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BMO FINANCIAL GROUP CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN

July 8, 2004

Dawn Coe-Jones

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO

PAUL ROVNAK: Dawn, thanks for coming in and joining us. 4 under, you're one shot off the lead right now. I imagine that's always a good feeling, especially playing in Canada. Tell us about today.

DAWN COE JONES: I thought I was coming in here to talk about the lightning.

The golf course is in such perfect shape, somebody is going to shoot 63, 64 out there today not today but this week, for sure. I certainly had it in my sights today. I hit it the ball really well. Made some hiccups coming in, but any time you can start a tournament under par, it's good.

Q. The last time you were in the headlines last year, you were talking about retirement. Do you think taking some time off has recharged your batteries? You're playing really well this year.

DAWN COE JONES: Well, I took time off because we were forced to take time off because we had no tournaments. I'll play 19 events this year, I think. I've worked hard on my putting, I've changed putters, and my ball striking is good right now. I'm feeling confident.

Q. Specifically what changes did you make to your putting stroke, and what putter are you using now versus what you were using?

DAWN COE JONES: I'm using the two ball blade Odyssey. Just working on releasing the putter, not hanging on. I have a habit of not hanging on and losing it out to the right and getting the putter blade going through the ball and not stopping at it. Obviously I still do it, but for the most part my ball is rolling a lot better and I'm having a lot more chances, too, because I'm hitting a lot of greens. So I have those opportunities, and you need to capitalize on them, because our Tour, the caliber of players is just so great right now.

Q. Are you working with anybody specifically?

DAWN COE JONES: I never have, on Tour.

Q. Dawn, what would it mean to win in your home country?

DAWN COE JONES: It would mean everything, you know. I've won three official tournaments on the Tour and it was really fun. But certainly for any Canadian to win here at home, it would be outstanding.

Q. 18 is fighting a few of the players coming in. What is it about 18 that's giving problems?

DAWN COE JONES: 18 is just

Q. 9.

DAWN COE JONES: My 18th hole, No. 9. Okay, I'm confused. The drive is into the wind, No. 1. I had a good drive, 172 yards to the back pin. There's no room left of that pin to miss it. 172 into the wind, I didn't want to hit 4 iron, so I hit 5 just to go to the middle and pulled it a little bit and got up near the edge of the long grass.

Visually you're standing there, you're into the wind, you have got the water on the left hand side, knowing everything kicks from right to left, yet you can't leave it right either. And then you're standing with a long and middle iron. The green looks long and narrow, but once I got up there today onto the green itself, I looked back and it's not that narrow, really. So I think that, too, is once you keep playing the golf course, you get more comfortable on the holes, because I don't really know the holes at all.

Q. You've been the top Canadian at this event 11 times so you're probably very familiar with not taking a lot for granted, being the leader after one round. Just your thoughts on that.

DAWN COE JONES: Well, certainly in any tournament you like to get off to a good start. We still have 54 holes of golf. There's tons of golf to go, and it's fun to get out and get under par. I don't put any pressure on myself anymore; I used to. But I enjoy it. I try to have a good time, enjoy the people. Thank the people for coming out and watching us. And people who said they've followed me for a long time, I like to tell them thanks. And just really enjoy seeing the Canadian flag.

Q. There's been some comments that the pins are just a little too tough, a little too close to the edge. Do you share that sentiment?

DAWN COE JONES: Again, it goes back to the greens. The more you play them, the more comfortable you are comfortable with them. You'll see as the week goes on, probably lower scores, because there are times you have to hit the ball past the pins. You're better off being long, taking the longer club and putting back up the hill. That's just not being comfortable with all the peaks and valleys that are on there.

And yes, there were some that were close to some edges, definitely. But the golf course is in such good shape. The fairways are pretty wide, and if the wind doesn't blow, that's the only real defense the golf course has, is they need to tuck the pins.

Q. You talked about how you enjoy playing here in Canada with all the local people. Was there a time when there was a lot more pressure playing on your own soil, and do you find there are a lot of Canadians that feel the pressure of playing here instead of enjoying the fact they're playing at home?

DAWN COE JONES: The pressure is what you put on yourself. When I was a young player, I did everything, wanted to do everything, never said no. And now I do everything they ask of me, which I'm happy to do, but I enjoy doing it more now. It wasn't an inconvenience like it may have been when I was first playing, because you don't know how to react to it. We don't get press week in, week out like this. It's just part of maturity and learning how to handle it.

Everybody is different out here. Some people like talking to reporters, some don't like talking to reporters until the whole thing it over. Do you know what I mean? It's just experience and learn through maturity.

Q. What was the feeling on the course when you have the gallery that you may not have when you're playing other places, when you've got the support coming. Is there almost a sense like in other sports you hear about home court, home field advantage? Is there any of that when you're out there playing at home?

DAWN COE JONES: Certainly if you're playing well the crowd will definitely get behind you. Hopefully the crowds will get really big on the weekend and you'll have a Canadian or two or three up there and you'll get some roars out there.

Q. Obviously 68 is a score you're happy with. You said it could have been lower. When you were playing your practice rounds and the pro am yesterday, did you feel this was a course you could do well on?

DAWN COE JONES: To be honest with you, Monday I played in the ladies Pro Am it was 20, 25 mile an hour winds, so I got nothing out of that practice round. That and the fact that I played with a junior who could almost hit it farther than I did, and she played the ladies tee, so we hit everything into everything. We hit all the par 5s and all that. Then Tuesday I left. I went to Toronto to watch my son in a hockey camp, so I didn't play Tuesday all. And yesterday we played best ball, so it gave me a little bit better idea of the golf course. But to say I was really comfortable starting today, no, but yet I've been playing well, I've been hitting the ball well, so it was just the case of keep the ball in play and try to hit it in the right quadrant to give yourself a birdie putt.

Q. Jimmy is in a hockey camp in Scarborough?

DAWN COE JONES: Yes.

Q. Is he staying over there?

DAWN COE JONES: They should be here in about two hours, I would think, he and his dad.

Q. He's leaving here in the morning and going to play hockey all day and then coming back at night?

DAWN COE JONES: No, they're staying up there. They flew in Saturday. Sunday, four hours at the hockey Hall of Fame, and then they spent three or four nights, thanks to Bob Weeks, at the National Sporting Goods store or something. It's like, if you want hockey gear, that's the place to go. It's massive.

Q. Is that kind of a nice thing, to be able to bring your son and see your husband and travel? Does it make it easier to be working?

DAWN COE JONES: Well, yes. I only saw them on Tuesday, but yes, it's fun to have them out. They will be out here tomorrow. And then the little guy and I are heading home. I have my junior tournament on Tuesday and we'll spend three weeks on Vancouver Island.

Q. It looks easier for you. I mean, you seem more relaxed. You've mentioned it. Is it coming easier when you are more relaxed right now, the way you seem to be sitting back and just answering these questions almost effortlessly? Is it easier?

DAWN COE JONES: This part of it or the playing?

Q. Maybe a new perspective?

DAWN COE JONES: Well, yes, this has never been life or death for me, and it's certainly not now. I don't want to say I'm in my twilight years, because I'm looking forward to that Senior thing they have got going for next year, because I'll qualify for that next year. I'm just out here having a good time. I room a few weeks out here with A.J. and it's fun watching her career. She's stepping back up again, she's healthy, and it's fun hanging out with her and encouraging her, sharing some words here and there, if I can, but yeah, I'm just having fun still.

PAUL ROVNAK: Take us over your score card. Start wherever you would like.

DAWN COE JONES: Let's start over on 10 where I started.

PAUL ROVNAK: The birdie on 13.

DAWN COE JONES: Give me a minute because I can't remember the holes. What is 13? This is terrible. I've never been able to remember the holes.

Short par 4, hit 3 wood off the tee, 9 iron to about three feet and made the putt.

PAUL ROVNAK: 15.

DAWN COE JONES: 15, that was a tricky pin. I hit a knockdown 7 iron to about 15 feet behind the hole, made that.

18, I had an in between club. I hit a really small sand wedge into about a foot and a half, three feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: 5.

DAWN COE JONES: We all birdied 5, my whole group did. I hit driver, wedge, about eight feet, pin high, made the putt there.

6, I hit driver, 3 wood on the green and 2 putted from about 30 feet for birdie.

PAUL ROVNAK: Bogey on 7.

DAWN COE JONES: Bad bogey on 7. I had 95 to the pin and missed the green with a sand wedge and missed about a 7 footer for par.

8, I hit 6 iron behind the hole about seven feet, birdie there.

And then 9, 5 iron in.

PAUL ROVNAK: You said you pulled a 5 iron.

DAWN COE JONES: On 9.

PAUL ROVNAK: What did you do after that?

DAWN COE JONES: Almost up against the collar on my chip, and chipped it really bad, about 18 feet short of the pin and then 2 putted for bogey.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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