U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 5, 2003

Angela Stanford

RHONDA GLENN: Angela, on the heels of your victory last week, this is quite an incredible performance, it's the toughest golf course, and the most prestigious championship, how do you feel about it.

ANGELA STANFORD: I'm still not sure I know what's going on. It started to sink in a little bit at the end, that I am at the U.S. Open, and chances are we play in the final group. And I got a little nervous, but just tried to get it in the house at that point.

RHONDA GLENN: Also, I know when you won your championship you were going out in the evenings until you got sleepy, so that you wouldn't worry about sleeping on the lead. Now you're not in the lead this time, but what are you going to do this evening?

ANGELA STANFORD: We'll probably go get something to eat, maybe catch a movie. I'm pretty tired, so I don't think I'll have any problems going to sleep tonight.

RHONDA GLENN: Tremendous round that she had today, 69.

Q. You said you're not sure if you know what's really going on yet, is that because you were so absorbed in the moment or you're resisting trying to dwell on what's going on?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think it's a little bit of both. My history at U.S. opens is really nonexistent, I guess. This was my first cut at a U.S. Open in four attempts. So to be sitting where I'm sitting, I guess I still can't believe that it's happening. But I know how this game is. If you can get on a roll and you can carry it week-to-week ,and to be perfectly honest, after last week, I didn't expect this. I mean to be honest I expected to go the other way, because I was kind of tired and just so many things going on, people calling -- there were just so many other distractions. But it's amazing how when you start playing well, it tends to roll into other weeks. And if you ever get hot in this game you can ride it, especially confidence-wise. But I also know it can change day-to-day, so I guess that's a little bit of a contradiction, but I may show up tomorrow and be hitting it everywhere. It's a possibility.

Q. I know how much the U.S. Open means to you, what will it be like, do you think, playing in the final group? Obviously it's something you thought about before but never been able to do?

ANGELA STANFORD: I don't even know. I can't even place myself in my own head in the final group. Like I can't even believe that it's happening. But I'm excited that Hilary Lunke -- I'll get to play with her. I think that will help a little bit. That should be more comfortable. But I just can't believe it. I'm sorry, I don't have any words for it.

RHONDA GLENN: Tell them a little bit about your background with Hilary, you've known each other for sometime.

ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I can't even remember -- is she a year younger? I think she's a year younger than me.

RHONDA GLENN: I was thinking about the Curtis Cup.

ANGELA STANFORD: She might be a year younger, she played at Stanford while I played at TCU. We played on the Curtis Cup team together. So I've seen her throughout college golf and amateur golf. So -- and I know she's really nice. She's got a great family, and just a great person. So it will be fun either way, whatever happens tomorrow, it will be fun to get to play in that final round with her.

Q. Because you and Hilary are contemporaries do you think it plays to your advantage you guys are together in that last group, that maybe you feel easier to belong there?

ANGELA STANFORD: I hope so. I hope that when I say that I'll be comfortable playing with her, I hope it's the same for her. I hope she's comfortable playing with me. I think it will be more comfortable than -- I'm assuming it's going to be more comfortable. I'm struggling with this a little bit, aren't I?

RHONDA GLENN: Are you getting a little nervous, maybe?

ANGELA STANFORD: I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. I can't believe I'm sitting here in front of you guys. I'm happy about it.

Q. You worked so hard for three years and never broke through for a win, now you're looking at going for two in a row, why has this happened to you? Is there anything you can put your finger on?

ANGELA STANFORD: That's a good question. I guess my dad has always said that it takes me a while. I wasn't very successful in high school until my junior or senior year. In college, I wasn't successful until my junior or senior year. Both times it's been the third or fourth year. He's always said that. And being on the LPGA Tour and traveling by myself and really just kind of doing it on my own I didn't play my first USGA event until I was 17, never played in an AJGA tournament in my life. We really didn't leave Texas until I was 15 or 16. And I think it's just -- it takes me a little bit longer. And then when I went out on Tour I didn't really know anybody out there. My first LPGA event was the first one I ever played. So I guess it's just I've had more learning to do than anybody else. And so I think -- and I think my dad and everybody around me that's close to me, I think they knew that this would happen eventually. We didn't really know the timeline on it. I think this is happening way faster than I expected, but it's great. To know that it's going to happen ,but not know when, that's really -- that's the great part about it.

Q. Nothing technical?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think that's been the key, my swing -- Amy Fox is my instructor, I've been with her for ten years. We have really -- she's really built this swing and she has seen the good, the bad and the ugly with my swing. And I think I'm starting to understand it. I think I'm more mature now, and I'm really starting to understand why she's telling me what she's telling me in my golf swing, and I'm starting to get it. And chipping-wise, also, just the technique with the chipping stroke and my putting stroke, it's all starting to make sense.

RHONDA GLENN: Is Amy Fox from Forth Worth area.

ANGELA STANFORD: Amy Fox, she actually is from Mansville, she teaches at a golf course in Arlington called Tiera Verde in Texas.

Q. I think the fans that look at that leaderboard tomorrow and see your name and Hilary's up on the top, but lurking behind is Annika Sorenstam, how tough is it going to be, if at all, for you to keep that -- keep her from being in the back of your mind, too?

ANGELA STANFORD: I knew she was there today. I saw her, I guess she was 4-under, so I saw early that she had made it to 2-under. So I know. She's the best player in the world and you expect the best player in the world to show up on Sunday and play out of her mind. So I'm expecting that. And I'm ready for that. And I know she's going to come at it with everything she has. So what I need to do is know that I can't control her, but I know she's going to play well. So I need to take care of what I'm doing and play the best I can and hope that the distance we have between us is good enough.

RHONDA GLENN: Angela, up until about three years ago you had one of most unique jobs I've ever heard of. And it's how you financed your amateur career. It helped make you a Curtis Cup player. Tell them what you used to do for a living.

ANGELA STANFORD: I've only had two jobs. And my first one -- because my parents didn't want me working in high school, and I finally begged them to -- let me have a job. I worked at the Saginaw Sonic drive-in. I was a car hop. I did not wear skates. I either -- you either saw me on skates or you saw your food. It was not at the same time. So I worked at Sonic. And actually I worked -- the manager was really nice to me. He would let me come back and work Christmas break when I went to TCU. It was good cash. And then I also worked at a driving range for a little while, but that didn't --.

RHONDA GLENN: It wasn't as good as the Sonic stand.

ANGELA STANFORD: I had so much fun in that job.

RHONDA GLENN: Congratulations, great round, great three day total, good luck tomorrow.

Birdies and bogeys. Let's go over your card. Round 3. Birdie on No. 2.

ANGELA STANFORD: No. 2, we hit -- I think we hit a 6-iron to -- I want to say it was like ten feet.

Bogey on 3. Hit it left off the tee and just had to punch out. And actually I still had like 10, 12 feet for par, and just barely missed that.

Birdie on 4. We hit a low sand wedge and it went to the back of that green. And I think that putt was -- it was a good 25 feet. That was a good putt.

8, off the tee hit it left into the rough, just choked down on a 7-iron and got it to run up and had like a fast five feet coming back down at it. It either hit the hole or it went off the green.

12, same thing. I hit a pitching wedge to like four or five feet and that was about as fast as the putt on 8. Both of those putts I hit it off the toe of the putter, just tried to breathe on them.

14 --.

RHONDA GLENN: Second shot went right on 14 -- or you were in the bunker.

ANGELA STANFORD: Off the tee we were kind of on the right, just in the rough. It was sitting up fine, and I choked an 8-iron. We thought we could get it to run up, it ran all the way through the green. It wasn't a bad chip shot, I think I just hit it too hard. And that's actually the first three or four footer that I missed that I can remember this week. I think I just hit it too hard.

16, I'm still mad about 16. That shot, the flag's on the very back left. And I was going to choke down on a 5-iron -- that's my shot, to hit it low, let it run up there and I just completely came out of it, lost it to the right and it ended up in that bunker on the right. And where the pin was sitting, to be honest I just don't know how to hit that shot. So I was just hoping for the best, and actually made a really good par-putt and tap-in bogey.

And then 18 was about a 80 yard sand wedge to about three or four feet.

RHONDA GLENN: Great finish.

ANGELA STANFORD: That was fun.

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