WEETABIX WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2002

Laura Davies

LAURA NEAL: Laura, welcome. Why don't you start by telling us how the course was playing.

LAURA DAVIES: We played the first few holes, no real wind, and you feel like you can make lots of birdies but the back nine it got up and you can make a couple of doubles out there. The greens I think are probably going to get quicker as the week goes on, they are a little bit slow, but the conditions, I've never seen a course in that condition, I have to say.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Typical links at the moment. It doesn't take much as the wind gets up. The greens normally would be a lot harder. You can actually throw the ball right at the pin and hold it, and spun it back on a couple of occasions, which is a bit unusual.

I have to agree with what you say, it's a lot more than I would imagine.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Harder and faster, the better I like it because then it blows a lot more on the field. You have judgment of shots into greens. The field is a lot more in question then.

So I would prefer the wind blows a little bit. You don't want it to rain, but certainly a strong wind would make it a really good test.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: So far I've hit drivers on a few of the par 5s and par 4s that turn into the wind, and even the shorter par 4s, if they are into the wind, you are probably going to need a driver.

Yeah, I will use it when I need to, but I certainly won't use it when it's completely unnecessary, just to get it closer to the green, because the idea around here is to keep it in play.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Well, it seems pretty short to me. I hit a lot of 3-irons, wedges and stuff. There's a couple of holes that are a little bit -- it's difficult to tell whether the tees are further back, but there's certainly a few holes that are surprises. Probably they are just starting -- because if it does come in the bad spots, then the scoring is going to be horrendous.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Well, just off the fairway is okay. Again, they are giving us a chance, but if you stray sort of ten yards off the fairway, then you could potentially leave a few balls out there because it's very, very thick. You can get it out, if you can find it. It's not that length of rough where you just can't move it, but it's very sound.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Well, obviously, any time you've got a chance to win a major. But this is the one for me that I have won this before, but not with the stature that it has now. If I don't win it, it would be a shame, really because the galleries always seem to be very much on my side, very much on the British field side, and it's good fun and it would just be entertaining for me to have a chance and hear the roar of the crowd. I imagine the galleries are going to be very big again.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: If we had four days of weather like this and yesterday, then yeah, there's a lot of players that have a chance because you don't necessarily have to be a long hitter. Having said that, the fairways are pretty generous, so it's pretty much everyone's golf course this week.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: She's a lot older than me if you were judging. No, for me, at any age, you can win championships, people have proved it. It was lovely to see Juli win because she is a good friend. But, no, it doesn't make me think that at 40 or whatever she is -- because I'd be a lot better at 20 years older anyway. 38 is pretty irrelevant.

How old is Juli, anyway?

LAURA NEAL: 42.

LAURA DAVIES: She's very old. (Laughter.)

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Absolutely. If we wanted it to be regarded as a major championship, we have nothing against golf courses like that because they are fantastic venues, but for the actual British Open, I think everyone sees the men out there opponent the links championship courses that everyone knows.

So, yeah, it has to move here to these sort of courses, for the players and the recognition of everyone in golf. We love playing these sort of courses.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: No, I don't think so. Not at all. It's still probably, you know, 10, 12 -- from the sixth place to probably 16th place, if they win this week. And everyone is capable, and that's 18 points and they are right in the top seven. There's a lot at stake this week, not just the British Open.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: I think I would, yeah. For me -- it's five from Europe, five off the American list and two captain's picks. So you get ten spots that you play for and two that haven't quite made it, and if for some reason they couldn't get in, you let them in.

Points; every week you get Top-10 finishes, you get points. At very hard picking up points in America. They are playing a full schedule out there, but they know where the goal posts are. Now, a lot of the players in America have to rely on a pick because they are not going to come back and play week-in, week-out in Europe and get the points.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: They are dragging them away. Obviously that's where a lot of the players want to play. The good thing is, we've got so many good young players coming through in Europe now, how much do we need the old-seasoned campaigners back here, you know, perhaps we don't need them. Perhaps it's better to encourage the younger players to come through.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: I can't remember. McDonald's is the only tournament I played in I couldn't chip and putt.

U.S. Open played really well all week and had a horrible weekend, stood on the 16th tee and ended up 30th -- I think I finished bogey, bogey par which was very disappointing.

Nabisco, I don't really remember where I finished, but again, I don't think I've played horribly badly. Just things haven't worked out.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: All year I felt I've been playing okay. There's always two or three holes that have let me down, and obviously you can't afford that anymore. Ten years ago maybe you would have got away with it, but you don't get away with it anymore.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: I've certainly defined the right and it could be at any time I do play my very best. That's why when I say I don't care how strong the field is. I always feel like I can win. It doesn't happen quite as much as it used to, but you have to believe in it, otherwise you would just play at home.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: I think if it was playing really hard and fast it would, but because of the conditions we have, like I said, I don't think it really favors any particular or somebody who is used to playing on these bit of courses. But again, yeah, if it dries out, obviously an advantage to the players who know.

I didn't grow up playing links golf, but I love playing it because I've watched it so much on TV and it's a different challenge with the shots from the bunkering. Somebody like Janice Moody and players like that who grew up in it, it probably is a big advantage.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: No, not me.

If you want the obvious, you can't really look past two players playing better than anyone this year, Se Ri and Annika. If you take them out of the equation -- Karrie in her best form can win anywhere, Carin Coch, although she doesn't play well last week in Norway she's having an exceptionally good year. As a long shot, I'd say Carin Coch even though she missed the cut last week.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: I think I've got a good chance. I don't know if I'm going to win it. Because that's the thing; I'm going to do more than anything, I'm going to play hard, when you really want something to happen. But I think I have a very good chance to win.

I think someone told me today I was 33 to 1 and I said that was a great price.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: Right, and hopefully they won't be stuck outside because that because mean last year.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LAURA DAVIES: On the nose.

LAURA NEAL: Thanks.

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