THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 21, 2002

Laura Diaz

Juli Inkster

Meg Mallon

Q. Congratulations to all three of you, we are missing Kelli but she is back out, has some more work to do this afternoon.

Q. Why don't we start with you, Juli. I know this was an important win to get one up there.

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, it was. I really struggled yesterday afternoon and I stunk, but I had a tough night last night. I mean, I thought Kelli played really good yesterday and I just kind of felt like I really let her down, but I came back today and played a lot better, and Meg and I teamed well, and she helped me get out of my little funk I was in, and I finally got a win and got a point for the United States, which was huge.

So I feel a lot better, take the afternoon off and get some rest, and come back out tomorrow.

Q. Juli, will you take us through the sequence there at 14 where you hit the great tee shot and then your second shot there at 15, and did that kind of turn the momentum of the match there?

JULI INKSTER: Well, Meg hit a great shot on 13, the par 5, and I went a little left of where I wanted to go and missed that putt, and we were fortunate to walk away just one down there because Laura had -- if you can have a putt on that, that's the putt you want, straight up the hill.

And then 14, it's the perfect yardage for me, just a nice controlled 8-iron, and yesterday on that hole it was back right and I pulled it, and I just said I wasn't going to wimp out on it, I was just going to go right after it and I hit a great shot in there. They gave us the putt.

And then on -- really, on 15, it was -- I mean, I know Meg didn't want to hit it there, but it was really not that hard a shot for me because when I practice, I practice on the side hill lies.

MEG MALLON: That's right.

JULI INKSTER: So if there is any side hill lie, that was the perfect one for me, and I don't have any problem getting high over that tree. The lie was kind of ^ thumb pea over there, and I was kind of hoping it would shoot out of there, hit it on the green, got away with a par there.

And I left Meg hanging a little bit on 16 with the /H*UT, LPGA putt, but I left Laura hanging on that putt yesterday, too, but you know what, we teamed well, we were 2 down early, and we hung in there, and Meg made a huge putt on number 5 for bird, and that really got us going.

Q. Actually, back-to-back birdies there at 5 and 6, that was more or less the ^ ski on the front side, wasn't it?

JULI INKSTER: Well, I think so. The bird on 5 was tough because, you know, we were in there and, I mean, you could drop a pin and hear it, and everybody -- you could just -- I know Meg is over there thinking everybody is just waiting for me to make this thing, and it's hard not to feel that way, and Meg just hit a great putt in there, and to go -- just to go to 1 down, we felt pretty good. You know, they had a tough putt on number 6 for par, so I gave it a little bit of a run there and it happened to go in. So that was big for us.

Q. Meg, when you look at it, a flawless round, 4 birdies, no bogeys in the round.

MEG MALLON: That's terrific. That's the way to play. I played the same way yesterday with Kelli Kuehne and we lost on 16, so that's just match play. But that's what we try to do, hit fairways and greens, give your par a chance at a putt, and Juli, you and I did a really good job of that today.

Q. This is for anybody that wants to answer it, just curious if you guys talked at all about doing better in foursomes, it seems like not only this year, but in past years?

MEG MALLON: We are happy, this is our best foursome day ever.

JULI INKSTER: Give them the line.

MEG MALLON: The one about rookies?

JULI INKSTER: The rookies don't know we stink in this format, so they are carrying us. I mean, this is the best we have been, and -- but you know what? We have got a lot of different players on this team, a lot of different type of players, and as Patty says, you can pretty much put any two together and come out and at least have a chance to win.

MEG MALLON: I got to tell you, I am worn out because I have had to use two different golf balls and use those all week and have three different pars and three different personalities, so I think I am going to go home and get some rest this afternoon and get ready for my singles match tomorrow.

Q. You play singles tomorrow, but you won't play this afternoon, right?

MEG MALLON: No.

Q. Let's talk for a moment -- maybe the two of you could give me an idea, the toughest holes out there on this golf course after three rounds, for both of you.

MEG MALLON: Well, I think 9 is, but I am two under on it. We made a great par there, by the way.

JULI INKSTER: We did make a great par. We lost the hole but --

MEG MALLON: Nine is -- I tell you what, there is not a bad hole out there, every one you have to pay attention to, that's what's so great about Donald Ross designs, but 9 sticks out -- the par 3's are all great.

JULI INKSTER: I think 5 is a good hole, 17.

MEG MALLON: Five is a really good hole.

JULI INKSTER: Yesterday all 18 were tough.

MEG MALLON: I think the par 3's, really, those are key holes, especially in the foursome play, because the par 3's were all even holes so the same player was hitting the shot on the par 3's and I think they had a lot more pressure on them.

Q. Laura, do you feel like --

LAURA DIAZ: You felt sorry for me so you had to ask me a question. I appreciate that. I know Laura told somebody back there to ask me a question.

Q. Do you guys feel like you have a much better momentum now than the Europeans, obviously, after this morning? Do you sense a difference in the atmosphere between your team and the European Team when you are playing with them?

LAURA DIAZ: Well, I just think that we are very united out there. Obviously, I am not in their locker room so I don't know what goes on over there, but in the matches that I have played, it seems like we talk a little more than they do. But again, you know, Helen and Suzann are talking in Swedish, so I really don't know what they are saying.

JULI INKSTER: I do.

LAURA DIAZ: But as far as we go, I just think we are really united as a team. We have had a lot of bonding moments this week, and we have just got the spirit within us all that makes us fight harder and, you know, give it our best every chance we have got.

Q. Juli, I came in late and missed some of your talk about how you stunk yesterday, apparently, you said, or something to that effect. What was different about today? Did you change -- did you work on anything in particular? Was your swing bad yesterday, or what was it that was different from yesterday to right now?

LAURA DIAZ: She had to play with all the rookies.

JULI INKSTER: No, no, my rookies carried me yesterday, that's for sure.

I stunk, and --

MEG MALLON: Juli, that was yesterday.

JULI INKSTER: I know, today I was a lot better. You know, I was really down last night, my team picked me up, and I just went out there today, my teacher and my husband just kind of gave me two really simple thoughts to work on and not try to be so mechanical out there and hit the perfect swing, and, you know, I just -- once you see yourself hit a couple good shots, it makes it a little easier, and that's what happened today, I hit a few good shots early and got some momentum going.

And playing with Meg, we have played together and we are friends and, you know, she kind of just knew what to say and when to say it, and I think sometimes that helps.

Q. Laura, if I may, three matches, you have been responsible for two points. You got to be pretty happy with that.

LAURA DIAZ: I am not responsible for three so I am not happy. No, just kidding. Yeah, you know, I have dreamed a lot about coming here and playing, and it's been way more than I could ever have asked for. Both of the points that I won were a lot of fun. I think the point that Juli and I lost together didn't -- it didn't feel like we lost it because I really felt like we played pretty well.

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, quite good.

LAURA DIAZ: So it's disappointing, definitely, that we didn't win it, but it felt like we teamed well together, and they just happened to make three more birdies than we did. It's been exciting and way more than you could ever dream of, and I am -- yeah, I am pretty happy with how I am doing so far.

MEG MALLON: We are comfortable with our future, the American team.

Q. All right. Thank you.

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