MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2000

Jan Stephenson

JAN STEPHENSON: I got off to a really good start. I made a birdie on the 1st. Hit a perfect drive just the way I wanted, left-to-right, and faded my 8-iron to about six feet for birdie. I'm like, "Hello, this is going to be a great day." And same on the 2nd hole. Faded my drive hit a 7-wood to about eight feet and lipped it out, babied it just a little. 3, did the same thing. Hit a good 3-wood, hit a 6-iron up there about 10 feet but missed it. Then my game fell apart. I've been trying to work the ball left-to-right. Everybody was giving me a bad time in the locker room this morning because I said you have to hit left-to-right to win majors. And Juli Inkster and Jane Geddes were like -- especially Juli, because she hits it right-to-left: "Wait a minute, I've won majors and you don't have to hit it left-to-right." But anyway, I've really been working hard on getting it to go left-to-right, and I had to hit -- I tried to hit a fade on 4 and I pulled it into the -- into the rough. And then I pulled my 6-iron on the next hole. And then pulled my driver on the next and made bogey, and it was like: "Oh, no, where's my fade gone?" And I faded it too much on 8 and I was going back and forth. Just couldn't get it right after that. I hung on. I hit some good drives, but I left like three chances out there on the back side. I had a lob-wedge and a pitching wedge and a 9-iron, and I didn't even get it close to the hole. So those shots, you should, especially in a major, from the middle of the fairway, you should be having birdie chances at them, and I was just having to hang on and 2-putt. I got lucky to get up-and-down. I pulled my shot on 17. I hit a really ugly shot trying to hit a fade. I was determined I was going to hit a fade coming in. And I stood there and aimed left and pulled it into the bunker and I was like, I should have just aimed at the middle of the green. My bunker play -- I've been working so hard on it, and I hit it out about 10 feet and I made it. So I guess that's good for my confidence. And then on 18, I even hit -- I teed up with a 3-wood because I didn't want to hit a draw. The last hole calls for a draw shot, and I was afraid if I tried to draw it, that I would pull-hook it. So I just took 3-wood and hit it down the left side of the fairway and hit a 5-iron, and I guess I lipped it out, had an 8-footer and I made it for birdie. It was a good finish, but I'm going straight to the range.

JAN STEPHENSON: Well, I know. But the thing is I'm never going to be able to do it unless I do it in a tournament I. Can stand on the range and fade it all day long. I'm really trying to improve my golf swing, and if I don't commit to do it out there, I'm never going to change. So I just have to try to do it. I mean, I'm working for the future. I'm not working for the present and I'm not just trying to score. Even though some people say you should -- I remember earlier in the year, my caddy, when I had a bad first day at Nabisco and I said, "Well, I want to make the cut so I'm just going to hit fairways and greens." And I spent the day -- and I hit basically 18 fairways and 18 greens and he was like, "Why don't you play that way more often?" And I said, "Well, that's not what I'm trying to do." I want to make perfect golf shots and make a better golf swing. Once I made the cut, I went back to working on my swing and played terrible. That's what I really, really enjoy, hitting the perfect shot. Tiger can change and he was already -- well, I don't see why I can't change.

JAN STEPHENSON: I've tinkered my whole career. But especially since I was mugged, my only chance at winning is to get this fixed, because my left hand doesn't work and the only way to stop hitting right-to-left is to commit and work it left-to-right. I probably wouldn't have -- really don't have much choice because my hand doesn't work right. Because of the mugging, I have to tinker with it.

JAN STEPHENSON: It's actually ten years this year, 1990. And when the doctors told me it would take me that long, I laughed at them, but they were right.

JAN STEPHENSON: Well, I'm putting better than I've putted in a long time, and I'm fired up about my golf swing. At least I do it for a little while. You know, I feel really good. I love being in contention. I love having a chance to win. I hung in there, even though I don't feel like I played that great today; so that's a good sign.

JAN STEPHENSON: Well, the good thing about when you're working on your swing, sometimes when you hit a bad shot -- the good thing, I think, about what I'm doing right now, it takes the pressure away. Instead of working on this shot -- this is the shot that could tie me for the lead, I'm working on: I've got to do this, I've got to get my weight on my left side, I have to do this. So I'm not even thinking about the golf tournament. I'm really thinking about my lob swing and making the correct swing. And I'm hitting it close. The last two days, I hit it really close.

JAN STEPHENSON: Not in Australia. All the things that I did was before they were even interested in golf. I mean, again, since Greg Norman and Karrie, they pay a little more attention, but all the media that knew me have all retired. I don't even know the media guys down there anymore.

JAN STEPHENSON: I absolutely love being in contention. I probably had my best night's sleep that I've had ever since I was in contention last year. This is what I work hard for. This is really what I love to do. I love to be in contention, and it's few and far between; so I really savor it.

JAN STEPHENSON: I don't even want to talk about that, because a win would be everything for me. I mean, it wouldn't even matter if it was the LPGA Championship or any. A win, right now, to prove people wrong that said I cannot come back injury; that say I cannot change my golf swing at my age, and that say I cannot compete at my age. And I know I'm right. I know it will happen. I'm thinking next year, but it will happen.