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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 24, 2005

Karen Stupples

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

JOEL LAMP: We have co-leader Karen Stupples in the interview room, 3-under par 69.

Let's go over your score card, two birdies on the front nine starting at the second.

KAREN STUPPLES: Second hole, I hit a driver and a 3-wood on to the green and 2-putted.

The fourth hole, I hit a driver, and I think it was a little 9-iron, and holed a 15-foot putt.

Bogey at 9. I didn't quite get my 7-wood around the corner far enough and then played it out in the right rough, and from there I went over the back of the green and did not get up-and-down.

Birdie at 11. Driver, 3-wood on to the green and a good 2-putt.

13, I hit a really good drive and I had a nice little wedge on to the green and holed about a 10-foot putt.

14, I got a little bit too aggressive and the pin was all the way at the back of the green, and rather than playing for the middle of the green and putting up and taking my medicine, I went at it and was feeling good and went all the way over the back of the green. I think it hit a sprinkler head and bounced even further ahead. Quite happy to make a bogey in the end. That was a small 7-iron. It was way too much. I just needed to hit an 8-iron to the middle of the green.

16, that was a good hole. I had a good drive and then I had a 7-iron to about eight-foot and I holed that.

JOEL LAMP: The par 5s, 2, how far did you have for eagle?

KAREN STUPPLES: I was right at the front of the green so about 25 yards past. And again about the same on 11.

Q. Why does your game pick up for the big game, the majors?

KAREN STUPPLES: I do enjoy the majors. I like them for the challenge the courses bring. Typically they are a tougher golf course, and that way I concentrate a little bit more all the way throughout the round. I know that you have to fight for every single shot out there, so it helps me concentrate a little bitter. Otherwise, I can be a little bit away sometimes. No, I like it, and typically, the courses that we play for our majors are long courses, and you have to hit good quality golf shots and I think that suits my game.

Q. Do you also feel quite comfortable after winning the British?

KAREN STUPPLES: In general I feel more comfortable on the golf course. I know that my game is good enough now. I think up until last year, I really didn't know if I was ever going to be good enough to win a tournament, let alone a major championship.

So win last year, that was good, it's like okay, you can win and to go ahead and win the British Open by five shots, you can say, you definitely have the game now. I know that I have it, but putting it all together sometimes and golf is such a fickle game, it may in the not be your day. So I just have to be patient with it and keep working at it.

Q. Sounds like you drove the ball well today?

KAREN STUPPLES: I did. I only missed one fairway, and even that was with a 7-wood.

Q. This was 9?

KAREN STUPPLES: 9, I didn't hit the fairway on 9, but it was just too short. You have to get down past the trees on the corner. I missed one fairway with the 7-wood, and the rest of it I hit my drive all the way around and hit everything else.

Q. Is driving the ball the key here?

KAREN STUPPLES: I really think it is. I think you really have to hit the fairways in order to give yourself a chance to hit the greens because the rough is quite tricky in places and you really want to eliminate the luck out of that and keep hitting the fairways.

I put a new driver in the bag this week, so I was very happy with the one I put in.

Q. Why did you change drivers?

KAREN STUPPLES: The one I had was okay, but I think over the course of travel and this year, I think they just get knocked around a little bit and just slightly out of whack. This one just seemed to do the trick. It's the same head and it's a different version of the same shaft. So it's the same thing but it's just --

Q. It's not a stronger shaft or a different loft or anything like that?

KAREN STUPPLES: No. It's just not tired. Got fresh legs.

Q. So what do you think about tomorrow? Can you shoot even lower?

KAREN STUPPLES: Actually I think I had the worst of the weather today. Certainly from making the turn, the wind started to really pick up, and then those last four holes, it was really cold out there. So it was jacket on, jacket off. And it was very, very difficult to hit quality shots and to keep playing well.

So I'm looking forward to tomorrow's morning round and hopefully maybe some softer greens and some better scoring opportunities.

I would like to think that I could go low tomorrow.

JOEL LAMP: Karen, thank you and good luck the rest of the weekend.

End of FastScripts.

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