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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 13, 2004

Sarah Huarte

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

KIMBERLY BROWN: This is Sarah Huarte. Sarah, can you tell us a little bit about your match today?

SARAH HUARTE: I hit the ball great today. I think both the Morgan and I both did. Obviously I think you can tell by our match, but I just played consistent all the way around. On my scorecard it doesn't show a bogey because I didn't have a chance to putt a long putt I had for bogey once. I hit it more solid. I hit more fairways than I hit all week and more greens. I just hit the ball closer to the pin which helped a ton to put some pressure on Morgan.

Q. How key was that front nine? You made quite a few key par saves when you were two down after a few and it could have been even three or four.

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, it could have been 4 or 5. There were holes -- she had so many birdie putts on that front 9 especially. And even some on the back and she drained them on the first four holes and I was like, this is going to be a little scary because I was two down after 4, but I came back on 7 and then I had a great shot into 8. I think that helped a ton. But definitely putts were out there, I think. She definitely had the opportunities to make some more and I thought she would.

Q. What did you hit into 8? How far did you have?

SARAH HUARTE: 8, I was, let's see, 189 pin. I think. And I hit a 4-iron into there.

Q. About what, three feet?

SARAH HUARTE: It was like five.

Q. You played against some three really juniors, do you feel like a grizzled veteran out there? At the ripe old age of 22?

SARAH HUARTE: I guess, yeah. I don't know. It's great to play against these good players. I'm intimidated by them. I don't know if they think that, but I definitely many. I heard so much about Morgan Pressel coming into this so I was intimidated by her. At the same time I was trying to intimidate her hopefully, but I don't know if that worked. Just with how I've been playing lately and in the spring with college and stuff. So, but, there's so many good players, young players.

Q. Talk about your up-and-down on 17 and how tough was that shot.

SARAH HUARTE: That was a tough shot. That was a not a very smart shot hitting into that green. I was in between clubs and I guess if I could take one club back all day it would have been that one. I would have hit 7 instead of 6 and been, my miss would have been short, right where Morgan was. She definitely hit the better chip out of the two but, no, my heart was pounding over that chip. I felt it. And over the putt and the next four shots, so.

Q. What kind of a lie did you have down there?

SARAH HUARTE: I had a good lie. There wasn't a lot of rough behind the ball. It wasn't exactly sitting up but the rough was thin. It wasn't real heavy. So I didn't think, I thought it would come out pretty easy and I made sure to keep it left of the pin.

Q. Where would you rate that shot in your annals of amateur golf?

SARAH HUARTE: Gosh, that was a pretty clutch shot. That was just a big hole there. I don't know, it's up there. I don't know where I would put it. But it's definitely up there. Top-10.

Q. When you're sitting back there before Morgan even hits her shot and leaves it short. You got to think if you get up and down to halve the hole you're feeling good about it you walk away a winner?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah. Yeah. It was -- yeah. No, I thought for sure when she left that -- and then I no doubts about her making that putt too. I thought she would make that. She had been making some clutch putts all day long. I think both of us had some of those. It was anyone's ball game on 17.

Q. After the NCAA and the Curtis Cup, do you feel like you're handling pressure packed situations better and better?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, I do actually a lot. I think it started actually with the SALLY in January. My first big win. And then it's gotten better. I mean on 16 I stood over that putt and I really did, I thought back to the SALLY when I had that three foot, four foot birdie putt on the last hole. When I was at the British Amateur I made a birdie putt to go into extra holes. So it's the coming of me being more confident over clutch shots that I have to hit. And I think even with the 9-iron I hit into 18, just not doing anything stupid with it. When you have it, when you're 1-up going, coming into the stretch. I think it's helped a ton. And just standing over some really important shots like that chip on 17 too is, you can tell my game's going somewhere I think when you can pull off those really clutch shots.

Q. On 18 were you trying to go right for the pin? You knew you didn't have enough club or were you aiming more for the center, because the minute it left and I'm standing behind it I thoughtÃ‚Â --

SARAH HUARTE: It looked -- where did it look like it was going? Right at the flag?

Q. Yeah, all over it. I thought it was a little aggressive.

SARAH HUARTE: I had been playing a draw all day I thought if I catch this solid and if it draws that's fine because it will kick off that bank and roll down. Really all I was trying to do was hit that green and keep it on the right sigh. But I was pretty sure it wasn't going to go right because I had been hitting the draw all day long. And I was a little in between clubs, but I hit the right one and I hit it solid.

Q. Is that the first time you played Morgan kind of assessed the game that she had. I mean, this is a 16 year old kid.

SARAH HUARTE: This is the first time I've played her, first time I've really seen her, talked to her, yeah.

Q. Kind of assess her game.

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, I have heard a lot about her coming in. Being like the way she's been playing lately at the U.S. Girls and some other tournaments, so it was a, I knew it was going to be a good match.

Q. Did she live up to the hype?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, she definitely did. And she hits the ball a long ways. I don't know how much taller I am than her but she is right out there with me the whole way.

Q. The course play any differently because all the rain?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, it played a little bit longer.

Q. The greens? What about them?

SARAH HUARTE: No, the greens were the same, I think. Maybe a little bit softer. But I don't think you could tell a whole bunch.

Q. You come from a pretty athletic family is that where you get your competitive fire? Your uncle was a Heisman Trophy winner did your dad play football?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, at Saint Mary's College.

Q. And your mom?

SARAH HUARTE: My mom didn't play any college sports.

Q. No, I guess she runs marathons?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah. And she plays tennis a lot now.

Q. How many marathons has she run?

SARAH HUARTE: She's run, I think, maybe four. Maybe.

Q. Any of the big ones like Boston?

SARAH HUARTE: Boston.

Q. She has?

SARAH HUARTE: Yes.

Q. Once or?

SARAH HUARTE: Once. That was the last one.

Q. Do you know what her best time?

SARAH HUARTE: No, I don't. I know you had to qualify for it though. She qualified for it. In her age group.

Q. Do you guys ever run together?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, sometimes. We don't run like over 8 miles though. That's my maximum.

Q. That's your limit?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah.

Q. So have you been running every day this summer?

SARAH HUARTE: When I was home I was running not every day, and maybe only like three days a week I was running. Just lifting weights, that kind of thing. Standard.

Q. Well for all the vagaries that are in match play you got three Curtis Cup players in the final four. Are you a little surprised by that. Because it seems like in past years that hasn't panned out?

SARAH HUARTE: Oh we started with five in match play, right? Yeah, five Curtis Cup players. Shoot, no, I don't know. That shows I guess how good the team was. It was a great team and I think every one that was on it deserved to be on it. And so I'm glad that, glad to see both Paula and Jane in the semis. I hopefully I'll get to play both.

Q. You're playing one, right?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah.

Q. Did you team with Jane at all?

SARAH HUARTE: Nope. Jane and Paula were teammates pretty much the whole way through.

Q. Do you feel like you're getting better since you haven't played a tournament golf in a while, do you feel like every day the tournament goes on you feel more comfortable?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, I think that's been the case this week. And I've been taking a final at night in the hotel room. I just finished it this morning and I mailed it back to my professor because I'm in summer school.

But, yeah, I haven't been stressing, haven't been practicing after my round really. My back's been a little bit sore so I'm trying not to hit as many balls.

Q. Is that new?

SARAH HUARTE: No, beginning I think right before nationals the month before nationals.

Q. What classes are you taking?

SARAH HUARTE: Taking ethnic studies, that's the final I finished this morning and I have a geography class that I have to take a final when I get back.

Q. Are you actually going to classes there or take them on line?

SARAH HUARTE: No, I'm in summer school. This is the last week. Yesterday was the last day and I missed the last week.

Q. So you e-mail back the tests?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah. Um-hum. I e-mailed it today.

Q. It was all written?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, it was written.

Q. You should have let us edit it for you?

SARAH HUARTE: Yeah, I should have.

KIMBERLY BROWN: All right. Sarah, thank you.

SARAH HUARTE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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