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U.S. SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN

May 17, 2019

Jane Crafter

Southern Pines, North Carolina

Q. You hit a ton of good iron shots when I was out there seeing you play, and it just seemed like it took a ton of patience to deal with --
JANE CRAFTER: Yes, it did.

Q. -- trying to score around that.
JANE CRAFTER: You know, it really did because I think this golf course -- it's not really that difficult off the tee. You know, the fairways are pretty generous. If you miss the fairway, you're in the tussocks and stuff, and I hit every fairway, so I set myself up really well. I haven't added up how many greens I hit, but yesterday I felt like I hit some of the best iron shots or played the best iron shots that I've played in a long time, and I think that kind of carried through. You know, I feel like I'm a good putter, but these greens are incredibly demanding. They're nothing like I remember when I lived here from 1981 to 1993 and this was my home course. I represented Pine Needles on the Tour. The Bells took me in and gave this poor little wayward waif from Australia at the beginning of her career a place to play. So this feels like home. I feel like I know the course, but I don't know these greens. They're nothing like they used to be. They were bent, they were less severe, they held. So this is like re-learning something that you kind of know.

But yeah, took a ton of patience, and I felt like I made some really good two-putts. I had some opportunities that I didn't make, and it -- you know it's an Open, and you're just trying to make as low a score as you can on every hole, you know, and sometimes you're going to come away happy, and sometimes you're going to come away from each hole not so happy because you think you could have shot a lower score on each hole. I tried not to look at the board too much. I just tried to play my own game and stay in my own little bubble, and it worked out pretty well.

Q. The players with the most competitive experience pretty much all moved up the leaderboard today. Do you think that was learning something about the golf course yesterday for today?
JANE CRAFTER: Yes, absolutely, and I think there were a few hole locations that were a little bit easier. They did water the greens in between the waves. Some of the greens were holding a little bit better. But as the day wore on, they started to dry out pretty good in the sun.

Yes, you know, you can never underestimate the value of competitive experience, you know, and day-to-day playing. The last tournament I played in was the Senior LPGA in October. That's seven months ago. I mean, I'm delighted. I prepared as best I could. You know, I've had some physical issues with the knee, stem cell injection at the end of November and trying to get back into physical shape, and the fact that I've made it around two rounds of golf walking and I'm not passing out, I'm pretty happy. So to have the game hold up, as well, and it's not easy coming down the stretch in an Open when you're -- you haven't done it much.

So I'm really pleased and happy to be in this position.

Q. How often have you been back here since --
JANE CRAFTER: Not much. Not much, which is a shame. I should have come back more. I was hoping to come back last September. I had a pro-am to do in Wilmington, North Carolina, but it got canceled because of the hurricane, and I was going to come back here for two or three days and play, but that didn't work out. Not enough. Clearly -- I mean, I love being back here. I love being at Pinehurst. You know, it's just like a happy place for me, so I'm happy to be back.

Q. How did you kind of wind up getting taken in by the Bells?
JANE CRAFTER: Well, actually I played golf with Sally Austin in a mini-tour event in the early part of 1981. I missed qualifying in Sarasota, and I played on what was called the WPGT, the Women's Professional Golf Tour for six months, and I played my first two rounds of golf at LaGrange, Georgia, with Sally, and her mom and dad were there. They were just from Raiford, and Sally was born within a week of Bonnie Bell, so she knew all the Bells and played golf here, and it was really by pure luck that I ended up here, and I'm like very grateful, because can you think of a better place to play and practice in the formative years of a professional career than here? I don't think so. So I'm forever grateful to Bullet and Peggy. They're amazing people.

Q. What kind of influence did Ms. Bell have on you?
JANE CRAFTER: You know, I think just being around here. She wasn't necessarily my coach. I took more lessons from Wiffy Smith when Wiffy lived here, and both Sally and I worked a lot with Wiffy. We'd go down the back of the range and she'd make us hit little pitch shots that bounced uphill instead of down -- all those things, hitting shots through trees and just trying to be creative. So yes, Peggy certainly had an influence, but she wasn't necessarily my coach, my teacher. But any time you're around her and the Golfaris you're always absorbing something, even if it's just the stories that she told. My God, I miss her. I miss her. I dearly wish she was here this week.

Q. On the weekend do you think par is going to be -- Laura separated with a 66 last year on Saturday. It doesn't seem like that kind of round is here.
JANE CRAFTER: You know, it's doubtful because it's so hard to get it close to the flag, and you have to putt so defensively. It depends -- even today, the hole locations, they didn't make them that easy. They still had them around the edges quite a bit, and you have to be very -- even on No. 9, I had a pitching wedge in. Laura probably chipped. But if I went at that flag, it was sort of lumpy and it could bounce off to the left, and I'm like 20 feet over to the right, and I hate going over there to the right with a pitching wedge. I mean, how many pitching wedges do I get to a par-4? Not very many these days. But you've got to play smart.

I think even par is a good score. There might be a few lower scores, but the heat I think is going to -- we're not as young as we once were.

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