward to it. Obviously it will bring back great memories for me. I don't know about the two of them. But hopefully it will get good vibes going. I have a lot of experience playing with Angela. I'm comfortable playing with her. And really enjoyed playing with Kelly also last year, so I think the three of us will have a great time.

Q. How is your game this year? When you look at your week-by-week starts the numbers aren't necessarily maybe what you want, so how do you come to peace with that in your mind and how do you feel about your game?

HILARY LUNKE: It's been sort of a frustrating year for me, because I really honestly feel like my game was better right now than it was last year, it's just that I haven't been able to score very well, and I don't feel like the numbers are really reflecting the progress that I've made in my game. I feel like I'm hitting the ball longer, more solid, more consistent. I struggled with my putting quite a bit in the first couple of weeks of the year, my ball-striking was great then, and my putting is slowly coming around, but I haven't been able to score well. If I miss the green, I'm in an automatic bogey position it seems. If I can just stay patient through it, try not to get frustrated, because I know we keep saying my game is definitely better, but the scores aren't reflecting it. I'm trying to get not frustrated with missed cuts. Even though I had a couple of good weeks coming into the Open last year, it sort of came out of nowhere. I'm trying to stay patient with it, and hoping that my week is just around the corner.

Q. Does that frustration, does it get added on to that effect that you are the defending U.S. Open champion, and that there are more eyes looking at you and the expectations are greater?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, I think that compounds it a little bit. It's hard not to put pressure on yourself. I'm trying hard not to. I know I'm the same person and the same player that I was before the U.S. Open, as I am after the U.S. Open. And even though I've made progress in my game, I can't expect that I'm going to go out and contend each and every week, where I'd never had a top-10 before, before winning. So I know that it's kind of a slow going, and it's a process, I have to commit myself and discipline myself to work on my game, and know that it will come eventually. Even if it doesn't come this week as the defending champion, I'm not going to go away with a sour face, I'm going to try to enjoy this week for what it is and regardless of the outcome.

Q. You went to college and kept playing golf. I wonder what your thoughts are on all these young women who are coming out here at 14, 15, 16, 17, and if you could ever imagine yourself having done the same thing at that age?

HILARY LUNKE: I don't think I could have imagined myself doing the same thing, because I started golf fairly late, and my game wasn't there. It wasn't something in the cards for me. I played in the local Minneapolis event a couple of times, and absolutely loved the experience of playing out on the LPGA, but it was my one appearance of the year.

As far as the young girls coming out here playing a full six sponsor exemptions, qualifying for the Open , it's hard not to take the advantage, if they have the opportunity to do so. It helps them improve their games, but I strongly encourage everyone who comes to me and asks me to advice, which a few of them have, just to make sure they have balance in their lives and they're not out here too much and they're still going out and hanging out with their friends at junior tournaments and making sure that they can pursue their goals and get an education, because you never know, all of a sudden you get in a car accident one day and can't play golf anymore, you're going to want your education to fall back on. I encourage them to make sure their life is balanced in other ways. But this helps them turn into the best players.

Q. How old were you when you first played in Minneapolis?

HILARY LUNKE: I think the first time I played I was 16.

Q. If you follow the LPGA Tour through the Internet, every week you go on and read stories, and every week a reporter would go to you and do a "Hilary Lunke after the Open" story. Did it wear on you, and did it wear you to make excuses. How is that whole mountain of stress through the whole year?

HILARY LUNKE: I got kind of sick of the same story being written every week, but it's like you said, it was the first time I'd gone to that venue since the Open, so the fans there hadn't heard that story yet, so they hadn't heard it yet. It was refreshing when I got a question that I hadn't heard before, I had to wait and think about how to answer it, because I had gotten so quick at whipping out the answers. A couple of reporters made me feel that I had to validate my win. But others pulled me aside and said, "Hey, you accomplished something that others dream of accomplishing, and so few do it, don't let anyone say that you have to go out and do anything else". It does take the pressure off a little bit and let me know that I can sit back and look at the situation, and be thankful with the fact that I won, and not worry about, what do I have to do now, what's next for me.

Q. She mentioned Ernie Els, and I saw you at Long's Drugs, I guess Gary Player wrote you a letter. What are some other highlights of people that congratulated you?

HILARY LUNKE: I think like you pointed out Gary Player writing me a letter, and hearing that story about Ernie Els, which still blows my mind. Those obviously had a big impact on me. But even more than that is week in and week out how many fans come up to me, how many people that I have never met in my entire life and are literally crying, telling me how emotional they were watching me win, and how it was the greatest thing they ever saw, and their whole family was glued to the TV, and they took a vacation day on Monday to watch the playoff, and to think that people were doing that, and supporting really the three of us out there and golf in general, how exciting it was for women's golf, that's what moved me, to think that that many people were watching and caring about it and affected by it.

Q. Despite the fact that you were saying you're hitting the ball better, striking the ball better, the distance is better, but the score just isn't there, is there anything in the back of your mind that makes you feel like you do have to validate that win with another win, is that part of the pressure that builds with you a little bit?

HILARY LUNKE: It's not necessarily a feel that I need to do it, but I feeling that I would want to do it. Bottom line, that was basically the greatest week of my entire life and it was the best feeling I've ever had. And of course I want to try to get back in a position to have that feeling again. So it motivates me to work on my game and even if I never win again, I definitely won't go away from my professional career upset. But at the same time I do want to get in a position where I can be in contention, I can hopefully have another win or two and if not, at least consistently be up there and kind of earning my keep, getting top-10s and having some good finishes, because I know my game is there. I won't be satisfied knowing I have made the improvements in my game if I don't see some results with it. But I am being patient, knowing that if it doesn't happen this year, it is a building process. My dad tells me all the time, it's a marathon, not a sprint. I'm trying to have the mentality that I'm in this for the long haul, and I can't put too many expectations on myself at this point.

Q. What is the Els' story?

HILARY LUNKE: Apparently right after the Women's Open, at the British Open I believe it was --

RHONDA GLENN: It was at the British Open Reed MacKenzie --

HILARY LUNKE: "That was the best Women's Open I've ever seen, I watched the whole thing, I taped it, I stayed home and watched the playoff again", just how exciting it was. And to think that he was spending even more than a minute glancing at it on TV, I thought was pretty cool.

RHONDA GLENN: He said it was also great for golf, he thought.

Q. Did he ever tell you that face-to-face?

HILARY LUNKE: I've never met him before, no.

Q. Now that you've played your practice rounds, can you talk about what you think of the course, and some of the harder holes like 16 and maybe a couple others?

HILARY LUNKE: 16 is definitely hard. I'm mentally trying to just kind of -- if it doesn't dry out at all and the wind doesn't switch directions, I'm going to play it as an easy par-5. I'd be thrilled if I made two 5s and two 4's there this week.

The course in general is a great golf course. It is a little bit wet right now. It dry out considerably since yesterday. Hopefully that means the ball will be rolling a little bit. It's playing longer than the yardage would suggest, I would say. The greens are -- in a couple of spots they're a little bit questionable. For the most part they're rolling good. I think because they're so slopey they're maybe not the speed that they have been in previous championships. But the course is very difficult. It basically is -- as always -- as the U.S. Open, it challenges every aspect of your game. It's important to drive it in the fairway, and place the ball in the right position so you have a chance to get it up-and-down, and putting is going to go key, as well.

In general I don't think it sets up quite as good for me as Pumpkin Ridge, but I do think that U.S. Open courses in general suit my game. So I'm looking forward to it. 16 is definitely an incredibly difficult hole, and 18 as well. Both of them are playing into the wind. And for some reason the drives don't seem to be bouncing at all in those holes, they seem to be wetter than the other ones. But basically unless I hit the best drive of my life, I have no chance of going for 16. I haven't even reached 18, either of the last two days, I've hit it just short with a driver and 4-wood.

Q. Do you think it's good for the Tour to have someone like Michelle Wie playing on it?

HILARY LUNKE: Without question. This tournament is better because Michelle Wie is here. I think that she has the game, and she could go out and win this week. She could win at the drop of a hat. There's no doubt about the fact that she sells an incredible amount of tickets and the fans love her. It attracts media attention, and I don't think that can be anything but positive for the Tour in the long run.

Q. With your struggles, what have you worked on the last few days?

HILARY LUNKE: Just continuing to work on some things in my swing that I've been trying to change, trying to tighten up my swing, hitting the ball more solid. Lately I've been working -- hitting balls on the range with the ball below my feet, which helps me stay in my posture a little bit better, I tend to stand up, which makes me miss hit and hit it shorter. I've been working on that this year and this week. I've gone over the right side of the range and hit with the ball below my feet. Working on small things, my set-up, making sure I feel comfortable over the ball. Beyond that you just -- you've got to just trust your game and go with it this week.

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. Hilary, thank you and good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

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