MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2000

Jan Stephenson

JAN STEPHENSON: I played the back nine first, and 2-putted my way around until -- I was on the fringe 13 and 14. 15, I hit a 6-iron to about 12 feet and made that for birdie. And on 16, I've been having such bad luck -- not bad luck, but bad play, on the par 5s all year where I have been over par on the par 5s. I was determined to make a birdie on that today, and I laid up perfectly. I hit it too high to the front of the green, and just tried to make a 2-putt; and I made the putt and it was probably 30 feet, and that's the longest putt I've made all year. I was really, really lucky to make it. Then I hit on the back fringe on 17 and made a great up-and-down. That turned my round -- definitely turned my round around. Then I birdied the 1st hole. I hit a 5-iron to about 18 inches. And then on 2, made double. Pin was right, the wind was a little right-to-left. And I had spent the last three weeks working, trying to get the ball to go left-to-right, because I am normally a right-to-left player. And after watching Tiger, I am convinced now that majors just have to be played left-to-right, because the balls don't get away from you right-to-left, and very few girls out here do that. The pin was tucked right and I tried to hit a fade, and I actually did it but I pushed it a little and the wind didn't bring it back. I made as hard a swing as I could, just got out to the long grass, and had to make another huge swing just to get on the green and 2-putted for double. I wasn't upset as I normally would be, because I tried to get it left-to-right, just started too far out when I did it. Normally I would be flustered that I made double, but I decided that was the way it was going to be. And so I hit a 6-iron about 10 feet on the next and came back with a birdie that helped. Same thing yesterday. I made two doubles in two days, and only one bogey, and same thing: I was trying to hit it left-to-right, and I started a little bit too far right and caught a tree and it went down unplayable. I really played solid golf. Then I just parred in. I missed about -- on No. 7, I hit a 4-iron to about five feet above the pin, but the greens were so fast and so spiky. I think, I'm going to change to regular metal spikes because there are some brutal spike marks. I played soft spikes and felt like -- I remember Lee Trevino, saying if you play soft spikes, you should be able to tap them in. I had about a 5-footer and I just barely got started and hit a spike mark and went off. And I had to fight for the last; I made that for par and 2-putted my last two holes. So it was really a steady round. I didn't drive it in the rough once, and I think that was very important to the round.

JAN STEPHENSON: Well, the last month I've been working on my swing. I brought my coach over from Australia the week of Corning, and all of my Australian friends are playing the BUY.COM TOUR. They all met up in Corning with my coach and just worked every day and we all worked it left-to-right, because we're convinced that's the way to go. And that's hard for me because since I've been mugged, my hand, I got more and more shut because my left side doesn't work because of all the tendons that are damaged. And I found a coach -- a guy in Australia his name is Gary Edwin, and he teaches right side strong, you leave everything on your right side when you turn away. I went to every coach and none of them could help me, and they said: Your left side doesn't work, you're just going to have to play with a hook. And I refused to believe that. This guy really helped me. He believes in the right side. And so that's -- everyone keeps asking me why I'm setting up so strong on the left side. I actually have my right heel off the ground at setup because I'm leaning everything on my left side, and just turning my right side around, and it's much easier for me. At least now I can hit left-to-right when I want.

JAN STEPHENSON: I'm really fired up. I tend to work really too hard on my game. But I took two weeks off. The first week, I went fishing down in the Keys because I have a house down there; and the next week I worked on the golf course I'm designing, and didn't do as much practice as I normally do. And I think that is one of the reasons I'm so fresh. I'm not getting upset and losing my temper, which I normally do; and I know anything around par is good out here, so I'm really trying to manage myself around the golf course.

JAN STEPHENSON: I love being in contention. It makes me feel more relaxed and more -- this is what I always aimed at, and it doesn't matter how old you are. That never goes away. I absolutely love to be in contention. I'll probably have my best night's sleep. Last night, I slept better than I have all year, and I'll probably sleep better tonight. I'm happy that I have a chance to win and be there with all the people. I was actually enjoying myself out there today.

JAN STEPHENSON: This one they have got set up the way it should be for a major. The Nabisco -- Dinah Shore, doesn't suit my game, but this one, you have to manage your golf ball. You have to hit it -- this suits Laura Davies to a tee. They are doglegs -- well, they are not doglegs to her; she can cut the dogleg. But not counting Laura, this is a golf course where you have to really control your ball, and you just have to -- if you're not in the right place, you are going to make bogey. A couple times today, I hit over the green and was on the fringe and I was lucky; if it was another foot, I would have been in the long grass, and not a chance to make par. You really have to know what you're doing with your golf ball; I like that.

JAN STEPHENSON: I'm really someone that studies the leaderboard and knows what the statistics are. She favors this golf course. She is strong in the rough, too. If I hit in the rough, or most people, we are going to have to chip out, where she can blast her way through it. She's putting well. I saw her make a few putts when I was up in the TV tower; so she's putting well. But you have to putt well to do well in a major. And the thing is, as you get further and further in a contention, hitting becomes even more of a factor, because you cannot rely on your putting. I mean, she's such a favorite to win, and I'm not that, you know, so the pressure is really on her.