U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 5, 1999

Karrie Webb

KARRIE WEBB: I think the greens are firming up a little bit to the point where you have to really worry about where you are going to land it, because you could really just fly it around the pin pretty much, And the rough has really moved in, I found out on 18. There's more of a chance now that you can get a bad lie in some of the areas of the rough.

KARRIE WEBB: I think you have to have a pretty big lead at the U.S. Open to really feel comfortable. I think in any other regular tournament, I think if you have a five- or six-shot lead, it's not too bad. But U.S. Open, there's a little bit more pressure, and you are playing to win the U.S. Open. You know, I think if Juli was to somehow get to an 8-shot lead or something like that, she could feel pretty comfortable at this golf course that she could hold that. But, you know, I would have liked to have gotten to 10 today. That was my goal to shoot 66. But I'm happy with 68. Hopefully, there's a low one out on the course for me tomorrow. I think the way things are going, I'm definitely going to have to shoot 65, below 65 range.

KARRIE WEBB: You know, I think I would not necessarily say it was fair, but that's just the way golf is. I mean, the LPGA TOUR plays for -- I don't think it's even close to half of what the men play. But, you know, I think golf -- women's golf is coming a lot closer to men's golf, and you know, I don't think it's ever going to be to the stage where it would be equal. You know, we'd all hope that it does, and we'd all aim for that. But if that day ever comes, it would be a great day. But I don't think any of the players are complaining that we're paying for the biggest purse this year, $1.7 million. First place is over 300,000. That's close to double the amount that any player can win in any other tournament on the LPGA this year. I don't think you'll hear too many complaints from the players about the purse this year.

KARRIE WEBB: Far as I'm concerned, I'll just go for broke. If I don't pull it off, I probably won't finish too well in the tournament. And if I do pull it off, I'll have the chance to win, and that's the most important thing.

KARRIE WEBB: Generally my attitude. No, if I'm through 11 or 12 holes and really don't have a chance, I'm obviously just going to try and make as many birdies as I can to finish well in the tournament. But right from the 1st hole tomorrow, you know, there's no point in leaving the putts short or not hitting your approach shots up to the pin. You know, you've got to try and give yourself the best opportunity you can.

KARRIE WEBB: I really -- the way Juli is playing, I can't see her shooting worse than 1-over or something like that. But that also depends on the weather, but I don't see it being any different than the last three days. But if that's the case, you're going to have to shoot a 64 like that or something to catch her. But the thing is to get off to a good shot and put some pressure on her then. That's when she's going to feel the pressure, if she ever feels it. If she gets off to a good start, you know, she's clear sailing for the rest of the day tomorrow.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I had a pretty bad lie in the rough, actually. Most of the week -- actually, I saw it on TV when I was at NBC, and it didn't look as bad on TV as it did when I was standing there. It was sort of covered a lot; the back of the ball was covered a lot with grass. All week pretty much, you could hit it in the rough and expect to get a fly on the rough and know that it could carry the front of the green. And I wasn't too sure if I could do that or not. And I was really just trying to fly through the front of the green to try and carry that trap. Just really didn't come at it cleanly at all and thought it was in the water pretty much the whole way. And you know, with any luck, I thought, it was going to fly into the trap, but never thought it was going to get up into the green the way it did. So it was a lucky break. And, you know, sometimes you get those; sometimes you don't.

KARRIE WEBB: I think I had 169 to the pin.

KARRIE WEBB: I was just trying to hit a 5-iron up there to sort of hit a cut shot out of it to get it in the air and anywhere on the green.

KARRIE WEBB: I think before I came here this week, obviously, you think that you're going to be trying to make pars all week and not make too many bogeys. But, you know, a course is a course in the way it's set up, and everyone has to play it. And after my first practice round, I knew there was going to be more birdies out. I thought 10- or 12-under was going to win. I'm not disappointed with the scores, because, you know, I pretty much expected that there was going to be some low scores out there, you know, and I've played well. I just, you know, probably haven't made as many putts as I would have liked. But, you know, I'm still in there with a chance. I haven't really played myself out of it. You know, I've been pretty -- pretty patient this week. It's a different patience than normal U.S. Opens where you have to be patient about not making a bogey and getting on with it. Here, if you miss a birdie chance, you know that there's another one out there. I think it's still going to be an interesting tournament tomorrow.

KARRIE WEBB: You know, it's pretty amazing to me that, you know, each week I've actually had a chance to win nearly every tournament I've played. There's only a handful that probably I've just played my way into the Top-10 on Sunday. But, you know, I've just played really consistently. I worked hard over the winter, as you probably read. Just came out firing. And you know, really just haven't gotten off that wave yet. Still trying to ride it out as long as I can.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I had to move my mark for Rachel to putt. And then I had to talk to Rachel, because when my ball landed on the bricks, it put it out of shape; so then I had to talk to her about that. So when I went to put my ball down, somebody said move your marker back. So then I had to move it back and I moved it back the wrong way. And one of the people from the golf Golf Channel saw that I had not moved it back the right way and they told the USGA lady and the official that was with us, and I moved it back to where the original spot was. So that was two lucky breaks, pretty much, in one hole; so, count my blessings.

KARRIE WEBB: You know, I think the people that are writing these things in, you know, magazines and newspapers are really just -- tacky writing. I can't really do too much about that. I just continue being myself. And if people have problems with the way I carry myself on the golf course, you know, I don't feel like I do anything out there that, you know, that -- I don't cuss; I don't throw clubs. I think I carry myself pretty professionally out there. And I do -- the way my mannerisms are out there is just a way to get the job done. And I don't think that, you know, I'm sure you'll see a huge smile from me ear to ear if I hold the trophy up tomorrow. If I get the job done, you are not going to see it as often as you would see it on someone else. Nancy Lopez said you can't change people to be the way you want them to be. And Nancy Lopez is one of a kind. And if we're even fortunate enough to have someone like her come along again, we're the luckiest group of people alive. The things that she did for women's golf is a credit to her and is a remarkable thing that she could give so much and still play good golf. But I feel that, you know, I want to help out in women's golf, but I don't want to be the sole person that everyone looks to, you know, carry on the TOUR. I'd like to be a part of the group of one of the -- you know, one of the up-and-coming players, to be a part of that, to carry the LPGA TOUR and women's golf onto 2000. But I don't want to be the sole person responsible for that.

KARRIE WEBB: I think it's probably going to be a little lower now.