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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP


March 28, 2007


MacKinzie Kline


RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

PAM WARNER: Thank you for joining us today. You played here in the Pro-Am a few years now at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and you'll get a chance to play on the LPGA in just a couple of months at the Ginn Tribute. Annika has given you a sponsor exemption. Just talk about how excited you are to play.
MacKINZIE KLINE: I'm very excited to play. I really can't believe that I'm actually going to be able to play, but I'm excited and hopefully I'll play good.
PAM WARNER: You played in the Pro-Am yesterday, can you talk about playing here at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in the Pro-Am.
MacKINZIE KLINE: It's fun. I love playing in Pro-Ams and it's always fun meeting pros and playing with people and just meeting everyone, it's really, really fun.

Q. You've been around this tournament for a few years, but in the Pro-Am. In a couple of months, it's going to be not just you playing in the tournament, but all of the folks in the world maybe. Are you anticipating being nervous, being comfortable, not being able to take the club back?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I'll definitely be nervous. Hopefully I won't be too nervous that I'm not going to be able to take the club back. But I'm definitely going to be nervous because I always want to play good. Whatever kind of tournament it is, I always want to do good. It's just going to be a ton of fun.

Q. Were you surprised that you got the exemption and that they not only gave you that exemption, but gave you the waiver on the cart, as well?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Yes, I was very surprised. My dad was talking about it first, and I thought, okay, maybe they would let me play, but I never really thought it would actually happen. But it did and I was so excited when it did. It's just -- it's amazing.

Q. You could not compete in that tournament without the use of that cart; is that correct?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Yes, I would not be able to. I probably could if I wanted to, but it would be very, very hard for me to actually play good and be able to focus.

Q. Hard in terms of finishing 18 holes in a day or four days of 18 holes?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Four days of 18 holes. Even with the golf cart two days, it's hard for me to do.

Q. Have you followed the whole situation with Casey Martin and what he had to go through in order to play in a professional tournament?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Well, at first I knew about him but I guess yeah really follow it or think about it until I really needed a golf cart. Then I started to learn about it, and it was really cool what he did and how he went through all of that to get a golf cart for other people.

Q. Do you feel now that you've done the same thing for the female side?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I guess so, kind of, but it was pretty much -- it was Casey Martin who really did all that. If it wasn't for him, I might be doing what he was doing back then.

Q. You've talked about your Pro-Am event here and other events that you participated in. Now you have from now until you go to Annika's tournament. Can you talk about what you'll do in between?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I'm just going to practice really hard and work on my game and hopefully it will be good and I'll be playing good by then and hope that I do well.

Q. (No microphone.)
MacKINZIE KLINE: Well, I go to charter school, but that's how I went to charter school, so it would be easier for me to practice and work on my game.

Q. (No microphone.)
MacKINZIE KLINE: No, no, not really.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your condition and what you're able to do, what you and can't do in terms of conditioning, physical conditioning.
MacKINZIE KLINE: Well, I can't do any aerobics activities because I only have three chambers. And because of my blood clots I have, I can't do roller coasters or I can't go on a boogie board, or if I wanted to try surfing, I couldn't do anything like that. I just have to be really careful of what I do and if I want to do something, I have to make sure that it's going to be okay for me to do.

Q. What can you do in terms of conditioning for golf other than hitting balls and practicing?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I can be normal; I can go see movies of course, shopping, those are things I like to do. I work out.

Q. What can you do working out in terms of preparing for playing golf?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I can't do anything aerobic like I said, but I can do weights and I can just get strong that way, but nothing aerobic.

Q. Can you tell us about your relationship with Annika Sorenstam?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Well, I met her at the Nokia. I actually got to play with her nine holes. It was so much fun watching the greatest golfer, LPGA golfer play.
She's really nice, very nice, and actually she's shy kind of. I never really thought she would be shy but she was, and it was so nice and I love watching her golf game. It was incredible to watch.

Q. Obviously Annika helped to get you this exemption. Have the other players talked to you about they are excited about having you out there or anything like that?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Like the LPGA ladies?

Q. Yeah.
MacKINZIE KLINE: Actually I played with one yesterday, Tina Barrett, and she knew I was going to play and she was excited for me. I think that's really nice knowing that they are excited for me to be able to play, and it's going to be a ton of fun.

Q. What's the strength of your game?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Strength of my game, oh, boy. I think I'm starting to hit the ball further which is good I think. I'm really working on my putting right now and trying to get that really good and hopefully that will be good by May.

Q. Do you have a favorite player? I'm going to guess it's Annika, but just for the record do you have a favorite player?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I have a few favorite players. I like Annika. I like Lorena, I like watching Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer. I've met a lot because of Pro-Ams but I just start liking all of them because they are so nice and you want all of them to do good.

Q. Do you watch the men on TV?
MacKINZIE KLINE: I really don't actually. Every once in awhile but I don't watch them as much as the LPGA.

Q. You don't necessarily have a favorite player on the PGA TOUR?
MacKINZIE KLINE: On the PGA TOUR I really like John Daly. Guy to play with him at the Pro-Am at the Buick and it was really fun. He's a really nice guy.

Q. What was that like? A lot of people have different sort of takes on John Daly. How did you find him to be?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Of course I was a little nervous, but he was a really nice guy, outgoing guy. He came up to me, like high, I'm John Daly, and he was really fun. He's just a really nice guy and he likes to help charities and help kids and it was very, very fun.

Q. Did you believe how far he could hit the ball?
MacKINZIE KLINE: It was really good. He hit it really far and just swung at that ball so hard. But his short game is really good, really, real will I good.

Q. What's your average driving distance these days?
MacKINZIE KLINE: These days I want to say I can hit it almost probably 250 if I hit it good, probably 240 around.

Q. And the overall prognosis for your illness?
MacKINZIE KLINE: You mean like?

Q. Meaning like what's your future going to be like; are they telling you?
MacKINZIE KLINE: They are really not telling me because when my doctor kind of said was that where I am right now, none of the medical stuff has really caught up to me yet.
So we're just waiting on that, so I'm just going to have fun and play a lot of golf, and then maybe in the future, who knows what kind of medical stuff they will have out.

Q. I've seen a picture of you swinging and you've had like an oxygen tube or something under your nose, do you have to have that during a round at some point?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Yes, I do. Even with I'm just playing golf, I'll take it just in case, if I'm playing just for fun. But tournaments I always take it. Probably I'll use it every hole at least once to keep my oxygen level high so I can focus and be able to play pretty much and do well.

Q. That's just to help your energy level and fight off fatigue?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Yeah, it's just to help my energy level and keep my oxygen level high.

Q. So in between holes, green-to-tee, you might use the oxygen?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Yes, in between holes or between shots.

Q. Is there an oxygen tank that you can use or a fanny pack --
MacKINZIE KLINE: It's a bigger size and it actually makes its own oxygen. So I just use that, and especially in the cart, I don't have it on me. And then when it's in the golf cart, that's what I use it.

Q. Speaking of charities, you have one that you're trying to raise money for now, could you tell us a little bit about that, and if anybody that you've played with along the way has given you any pointers?
MacKINZIE KLINE: Well, the Children's Heart Foundation, and I raise money for them. I've been the spokesperson for them for I think almost about five years now. And we just do fund-raisers, golf fund-raisers and raise money for them. I've raised so far $725,000 and my goal is a million, so I'm close to that.
Everyone I've met, John Daly, all of them, they thought it was great what I was doing, so it's really made me think that I'm doing something pretty good. And it's fun to help others and to help kids. It's really, really fun.

Q. (Where is it based out of?)
MacKINZIE KLINE: No, it's not based out of San Diego. San Diego has its own little tournament called the Mac Kline Celebrity Classic and it's actually at La Costa it's going to be played at. But it not based out of there.

Q. (No microphone.)
MacKINZIE KLINE: It's really kind of what everyone wants. Most of my friends, my close friends, people who I really know, they call me Mac and my teachers will call me MacKinzie. But I like Mac. Everybody calls me back and it's what I go by -- they call me my full name when I'm in trouble.

Q. What's your next couple of goals in your golf career?
MacKINZIE KLINE: In my golf career, well, of course, I want to play in the USGA events this year, this summer which would be very fun and hopefully some day I'll play on the LPGA Tour. I would love to do that. That's my biggest goal but right now I just want to do really good in the USGA events.

Q. Will you be here to watch the tournament?
MacKINZIE KLINE: No, actually I'm leaving, I'm leaving tonight to go back hope.
PAM WARNER: Thank you, MacKinzie.

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