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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2006

Karrie Webb

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to welcome the winner of another major championship, finally, the 2006 Nabisco champion, Karrie Webb, two time Women's Open champion.

Karrie, it was a long time coming. You had a long drought and you came back and contended in the LPGA and almost won your second major of the year. What's the difference between your game this year and the previous few years?

KARRIE WEBB: Probably just a little bit more trust in myself and my ability. And then obviously with that comes with good play and trusting myself came a little more confidence. So it was good to see that after I won at Nabisco that I carried on and continued to play well.

RHONDA GLENN: How excited are you coming into this week at the Women's Open, because it's been a long time since you've won this one?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I always look forward to the U.S. Open. I think when you look at the schedule each year, that's the tournament that I probably get the most excited for. So I'm really looking forward to this week. And obviously my game's been in good shape, so hopefully we can at least have a chance to win come Sunday.

RHONDA GLENN: You played nine holes yesterday, you just finished playing 18 holes today. Give us your impression of the golf course.

KARRIE WEBB: Obviously as everybody knows we've had plenty of rain, so I'm sure the course isn't playing the way the USGA or the members here at Newport Country Club would say it was designed to be played, but it's definitely playing very long. You're obviously not getting any roll on the golf ball, but it has dried out yesterday to today, it has dried out a lot. Hopefully if we can keep the water off the course, by Sunday it will be playing a lot differently than today.

It's not a traditional U.S. Open course by any means. I think you feel more like you're playing The British Open than the U.S. Open. But like any U.S. Open course it's got its challenges, and like I said it's playing very long. But the fairways, with them being wet, are pretty generous. If you're driving the ball well, hopefully you're not in the thick stuff too much. Even though it doesn't look that long, it's pretty thick, and seven times out of ten you won't be able to move it to the green. And I think when it's like that, with the possibility of having a chance to move it towards the green, that's big numbers for me.

I think it's a fair setup. If you're hitting the ball really well this week, like any U.S. Open, but this week if you're really driving the ball straight you're going to be hitting lots of greens.

Q. You were talking about having a little more trust in yourself and your ability. How quickly does something like that fade or erode? Is it something that's a process over time that happened with you or something that happened fairly quickly?

KARRIE WEBB: I think it was over time. And I guess when I say I lost confidence, I never lost the belief I could win on any given week. So I still believed and the thing was I still, in my practice, showed that I definitely had the game, too. And I just wasn't taking it out on the golf course and it was probably more and I guess within the last six months well, probably the last 18 months working with Ian Triggs, but in the last six months really, understanding that I had to relearn and teach myself to get away from the technique once I get on the golf course. And I picture the shots that I want to hit and then step up and do it.

Q. You and Annika are the only two players over the last 20 years or so that won back to back Opens. Annika was talking earlier about after she won the two, for the next couple of years she felt like she put too much pressure on herself to get the third one. What was your experience like after you won your two?

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I guess probably similar experience. Obviously well, Annika and I did the same thing, going for three in a row and missed the cut, but I think for Annika, too, those two U.S. Opens came pretty quickly. And I guess they came pretty quickly in my career, probably not as quickly as hers.

But you know how big a tournament this is and what it takes to win, and I think you just want you know that you're capable of winning another one. It comes down to obviously playing well with a bit of luck and good timing to win another one. I think we probably both hold this as the biggest tournament of the year, and you just want to experience that feeling again of winning the U.S. Open and having the trophy in your house for a year.

Q. Can you think back to when you first came back on Tour, what was the reception like to you from other players? Was there like a period where you kind of felt like a freshman in college with a lot of seniors, they wouldn't talk to you? And when does that period pass?

KARRIE WEBB: I never really experienced that. I think because I got off to such a great start in my career that I gained the respect from the old players pretty quickly. And I think well, I think I was pretty humble about it all and I wasn't big naming myself. I gained a lot more respect, as well. So I never really felt, although I was in awe of the fact that I was playing alongside all of these players, I never felt uncomfortable being around them in a way that they made me feel uncomfortable. If I did feel awkward at any stage, it was just that I couldn't believe who I was playing alongside.

Q. Shoe on the other foot, you're a veteran right now, seeing a lot of young players come along

KARRIE WEBB: Can you try and use a different word (laughter)?

Q. You are a seasoned player.

KARRIE WEBB: There you go.

Q. What's your view about the incoming class, if you will, the young players? What's your perception of how they act, how they embrace winning, how they embrace veterans or experienced players?

KARRIE WEBB: We can talk about those other veterans as well, too.

No, I think obviously there's a great group of young players coming out. I think it's going to be really exciting to see how they all progress throughout their careers. And I think I don't know if their attitudes are different maybe to mine, just because I never played any LPGA events before I turned pro and before I earned eligibility to play on the LPGA. A lot of the younger girls are playing on the LPGA as amateurs and teenagers, so when they come out as pros I don't think there's the awe of the fact of being out here, because there's the fact they're so used to it. And therefore they already know how the game steps up and so they're ready to go and they're pretty confident.

RHONDA GLENN: Just curious, you said there were a few players you were in awe of when you first came on. Who were some of those players?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think I could probably sit here and tell you the first time I played with any of the Hall of Famers on Tour, I was in awe of all of those players. And the list could go on. But I can tell you I played with Betsy King on my first tournament in the LPGA in my second round at the Tournament of Champions in Orlando at Grand Cypress. My rookie year was special to me because I played so well, and I got to play alongside the greats of the game.

Q. Has Rhonda ever introduced you to Mickey Wright?

KARRIE WEBB: Mickey Wright is probably the only Hall of Famer I haven't met.

Q. Along the lines we were talking about a minute ago, there was an extraordinary amount of emphasis on the future of the LPGA and these young kids, almost to the disregard of people who had won a lot of majors and career Grand Slams that almost seemed like they were getting ignored. Did you get that sense at all late last year?

Secondly, do you think there's any correlation to the fact that we either hadn't heard much from the young Americans this year and some of the old guards, I don't care what you say, have really played well, not only yourself, but Juli in Phoenix and on and on.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think well, speaking obviously from my standpoint, I did feel like I was a little forgotten. Obviously I wasn't playing well, but it wasn't that long ago when I was at the top of the game. And I think I used that as a little bit of motivation that not only from what was being said and how the Tour was being promoted, but I wanted to show them how good I could play. I didn't want them to be in my group and sort of be like, how did she get in the Hall of Fame (laughter)? If she could do it, then I can do it. So I wanted to show them the standard of golf that I can play. So I think that might have motivated me a little bit.

And what was the second part of your question? The young Americans, their play has dropped off a little bit this year. I think it has, but a lot of pressure has been placed on them. And not only by the Tour, but there's a lot of pressure on them from their families and then the pressure that they're putting on themselves, because they're at the standard that they were at last year, and why am I not doing that again this year.

And I think in some ways I think it's probably good, because what I learned in the last few years is how fine a line it is between playing extremely good golf and playing just about average. All those young players, all the young Americans that you're mentioning or I'm assuming you're talking about, they've had good finishes, but they haven't consistently been playing as well as they did last year. I played with Paula Creamer last Sunday. I don't think she's too far off from playing well, but she just hasn't had the results.

Q. As a veteran player along those lines, with the promising young players, the expectation, you just talked about the pressure on them. At some point do they have to show the goods? At some point do the reputations have to match the results?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess, but I guess it goes along with 31 veteran, sort of 19 and 20, we have those high expectations of them to play well. I think we have to remember that they're very, very young. And golf can be played for such a long period of time that they will show their potential. They might not be reaching what everyone expects of them right now, but they've already shown us what they can do and there's many years ahead for them to prove that to us again.

I think it's tough to be putting them down for a slow six month period. I think there's plenty of them out there that once they they come out with all this confidence and they play well, and I think they're learning probably more about the game right now than they did last year.

Q. How much better player are you now than you were when you won the couple of Opens?

KARRIE WEBB: I think I'm I definitely think I'm a better player. I think I know more about my game. I'm a better ball striker now when I trust myself than I was when I won both Opens. But I think I say that just from experience and what I know and what I've learned. And I think when I won both those Opens, as much as I think I knew what I was doing, I think I know more now what has to be done than I did when I actually won.

Q. There's something you said earlier, and when you started you were kind of overwhelmed a little bit by all the success that was coming your way quickly. And I imagine Annika was probably the same way when she was winning in '95 and '96. I'm curious what you think of when you hear some of the teenagers say, I want to be No. 1, Annika is No. 1, I'm trying to get her, I want to win majors, which is kind of the stuff that we never really heard from you at age 20 and 21, when you were doing things.

KARRIE WEBB: I think I have to smile a little bit because I think that's a young view coming from kids that have grown up the center point of their family structure and been told how good they are their whole life. So they come out and they just say exactly what has been said to them their whole life.

And that's why I think what's good, even though I know that they're probably disappointed that they're not playing as well as they'd like right now, I think it's good that they're learning that it's a really fine line. I don't think Paula Creamer would say that she's playing that much more poorly this year than she was last year; it's just one or two shots here and there make a big difference. And I think it's good that they're learning that because they won't take it for granted so much and they'll realize how tough it is and probably appreciate it a little more.

Q. Unfair burden last year, to be referred to as the future and the hot young rookies, and the blah, blah, blah? Was that appropriate?

KARRIE WEBB: I can see why everyone is excited. I'm excited that there's a couple of young Americans that have a lot of potential because I think that's what the LPGA has been needing in the last five or six years to create a lot more interest from not just the golf community but outside the golf community.

I think it's unfair in a way, but I can see why everyone has gotten really excited about it.

Q. You talked about you said you felt like every week you went out and you felt like you could win, even though you weren't. And I guess you were really in a slump at some point. How did you kick yourself out of that? You talked about different things that happened. You said you realized there's a fine line between playing well and maybe not playing as well. All these things that you learned over this period of time, how did you get yourself out of that, and what drove you to your coach, and if you could spell his name at some point.

KARRIE WEBB: It's Ian Triggs, T r i g g s. He's been working with myself and my lifelong coach, Kelvin Haller, for the last two and a half years.

Q. Basically what drove you to, A, make the changes to a new coach? And what were the benchmarks in regards to, okay, at some point you said to yourself I can't keep playing this way, I've got to figure out something? And what was it; was there anything that happened, was it an event or something, anything like that?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess the reason why Ian joined Kelvin and I is Kelvin and I were making some changes, so I felt to become a better player I needed to be able to work the ball both ways. And so I was making changes in my swing to neutral, because for the most part I only was able to hit a draw. I had different variations of the draw, but I mainly worked it from right to left. And with Kelvin not being here, it just became really hard. And during all that process I started because I'm over here by myself working on my swing, I got really technical and got away from actually what I was what made me successful was that I had a great feel and instincts, and when I went out and played that's what I played with. Because my practice was so poor, I never elevated myself mentally enough in practice so when I got out on the course I mentally keyed in and then I had great visualization and feel for what I needed to do because I got bogged down.

So technically, and even a little bit when I first started working with Ian, it took away from that. So I had to really Ian had to really work hard with me to try and do that.

I still struggled with it right up until after I played in Australia at the start of the year. I went and saw an Australian sports psychologist, as well, who Ian has worked a lot with. We went back to changing my pre shot routine and getting me to hit the ball sooner so that I don't get stuck on the technical things.

And actually this week that's what Ian and I have gone back to. Everything looked good in my swing, I just wasn't hitting it very good. I just went to pulling the trigger a little quicker, and I'm back to hitting the ball to where I'd like to see it at this stage before the tournament.

Even with that I played a few tournaments and I didn't find the success that I I thought it was just going to be a complete turnaround immediately, and it wasn't. I guess you'd have to say that holing that shot at Nabisco, other than propelling me on to win that tournament, it gave me the freedom, I felt like I could go out and trust it. I went I played the first tournament after that and played the first hole like I'd been playing with no trust. And I thought, "What have you got to lose now, you've just won. Just go out and trust it." I played great for another five or six weeks in a row then.

Q. The two majors that had fantastic finishes. And obviously everybody is watching to see how much joy you've gotten out of that. Can you talk about that a little? And the second question, did you feel any particular pride seeing an Aussie win the U.S. Open two weeks ago?

KARRIE WEBB: These double questions (laughter). To answer the second question, you know, it was great to see Geoff win. I have met Geoff, but as much as you see Monty, my heart went out to Monty and Phil; no one wants to end the tournament the way they did. But more was made of that Phil lost the U.S. Open than Geoff won it. But I think the putt he made on 18, he chipped in on 17, but he got two bad breaks on 18, hitting it in the divot, and it was probably the divot's fault that it came up a foot from being perfect.

So I really feel like at the time I thought he had gotten up and down to get into a playoff. But he got up and down to win the U.S. Open. And I know he didn't know it at the time, but I think he knew he had to do it to get in a playoff. It was fantastic to see him win. And obviously he probably wasn't the Australian that was predicted to win the next major, but it was really I was really happy for him to see him win like that.

And then the first question, can you repeat that?

Q. Just being right in the thick of the two majors, and just how much you look like you're enjoying yourself, I guess more than you have in the past.

KARRIE WEBB: That's right, you said why was that.

I think when I was going through my few struggles, and I wasn't it wasn't that I just wasn't winning, I wasn't really giving myself a chance to win and to enjoy the feeling of being in the hunt on Sunday. I guess I look back at when I was playing really well and felt like I didn't really enjoy it as much as I should have. So to be back in the thick of it again that's what I wanted, to just get back and have a chance to win each week, and just to really appreciate that those opportunities don't come along as much as I thought they did, because they were always there at the start of my career.

Q. The LPGA is at an interesting time now with a lot of young players getting a lot of endorsement dollars, as well. I'm curious, you can only speak for yourself, is that a great thing, that it's about time, or is there any resentment at all that why didn't this happen 15, 20 years ago?

KARRIE WEBB: Oh, no, I think every era of players we'll see even 10 or 15 years from now, endorsement money and prize money will be greater than what we're playing for now. I don't have any resentment to anybody making a living either on or off the golf course. I'm obviously very comfortable. I have a very, very comfortable life and golf has been very good to me. I don't hold anybody back from going out there and getting as many opportunities as they can.

Q. With Annika off to a slow start this year, is there sort of a feeling out there that she's lurking in the water and there's a big breakthrough coming?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess maybe. Annika is still playing well, she just hasn't won six tournaments by this time.

Q. Is there a feeling that she hasn't won a major in more than a year and that seems like that's out of character for her, that that could be coming?

KARRIE WEBB: I guess it is, but I think what isn't appreciated enough is the standard of golf she's played for all the years. The standard she's playing now isn't that much of a dropoff, but it's a fine line; one or two shots and she's probably got three or four tournaments under her belt. And to expect her to continue that level of golf every year is when no one really appreciates it is a lot to ask, I think.

And she could win this week and next week and what are we talking about right now? So I think it's very tough to critique and to say that her standard has dropped off that much.

RHONDA GLENN: Karrie, thank you so much.

End of FastScripts.

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