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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC

June 4, 2005

Laura Davies

ABSECON, NEW JERSEY

PAUL ROVNAK: Laura, thanks for coming and joining us. Even par yesterday, 9 under today. It's an amazing score, a new tournament record here. Take us over your score card.

LAURA DAVIES: No. 3, I had a drive and a 4 iron to six feet, and holed that one.

4, driver and sand iron, 30 feet short and I knocked it in.

6 iron off the next tee and sand iron to 15 feet.

Drive and pitching wedge down the next to 18 feet, holed that one.

6, hit a good drive and sand iron to six feet, holed that.

Then No. 11, hit a 7 iron to about 25 feet.

15, hit a drive down there. I only had about 50 yards to the pin, hit a good chip to four feet and holed that.

Hit a drive and 3 iron on the par 5. I had to chip it up stiff, took an eagle chance.

And missed the last two short ones.

PAUL ROVNAK: You said when you came in you were thinking about 59.

LAURA DAVIES: Yes, when I birdied 6. No, when I got to 6 after eight. And the way I was hitting it, I figured the two Par 5s, if I could get to 9 under with three to go it was all on. I was eight under. I hit that 3 iron on 16, if that goes close, you never know. It pitched about 5 feet from the pin and went just through the back.

Q. How did you feel before the round started? Did you have a sense you were going to do something special today or did that occur during the round?

LAURA DAVIES: I played well yesterday. I was 3 under at the turn yesterday. And then that rain, the water was too much. We tried everything to keep the clubs drive, but eventually I hit a poor shot on No. 2, which was my 11th hole yesterday and ended up making a double. So that round should have been better than the level par I shot, so I figured I was playing well. I finished third in Austria last week.

It's all about the putting. I've been playing well all year. I holed some really good putts, as you can see by the numbers today.

Q. What happened on the 17th tee? Were you distracted by the photographer?

LAURA DAVIES: The guy took the picture. It wasn't a member of the gallery, it was a Tour photographer. Maybe he had a twitch or something. As it turns out, I got a really good lie and a good break off the cart path. In a way it worked out to my advantage, because it was the easiest shot in 15 years. But I called him a nasty name. He deserved it. We're trying our hardest out there and he shouldn't have done it.

Q. 18, go over that hole.

LAURA DAVIES: I had to obviously hit into the wind because I had to hit a really big drive and got one away just in the left hand rough, but the rough is not that bad this year, as long as you don't go into that deep stuff. If you can keep it in the first or second cut, it's not too bad.

Then I had a 3 iron from 220 and I killed it and I can't believe it came up short. It was a perfect number for a 3 iron. Judging on how we did the shot on 16, it should have been up there by the pin. It was just short, didn't quite hit the putt.

Q. You made a lot of good sized putts today. When that's happening, do you have a special feeling? Do you see the line?

LAURA DAVIES: Paul, my caddie, was reading them. I concentrate on pace and he gives me the line. I'm trying to hit it to about 18 inches past on every putt and he read the greens accordingly and he did it well today. The one at the last, I agreed with him totally that it wasn't going to break that much, and it just died left.

The one on 17, I think it was in a bit of a hole because it died left, as well.

Q. You start the final round one off the lead. You haven't won in four years. Does it feel like a drought?

LAURA DAVIES: Not really. I have won in Europe. I won the Australian Masters two years ago, and the Australian Open last year. So I have been winning, I just haven't been winning on this Tour.

Q. Were the bugs bothering you?

LAURA DAVIES: They were horrible, unbelievable today. If it's not the green heads or the rain it's a battle of attrition out there. I love the golf course. That's why I do keep coming back, because I always feel I should do well at this tournament, and I very rarely do. Maybe this year I will do a bit better than I normally do.

Q. Do you relish the fact that you're behind two Hall of Famers tomorrow?

LAURA DAVIES: I'm not sure if we're playing in 2s or 3s. It would be nice if we were in 3s then I could see the action, but if we're playing in twos, I will be in the second to last group. It will be a shame. It sounds obvious, but if you shoot a low round tomorrow, you can win it. There are probably 1 of 4 players that can win it. I think Pat has 7 under or 8 under. It should be down to the last four.

Q. Laura, we mentioned the fact that you haven't won on this Tour in a while. You remain two points short of Hall of Fame status, does that get to you after a while or do you just knock it out of your head?

LAURA DAVIES: I'm of the firm believer I will get the two points at some point. I don't worry about it. Obviously yes, I would love to win this week and next week and then I would have one point too many. It's one of those things, if I don't do it, then obviously in five or six years' time I will be very disappointed because that will mean I haven't won in ten years on Tour out here, which would be mind blowing really, because I feel like I'm still one of the better players. If you don't hole the putts nowadays you don't win, because these girls are good.

Q. You said you felt like you should always play well here but you haven't sometimes in the past. Any particular reason to that?

LAURA DAVIES: I haven't read the greens well, and Paul has been reading them really well, in yesterday in those rainy conditions. I don't know, the course feels a little English, a little linksy out there, and I like the way the long rough looks. That's why I feel like I should play well around here, but we've never putted well and this is quite a short course in all honesty and you have to putt well.

Q. Does he read the greens for you at other courses, too?

LAURA DAVIES: Yes, just not as well.

Q. Have you shot 60 in your career?

LAURA DAVIES: No. That's why I was interested in 59, because it would have been lovely. And then the 60, obviously, I had a chip at the last and didn't make 61. 62 is a good round.

Q. You've had how many 61s?

LAURA DAVIES: None.

Q. This is a career low?

LAURA DAVIES: I had a 10 under 62, once. This is obviously a 9 under 62, so it's still not the best round.

Q. You're in Atlantic City, and we always ask when you come here, are you hitting the casinos at all?

LAURA DAVIES: We're staying in a house this year, maybe that's why I'm playing well. Normally I'm at Bally's and I play poorly on the course. The house is on the beach. I have been over there a couple of times. I'm not losing. I've probably been to the casino three hours all week and I'm about $900 down.

Q. I'm pretty sure the pairings are two tomorrow. Are you the type of player that will keep an eye on the score board?

LAURA DAVIES: Yes, I'll be interested, like everybody else, how it is going. I'd like to stick a number up there that nobody can reach. It's nice to have a chance to win. I had a chance in Austria last week. I was right in contention. Maybe last week's disappointment will work out this week. I've got to shoot I would imagine, if I don't shoot 7 under tomorrow I'm not going to get a look in. That's what we'll try to do.

Q. Is there any sort of advantage being in the next to last group, and you can put pressure on the group behind you?

LAURA DAVIES: You can't put pressure on Annika because she's so good at the moment. She knows what to do and how to win. And Juli has nothing to prove. She's very relaxed. I have the goal of getting into the Hall of Fame. Other than that, I'm enjoying playing at the moment. I'm playing well tomorrow. And if it doesn't work out tomorrow, it will work out another week down the line. I'll definitely be up for it and a bit nervous on the first tee.

Q. A general question for you. The string of majors and including the Match Play is coming up. How intense is that kind of schedule because it's so condensed.

LAURA DAVIES: It's great. If you can hit form this month, you're going to be high on the Money List, the Player of the Year. Everything can happen if you have a good five weeks now. Obviously a good day tomorrow is a good start to basically the whole year in a month. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but if you happen to hit form in that month, it's a good thing; if not, it's a terrible thing.

Q. Do you think most of the players like playing the week before a major?

LAURA DAVIES: I don't know. I do. I've never been one of these that doesn't like playing the week before the major. But I think it's a very strong field this week, I haven't seen all the names that are here, but that has bearing, and a lot of players do like to come and play before.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you, Laura.

End of FastScripts.

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