KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 30, 2002

Becky Iverson

NEAL REID: Being in contention for tomorrow you must feel pretty good.

BECKY IVERSON: I felt good the other days and I felt good today, but today I just sank a few more putts.

Q. This is by far your best performance here, I think 23 was your best in past years. Did you figure something out about the golf course?

BECKY IVERSON: Yeah, it doesn't set up for me.

I don't draw the ball off the tee, and a lot of the holes are set up for a draw. So this year I decide to hit a lot of 3-woods and 5-woods and take a longer shot in, and that seems to help staying out of the rough, staying out of the bunkers, not in the trees as much, all of that bad stuff I've been in, in years past.

Q. You say this course doesn't set up for you; how do you counteract that? Is there any other -- does that work on you mentally that you know this is a course that doesn't work for you?

BECKY IVERSON: I think it's better this year because I say to myself, "I can't hit driver on this hole." So I'll just hit 3-wood and a 5-iron in instead of a 7- and just live with it, instead of trying to push something that doesn't set up very good for me, and then I start to make bad swings.

Q. Does it force you to focus more?

BECKY IVERSON: I think I have to think a lot around this golf course. I really this to think about how far I land it. Everything off the tee for me I have a lot of trouble. So there's probably more relying on my caddy and making sure that I make -- hit the right club. I always want to hit it, push it, and you have to have someone that says, "Hey, you can't hit it."

Q. Any instances where you wanted to hit and it he didn't want you to, back and forth?

BECKY IVERSON: A couple times. She forced me into 3-wood a couple of times and it was a good move. I wanted to hit driver and she's like, "You can't do that."

Q. So she's been right so far?

BECKY IVERSON: Yeah, she's been pretty good.

Q. Have you had any difficulty reading greens?

BECKY IVERSON: Oh, I've had a ton of difficulty. The first two days, I only had three birdies, one was a chip-in and the other two were tap-ins. I haven't made a putt until today. They are all speed. You have to have just the right speed to get in. And if you hit it just a little too hard, they stay up; and if it's just a little too light, they look like they are breaking off. The thing is maybe after being here for five, six days, I've finally maybe got it a little bit.

Q. You made a very nice living on this tour, but you haven't won in a very long time. What would winning this tournament mean to you personally?

BECKY IVERSON: You know, I think I don't focus on enough and that's probably why I don't win. But tomorrow I just want to have a good round and just play my own game and not worry about what anyone else is doing. I don't need to win to be happy.

Q. What do you remember about that four-hole playoff with Rosie Jones?

BECKY IVERSON: That I lipped two putts out. I couldn't believe they don't go in, because they were going right in the hole, especially the second hole. But I was proud of myself that I stayed tough on every hole, even though I got into some trouble off the tee and got up-and-down from 110 yards on 1. I worked hard.

Q. Did she beat you with a birdie?

BECKY IVERSON: Par. I ended up making bogey on the fourth hole.

Q. A lot of people might be interested tomorrow to see an Annika/Karrie showdown, final round of a major. You can kind of play the spoiler in that scenario. Do you relish an opportunity like that as any extra motivation?

BECKY IVERSON: No. Like I said, I'm going to work as hard as I can and whatever the Lord has for me, that's what's going to happen. I really believe that. There's nothing that I'm going to be able to do, as long as I go out and work hard, He's already got it set, what's going to happen. That's how I feel. There's not much I can do.

NEAL REID: Let's go over your scorecard, birdies and bogeys.

BECKY IVERSON: First hole, I hit a wedge in. I had about 20 feet uphill putt to make that one.

Bogey on 3. I hit way right into the trees and chipped out. Probably had about 60 yards to the hole and probably missed about a 12-footer for my par.

On 6, I hit 7-iron about eight feet.

On 7, I hit a 5-iron about 15 feet.

On 11 I hit a very poor chip and had about a 50-footer. I was very lucky that one went in.

13, I hit 5-iron about a foot.

On 17, I hit short in that bunker. Had about a 7-footer and missed that.

And on 18, I hit a sand wedge and had about a 10-footer.

Q. In years past when you were just driving in the trees and stuff like that, did you try and make these hero shots to come out? With the bogey on 3 today, you just chipped out, took your medicine and moved on.

BECKY IVERSON: No. I was trying to go for the green and it ended up being a chip-out. I think it's not as hard this year. The rough is not as thick as it has been in the past; so you have a chance to run something up on the front of the green if you make good contact, where last year, I remember if I was in trouble, it was all I could do to swing a 9-iron as hard as I could and get it out back in the fairway.

So I think the rough is a little bit easier this year.

End of FastScripts....