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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 13, 2006

Karrie Webb

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

DANA GROSS RHODE: Karrie, thanks for coming in. You're in the lead right now, you had a great round. Do you just want to talk about that and let's go over your score card.

KARRIE WEBB: My most solid round of the week, ball striking especially. Tee to green hit a lot of good drives today and really felt in control of my iron game as well. Hit some good shapes when I needed to and my distance control was pretty good.

DANA GROSS RHODE: We can start with your score card. No. 5, you had a birdie.

KARRIE WEBB: 5, the par 3, I think I hit a little 6 iron in there to about ten feet.

6, I hit a 7 iron in there to about 12 feet.

7, the par 5, I just hit 3 wood about 20 yards short of the green there. Hit a pitch probably to about 15, 18 feet probably 18 feet, and made the putt.

10, I hit a 7 iron in there to about ten, 12 feet.

14, I hit a 9 iron to about 20 feet, 25 feet.

Q. When you were on top of the game, was that how you played, it was almost robotic, just like right down the middle, just no mistakes, nothing real flashy, but just making putts when you had the opportunity some went, some didn't?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I guess pretty similar, I felt pretty in control today. You know, I feel like, you know, a 66 was the worst I could have shot. I didn't really I only missed three greens, and two of them were on 16 and 17 and I was just on the fringe, putted.

You know, I think it felt pretty similar. I was trying not to get too carried away with it and just enjoy that feeling of that little bit of control for a day. It was good, it was a really solid round.

Q. People keep talking about a comeback, do you feel like that's already done already, like 2005 is gone and you're back to where you were?

KARRIE WEBB: No, I don't think so. I've still got well, back where I was was the best in the world, so I'm not back there.

But, you know, I have that confidence right now, and it feels good to have that little bit of confidence and have that trust in my game and to just go out there and produce the quality of shots that I used to see. Probably even better shots than I'm hit that I'm hitting now. With the changes I've made in my swing, I can work the ball both ways pretty confidently now. I never had a true fade when I was the best in the world. Now that's probably more my stock shot than a draw.

Q. When did you start making the swing changes, was it last year or after last year?

KARRIE WEBB: No, it was about 2 1/2 years well, I started making changes with Kelvin probably, I don't know, the end of 2000, 2001. And then I started to struggle with not getting to see him very much. Ian Triggs has been working with Kelvin and I for 2 1/2 years, almost three years now. Whenever the U.S. Open at out in Portland at Pumpkin Ridge, I missed the cut there and I missed by one, so I was on the range Friday afternoon, and Triggsy was working with Rachel Hetherington.

And I've known Triggsy since I was 13 or 14, so he could see what I was trying to work on and knew I need some help trying to finish it off. So he offered to work with Kelvin and I. And I never wanted to exclude Kelvin from working with me. We have been such a great team since I was eight years old. Triggsy was willing enough to put his ego aside and not be my sole coach, but still be the guy that comes and sees me throughout the year.

So I'd say when I first started working with him it was probably September of '03. So that's when we started making a few more changes.

Q. Was it a matter of everything sort of started kicking in or not kicking in until this year?

KARRIE WEBB: No, it was there. You know, it's still a work in progress, but it was good enough at the beginning of last year. I was actually really quite shocked and disappointed at how poor my year was last year. I felt probably as good at start of last year as I did this year.

And mentally I just didn't have that trust in what I've worked on. I could do it on the range which was probably the most frustrating part was putting and swing wise, I could walk off the course, make every putt and go and hit it flush on the range and just not completely have it out there, and maybe have just one bad shot and mentally, then I just didn't trust it for the rest of the day.

So, you know, that started to change a little bit. Well, probably Phoenix it started to change a little bit more and I saw a couple of putts go in. So that started to help things.

Q. Sorry if you've been asked this already, Pat Hurst, she said that in talking to you, you seemed to have more pep and confidence than you've had in a long time; do you feel that way, like you're embarking on the second part of your career in that sort of sense?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I guess so. I think I know a lot more now, so I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. It's been a really good stretch to this point. But, yeah, obviously playing good golf and shooting some good scores gives you that little bit of confidence and belief, and it sort of it feels great that that hard work, you see it paying off on the golf course now, not just on the range or on the putting green.

Q. Will you manage your game tomorrow with a five shot cushion the same way you would if you were tied for the lead?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, that's what you've got to do. I mean, five shots can be gone in a couple of holes if you don't go out there with the same trust that I have played with for the last three days, so that's what I've got to do.

Q. Do you get a sense when you're playing with somebody, and you're so steady and so consistent that every time they make a mistake, at some point they want to turn to you and say: Get your foot off my throat, like please do something wrong here?

KARRIE WEBB: I don't know, you know, I've played with a few people in the last few years that go out there and don't make too many mistakes and you're the one making the bogeys and then trying to make shots up.

Yeah, it just feels good to play such a solid round today when I started the day with a one shot lead and extended it to five. It just was a really comfortable day. I felt really good out there.

Q. How conducive were the conditions to low numbers, I think there were 13 or 14 rounds in the 60s today. It looked pretty immaculate out there just walking around?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, well, when it's mid 70s and maybe a five yard breeze and the sun is shining, and then you're playing on a perfect conditioned golf course, too. I wish we could play golf like that every day of the year.

Q. Was this the best scoring day of the three, or was yesterday just as good?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, today from tee to green was probably my most solid day. Probably I didn't putt as well as well, I putted outstanding on the first day. And the last few days I probably haven't putted as well, but made putts when I needed to.

I think the biggest thing today, I think my longest par putt was about 3 1/2 feet on 16. So, you know, I never had to really work for a par at all today.

Q. When you say that you really felt like you were in control, do you mean in control of your swing, in control of your emotions, in control of course management, in control of the tournaments, all of those things?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, probably all of them in control of the tournament, I guess I just felt like I was in control of all those first few things. My emotions and my swing felt great. I was able to picture the shots I wanted to hit and actually just go in there with a lot of trust and feel and pull those shots off.

After you do that a few times, then you really feel pretty confident.

Q. Sort of slicing things thinly, but did you feel this sense of control at Nabisco at any point?

KARRIE WEBB: No. (Laughter). Well, Sunday I was coming from behind, so I didn't feel in control until I made that putt in the playoff.

Q. When was the last time you felt this much in control?

KARRIE WEBB: I can't remember the last time actually. I don't know, it's been a while. Probably well, I won by a few shots in Chicago, was it two years ago? I won by I think five or six shots in Chicago. I played really well that week, too.

Q. Is that sense of calm and steadiness and unflappable, is that more difficult for you to maintain on Sunday?

KARRIE WEBB: I hope not. If I come out with the same attitude that I've had the last three days, I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself, but I am, just go out there and trust my ability. You know, it's not my tournament yet. 18 holes is a long way to go on this golf course, and you know, I just want to go out there with a lot of confidence. I'm really proud of myself that I put myself in this position. I feel really good about things, and we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Q. With Lorena shooting a 65 today, and with what happened at Kraft, how interesting does that make that pairing for you?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think this is the third Sunday in a row we've got paired together. You know, Lorena is capable of shooting 62 tomorrow. She's playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and playing really well.

So, you know, and Pat Hurst, again, I know she's probably disappointed with the way she finished, but she's capable of that, and so is Cristie. Cristie is playing with a lot of confidence, as well, right now.

That's why I don't feel I would have liked to make that putt on the last or get a couple more coming in. You know, I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow and there's a lot of great players chasing me, so we'll just see what happens.

Q. On the same theme, will there be a little bit extra playing with Lorena, 1 and 2 on the Money List, is there already a little bit of a rivalry starting there?

KARRIE WEBB: Oh, I don't think so. It's too early in the season to really worry about that. This tournament really is the start of a big couple of months with big tournaments, three majors and stuff coming up.

You know I'm just really pleased that I'm second on the Money List. Even the way I started the year, I thought it was going to maybe be another slow year, and the last five tournaments have really turned things around for me. I'm not going to be thinking about that end of year stuff just yet.

Q. How long was the putt on 18?

KARRIE WEBB: It was about 20 feet probably.

Q. Maybe I'm just kind of making this up, but it seems like you're almost hesitant to accept the fact that you can trust yourself now; maybe last year was a false alarm and maybe I shouldn't trust myself even though it looks like I should.

KARRIE WEBB: It's not that. It's just I've learned how fickle this game is and how fine the line is between playing really good and maybe not so good. So I'm going to ride the good side of the line for as long as I can.

DANA GROSS RHODE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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