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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 1, 2001

Morgan Pressel

SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, Morgan Pressel is with us. Morgan, just tell us your general impressions of the day today, and how you feel about going in to finish your round tomorrow.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I have to get up early. We have to get up at -- I don't know, what time, 5 o'clock? Be here at 5:45. And start at 7:00. Well, I just got up-and-down four times in a row, so that was good. I have a birdie putt, lost my marker. See, it's not there anymore, it's probably blown away or something. But I think I'm going to finish up one hole very good tomorrow.

RHONDA GLENN: You left your marker out there, and that's where you lost it when play was suspended?

MORGAN PRESSEL: When play was suspended we're supposed to mark our balls. And I'm sure it's gone by now. It's one of the ones that sits there. And so it's probably gone and I have to get a new one.

RHONDA GLENN: What kind of marker was it?

MORGAN PRESSEL: It's from Pinehurst. The other side said Pinehurst No. 2.

Q. Does this cancel your -- cancel your practice round, I assume, you won't get up to Lexington? Was that to be tomorrow or is that not for another week?

MORGAN PRESSEL: When does it start? So I'll get a practice round in Sunday and maybe tomorrow, possibly, but maybe.

Q. Morgan, you had a stretch of holes where you had a double bogey and a bogey, and you seemed to be getting a bit frustrated. And got a little pep-talk from your grandfather. Would you talk a little bit about that stretch?

MORGAN PRESSEL: It wasn't good. I wasn't happy. But I got myself back together and made a few pars. The rain delay right after I hit my first shot on No. 5. Hit it and it was in the air and the horn blew.

Q. What was it that your grandfather said to you? Did he give you any advice that helped you through to turn your game around a bit?

MORGAN PRESSEL: He said just said you're not going to make the cut. But that was half obvious -- completely obvious (laughter.) So just try and shoot two scores in the 70s. And if I par the 9th hole where the pin is -- are they going to change the pins?

RHONDA GLENN: The hole locations will stay the same.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Okay. Where they were, the 9th hole is not easy. It's right on the ledge or close to it. So that might be a bogey hole. But I'd still shoot 78. And I might birdie 8, because I'm right there by the pin.

RHONDA GLENN: How far away are you?

MORGAN PRESSEL: 12 feet.

RHONDA GLENN: 12 feet, putting for birdie tomorrow.

Q. I would think most players, Morgan, if it was clear they were going to miss the putt and only had one hole to play, they sit around all day and got to get up in the morning and come back, may not bother showing up. Is this just a way of extending the experience for you? Do you mind coming back in this situation?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No, I want to finish my experience here. I want to finish my round.

Q. Morgan, you have to be pleased with your week. What did you learn? What will you go away feeling like you learned? And what goals did you accomplish, and what expectations did you meet that you set for yourself?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I didn't set any expectations for myself, so I just wanted to go out -- I had fun. I had a great experience. It's not always as easy as you think out there. People are like, you missed that two-foot putt, you should have made it. But it's not that easy standing over it. You learn that. It's really hard. It's really, really hard out there.

Q. Morgan, the galleries out there, you talked a little about it yesterday, but the galleries seemed strong today, too, even though you entered the round 7 over. Did the galleries excite you at all, playing in front of that many people or do you not even notice them?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I notice them. But I tried not to. You just figure that you're playing -- kind of like they're trees, you're playing in front of the trees, and they're not even a factor.

RHONDA GLENN: Did you come up with that yourself or did someone help you reach that?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No, I actually just thought of that (laughter.) I tried to express it in a way that I would -- that you can express how they're not even there.

RHONDA GLENN: That's a very good way to do it.

MORGAN PRESSEL: I tried.

Q. Does it make you uncomfortable at all to hear you talk about being the future of golf and this and that and the other thing when you're not even out of middle school yet?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Did you say does it frustrate you?

Q. Does it make you uncomfortable? That's a lot of pressure to put on someone your age.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, there is a lot of pressure. They expect me to shoot like 70, and I'm 12 -- sorry, 13. Yeah, kind of, but not really.

Q. Morgan, I was wondering, how did you go about killing this down time here for the last three hours or whatever it's been with the rain delay, what have you been doing?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I was just sitting there. I had lunch and then I was just talking to people, just sitting there doing nothing.

Q. Do you have any school left this year, do you have to go back to school?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No. It's 6:30. How long have I been out? What is that, three hours? Three hours since the last day.

Q. Morgan, after -- this week has obviously changed your life. Are you ready for it to go back to normal next week? Do you think it will go back to normal?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I hope it does. Maybe not for maybe a week or two, but --

Q. You hope it goes back to normal?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah.

Q. Are you going into the 7th grade year?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No, I'm going into 8th.

RHONDA GLENN: Are you going to try to qualify for the U.S. Girls' Junior and the U.S. Women Amateur's Championship.

MORGAN PRESSEL: U.S. Girls' Junior I'm in forever, I don't have to. The U.S. Women's Amateur? Probably, right? Yeah. He's the one to ask, not me.

Q. You seemed to have a little more interaction with your parents today than you did yesterday, was that on purpose?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know. There were rain delays.

Q. I mean while you were playing, like your dad tried to give you a banana and we asked you yesterday if you made eye contact and you said they were never looking at you.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I don't like bananas (laughter.) So that's why. And the rain delay, I'd asked for food, so he brought me a banana and I said I don't like bananas.

Q. Morgan, I was just wondering, let's say you get back to junior golf, which naturally you're going to, what is the confidence level now? You've been out here with the big guns and you did very, very well. And you've been in front of all these people. The confidence level is what I'd like to know how you feel about that.

MORGAN PRESSEL: There's probably a big confidence level. Like I know that I can go out there and play well. And if I can compete here, I can definitely compete well in the junior events.

Q. Looking forward to getting back to junior golf?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah. Junior golf has always been fun.

Q. Morgan, LPGA events have the ability to invite players into their field on a weekly basis. If you were given an invitation in a LPGA event, be invited in, is that something you would do?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I don't know if anyone would turn it down, also. They were sick or -- I don't know, something really big. But, yeah, I would definitely do it.

Q. Morgan, it was suggested earlier to Karrie, since he lives in Boynton and you're in Boca Raton, that maybe you guys get together for a round of golf. A, would you like that idea?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, it would be fun.

Q. For whatever reason she said she might feel uncomfortable calling you, but she wouldn't mind if you called her. You don't seem to be the bashful type to do that. Would you feel inclined to just pick up the horn and give Karrie a call and say let's go play?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah (laughter.)

Q. Morgan, what's the tournament you played in Kentucky?

MORGAN PRESSEL: PGA Junior Series.

Q. Morgan, it seemed a lot of the shots you had out there were a lot of fairway woods, while your competitors were hitting mid irons into the greens. Is that the most difficult part is the length for you, not having the strength?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't think it was really mid irons, I think it was more like a 3-iron. And I don't carry a 3-iron. I only carry a 5-iron. I carry a 9-wood. Not really, because it's still the same, if I hit a 9-wood and they hit 4-iron or whatever.

Q. But did the length give you trouble out there?

MORGAN PRESSEL: It did give me trouble, because I was hitting a lot of fairway woods in. And -- but I'm not that bad a fairway wood player. I'm not good, but I'm not horrible.

Q. When you're not in tournaments, are you home in Florida all summer, are you coming up to Michigan?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Michigan.

Q. For the whole summer?

MORGAN PRESSEL: All summer.

RHONDA GLENN: Where in Michigan?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Gross Point Woods, near Detroit.

Q. Morgan, speaking of -- what do you think you need to improve on to become a better player?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, we just worked on my chipping, and that was pretty good today. My pitching. Like I said, when I play longer courses, the fairway woods are going to be more a factor. And my 3-wood could get a lot better. Even on the shorter courses, reaching par-5s in two.

RHONDA GLENN: Thank you so much for coming in. It's been a joy to have you here this week.

End of FastScripts....

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