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LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 26, 2004

Sherri Steinhauer

CORNING, NEW YORK

PAUL ROVNAK: Sherri, thanks for coming in and joining us. Congratulations on the win last week.

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Thank you.

Q. It had been a couple of years since you've had one. I imagine it always feels nice to step back into the winner's circle. Talk about that and about coming into this week.

SHERRI STEINHAUER: It feels good after a 5-year drought. Last year I had a pretty tough year, was contemplating not playing anymore, but just couldn't seem to give the game up yet. Fought back and had a good practice this winter. This year I played okay, nothing spectacular. I was hitting it better, just wasn't scoring well. The putts weren't -- I was putting well, but the putts weren't going in. Then at Sybase everything came together and it was quite an incredible feeling.

Q. First off, what's your opinion of the course and how it fits into your game here at Corning?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think the golf course is in the best shape I've ever seen it. The rough is consistent, the fairways are plush and the greens are rolling the best I've ever seen them. This course reminds me a lot of home, growing up in Wisconsin. I really like it here in Corning.

Q. Coming off a win, does this give you a boost for your confidence? Does it change at all how you prepare for this tournament coming off a win?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Absolutely. I definitely gained a lot of confidence from last week. After last year I lost a lot and it's amazing what a win can do. It can bring a lot of confidence back in and I feel good about my game.

Q. Are there more distractions coming off a win as opposed to a regular week?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, I noticed more media out there today. There were more cameras and all. Other than that, that's about all that I felt. I feel like I was just gaining more attention this week.

Q. Does Corning's layout suit your game fairly well?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I love the layout of the golf course. As I said, I grew up at a course in Madison, Wisconsin, and this golf course reminds me a lot of home. The fairways are very similar, the greens are similar. I grew up on a course with small greens and that's what these are. The course I grew up on is tree-lined and this is tree-lined. I feel comfortable here.

Q. Any aspirations as to numbers that you want to shoot for? Do you go in with thoughts of what you need to shoot on a day-by-day basis?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I don't have any -- I really don't have any expectations this week. I think it's interesting, Andy North called me yesterday to congratulate me. He just assumed I was taking this week off. I said no, I'm playing this week. He said that's pretty incredible, that's tough to do after a win. So he gave me a little advice. It's pretty tough to put any high expectations on myself this week.

Q. With the length between wins, what are some of the things that go through your mind after going a couple of years without a win?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think the main thing is just wondering if I'm ever going to win again. I was just looking, actually, after last year, just making baby steps and improving and getting better, and maybe getting some Top-10 finishes and working my way back, and I never had a Top-10 finish, I just came in and won last week. I wasn't expecting the win to come so quickly. That was a nice surprise.

Q. Last year, you've already talked about was a down year. Do you know why it was a down year? Was there something physical? Any hitch in your swing that you can point to?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I wish I could find an excuse. There really isn't any. I just had an extremely off year. And it came down to I just wasn't feeling comfortable over the ball and was not able to make my swing. I've worked with Manuel de la Torre for many, many years and to make the swing that he was wanting me to make, I was just unable to do it.

This winter, I went out and worked with my dad every afternoon when I started practicing in January. My dad is not a teacher, he doesn't play much golf anymore, but he's watched me since I was 6 years old, when I first started, and he knows me and he knows what I look like when I'm up over the ball, and we worked on getting my setup back and getting my alignment and ball position, so we worked on that this winter and it's definitely paying off. I can tell that's probably the difference.

Q. Is this the proverbial zone, as they call it? Did you feel it last weekend? Did you ever get to a point during the tournament where you were like, oh, this is what it was?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Yes, I did. Although I was very nervous out there, I did feel pretty comfortable, being in that position before, and that was a big plus. Having been there and knowing what it's like, that paid off a lot for me. I was fortunate in that I could go on my past wins and bring back those experiences.

Q. It came back to you at about what point in the tournament, those feelings?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Probably on Sunday, because I wasn't -- on Saturday, I was at 5-under at that point starting the day, and when I made the eagle on 18, then I was tied for the lead.

Q. That was Saturday?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: That was Saturday. And I think when I made that putt and then I realized I was tied for the lead, that's when I felt like, well, here we are, we're going to be in the last group on Sunday, this is what I've been working for. I had a little bit of a restless night that night.

Q. How many times have you played Corning?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I'm trying to think if I've ever taken it off. I think I've taken it off, once, maybe twice, in my 19 years.

Q. Do you recall your best finish here?

PAUL ROVNAK: I can get that information for you.

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Not exactly.

Q. What do you think you're going to have to do tomorrow coming off the win, first round, just to make yourself feel like maybe there is a possibility for you to stay in that mode that you felt last weekend?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, I think just hitting fairways and greens. I know tomorrow I'm paired with Annika and Wendy Ward, so there's probably going to be a lot of people out there following Annika, so just being patient and just keeping my game going as I've been playing, being consistent, and that's hitting fairways and greens.

Q. You were mentioning Annika. They've instituted the one-in-four rule. Have you seen stronger fields throughout the LPGA season because of the one-in-four rule?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I definitely think that's a great policy, so that each of the tournaments can have the top players here every four years. The fields are better.

Q. You mentioned, obviously, the galleries following Annika. What kind of dynamic does she bring to a tournament?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, I think she has -- she's done so extremely well and people just love to come out and watch her and watch her play. She brings a lot of excitement to each tournament. She's an extremely long hitter. People like to watch how far she hits it, and she's extremely consistent and makes a lot of putts. She's the top player.

Q. Does that hold true for the golfers, as well? Do you kind of get drawn in by the way she's playing, the way she's putting? Does it affect your game, having to play with her?

SHERRI STEINHAUER: I haven't played with Annika in a long time. It's been a long, long time. Of course I'm going to be watching her, but I'm going to be concentrating on my game out there, too.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you, Sherri.

End of FastScripts.

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