U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 1, 1998

Karrie Webb

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I saw it yesterday for the first time and it was really tough yesterday. Especially the way the wind was blowing. It was playing really long and I think if the wind blew that way for four days, it is going to be tough out there.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, yesterday that played a little bit downwind. And, I only hit a 3-wood off the tee and got it to really scoot down the hill. I had 225 to the front. But I might have another look at it today. I probably wouldn't go straight at the green just because of the tree there and water on the left - going to have a look at the rough on the right and seed if it's worth hitting it over there. It is probably still going to be a difficult shot to hit a third from over there because the green all slopes to the water anyway.

KARRIE WEBB: It just depends, I guess, on how you are playing. And, if you are hitting the ball well, it probably, you know, won't be on anyone's mind that much. 18 probably the most out of the three holes.

KARRIE WEBB: It is hard to say. I think, like I said, the way the wind blew yesterday, you won't see too many red numbers on the leaderboard. But then you look outside today and there is no wind and I haven't played the course today yet. But it would definitely make the par 4s play a lot shorter. Yesterday they all played into the wind. I really don't see very much under par, if under par at all.

KARRIE WEBB: I don't think -- the 16th--

KARRIE WEBB: (cont'g) -- is difficult? I think all the holes that are 400 yards, all played tough yesterday. They are into the wind. It was crossing and there were a couple that were straight into the wind. 18 played straight into the wind yesterday and I hit to the front pin. I was hitting irons, 4-irons and that green is 40 yards long. You could be hitting woods back there. Some girls probably won't be able to reach it.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think there is a stretch there, 5, 6 and 7 on the front 9, the way -- just it is hard to say how they are going to play during the tournament. But, the way the wind blew yesterday, I hit 3-iron into 5 and the par 3 on the next hole was -- it was sort of downwind helping and that green slopes like this - (indicating down) - so it was really hard to hit to any of the front pins. The green is really undulating. I think that is going to be a hard hole as well. Next hole, 7, straight into the wind. I hit 5-wood to get to the green. Two of the girls I played with couldn't reach it in regulation.

KARRIE WEBB: I was playing with Kelly Robins and then Liselotte Neumann and Sherri Steinhauer couldn't reach the green.

KARRIE WEBB: I just sort of just play it the way it is. U.S. Open courses are always different to probably any of the other courses that we play just because -- it doesn't really matter how they play in the practice rounds, they probably always are going to play different when you play them under pressure.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, just I am looking for the way I want to play it and I want to try and stay to that game plan everyday. Try and look for -- sometimes it is not the best, even on a par 5, to get really close to the green. It is better to be back like a 7- or an 8-iron, especially at these sort of courses because there is so much trouble, you just want to keep everything in play and try and hit as many greens as possible. Just try and keep mistakes out of your game.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think there is a couple on the back 9. But I would never -- I don't even think you would sit there and say they are birdie holes anyway. That is just a couple of short holes through, I think, 13, 14 and 15 that are quite short. Just, I think it is going to be probably a 7-iron to the back of that green. On 13 -- and then wedges into both the next two holes. But they are only small greens and very undulating. The past two Opens I have played, the practice rounds played with hardly any breeze and played where I felt pretty easy and I felt probably too confident going into the first couple of rounds. And, when things weren't going so well, I didn't have as much patience as I probably now -- that I need out here because yesterday the practice round played really tough and we played a match, I made a couple of birdies, but it is just going to be, you know, who is the most patient and keeps out of the most trouble.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, it is a part of my game where I have to really work on. I need to be just ultra-patient out here this week. It is just, you know, you're used to playing courses where 10-, 12-under wins a tournament. It is just not going to be possible this week. You have got to know that everyone is going to be in the same boat and birdies aren't going to be, you know, rolling in out there and they are just going to be hard-fought. I think just the most pars you make, you should just be happy with that. Normally, when you play in regular tournaments, pars - par after par after par isn't such a good thing, but out here it is.

KARRIE WEBB: It is just something that you have to keep reminding yourself. You have to remember that everyone else is in the same boat, like I said. And I think patience also is a maturity thing and it is going to take some time. Not to say that I don't have a chance to win this week because I think if my game is on, I think I do. But it is -- patience is something that you have one week and some weeks you don't. The more times you have it, the better you are going to play.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, answer to the first question, the fairways are fairly ample landing areas, but I think I probably hit -- I hit a few drivers out there. But especially on all the long par 4s, but -- somehow even you just want to lay back and make sure that you hit the widest part of the fairway and not, you know, be too risky and not be in the right part, you have also got to be on the right part of the fairway; just to hit at certain pins, too, which sort of narrows it down a little bit. But, as far as the greens go, I think even if you are putting well, you still got to be hitting the ball well because if you are -- if you are not hitting it in the right parts of the greens, you are going to have some really tough putts. I think even the best putters are not going to 2-putt from every part of those greens.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think that out here you just have to know it is going to be slower. What I said after that last round was that some of my tee shots weren't very good because I wasn't thinking. That was a disadvantage. I think out here the pace of play, it's probably going to be slower like -- I mean, it is always a five-hour round, at least, for the first two days, and you just have to know that. You need the time to think about the shots anyway. You need to know where you want to hit it and you know -- I don't think you need to be playing fast out here. I think it will be good just to sit there and think about each shot.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, you know, I don't -- I wouldn't ever set odds or whatever you want to say. I think that I am playing well. Each day I seem to strike the ball a little bit better and it is just -- I think I have as much chance as I do any other week. I just have to go out there and just play my own game and just, like I said, be patient and, you know, not get into too much trouble.

KARRIE WEBB: She is No. 1 in the world, she deserves to be favorite.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, you know, it is the rivalry that the media has created and it is good for women's golf and the LPGA and as far as we are concerned, obviously, if -- you know, we want to win every week and one of the people in the field that I have to beat is Annika. And, as far as that goes, that is probably the end of the rivalry there. Obviously it seems like there is more of a rivalry because the last couple of years we have been in contention a lot together and we have had to win tournaments. We have had to beat one another. I think it is just a healthy rivalry and it is good for the game.

KARRIE WEBB: Obviously I put a lot more focus and emphasis on the Majors. But I try to go about them the same way although, you know, leading up to it, I don't like play a huge stretch of tournaments and then play a major. But the majors are important to me and I like to do well in them because, you know, a lot of people put a lot of focus on those. But I want to win every week and if I had a chance to win last week, I would have taken it. I wouldn't want to save it up for this week. You don't get a chance to win very often and winning anywhere is really special.

KARRIE WEBB: It was really special to receive that from Betty Jameson and the history of the Vare Trophy obviously some of the best players ever to play have won it. And, you know, to win it for the first time as well as set a low scoring average was really special for me. With Betty being there, I sat at the same table with her at the luncheon and had a chat with her, it was really special.

KARRIE WEBB: I think it is a very good course. I think it can be pretty fair. I think that you can hit good shots and I think you are going to be rewarded with a good shot. But, you can also be very badly penalized for a bad shot which I think is the way a golf course should be set up.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think I have already said that, but anyway, I said probably just not too many under, or close to even.

KARRIE WEBB: I think at any U.S. Open it is just going to take, you know, keeping the ball in play. I think be aggressive where you can be, but you try and just be very conservative in most of the game and keep it on the fairway. Try and hit as many greens as you can and try and make your birdies when you get -- when you are given an opportunity, but other than that, par is your friend.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, you know, I was hoping somewhere in my career that I would have this sort of success which I never in my wildest dreams expected it to be pretty much straight out of the box like it was. And there is no complaints there, though. It certainly made, you know, as far as my expectations and knowing that I am pretty much set financially, I can just relax and play golf now and I have never really had to worry, of, you know, some of the girls here have taken a few years to get going and then have the success. So I feel pretty fortunate to have experienced it the way I have.

KARRIE WEBB: I think so. I think a lot of people, you know, are pretty critical of people in any sport that are on the top. It is harder to stay on the top because people have so many more expectations of you and if you have, you know, a mediocre year, you might still be happy with that because you know you can't do it every year. A lot of people are very critical of that and it is hard not to listen to that criticism.

KARRIE WEBB: Thanks.