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SYBASE CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SHOPRITE

May 16, 2007

Meaghan Francella

CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY

PAM WARNER: Thank you for coming in and joining us. You've had a great season this year. You've won at the MasterCard Classic when you beat Annika in a playoff, had a couple other Top 10 finishes. Just talk about being here at the Sybase Classic here in your hometown.
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Well, it's always nice to come back home. I have a lot of family and friends out this week and just a comfortable setting. I've been looking forward to coming home now since Christmas. I haven't been home since Christmas so just excited to be here.
PAM WARNER: Talk about how you've played this season.
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I started off very well obviously with my win and then followed it up with a Top 5 finish at the Kraft and then another good finish in Mexico, at the Mexico event, finished 6th, shot 6-under the last day. So just felt really good and then unfortunately missed the cut last week. But you'll have days like that, weeks like that, you know.

Q. I'm assuming you like these old fashioned style golf courses. How does it feel to be back at this kind of course?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, well, I mean, I grew up up here, so it's thick rough and quick greens and tree-lined fairways. The golf course is good. I'm hitting it well, so a lot of the holes out there I can make a lot of birdies.

Q. This is for your friends at News 12 Westchester. You mentioned friends and family coming down here to see you play. Is it more pressure or is it more fun or is it a little bit of both having so many people coming here with an interest in what you're doing?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I think it's more fun. My parents come out as much as possible. My dad was there in Mexico when I won, and my mom has only been out once this year. I'm really excited to have everybody out here this week. It's going to be a fun week. Everybody from Port Chester -- you should see Port Chester. I was home just for a couple days this weekend, and it was absolutely insane.
I think everybody has been looking forward to watching me play this year, and a lot of people from Port Chester helped me get out here. They raised a lot of money for me in the fall. We had a big fund raiser dinner, and Port Chester obviously came through for me this year, and I think they're all excited to get out here.

Q. No temptation to be looking over your shoulder? You do what you have to do without worrying about your army and gallery following you around all the holes?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: No, just my dad. You've got to keep him under control (laughing). Other than that, no, everybody is just really excited to be out here. I have great fans, great family and friends, and really excited to have them be able to come out and watch.

Q. After you win does your approach to a tournament change where you start off slow, whereas in the past you're trying to make the cut? Do you become demoralized quicker because you realize you don't have a chance to win that week? Is it hard to get motivated when you're not contending to win the tournament?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: You know, I think obviously you're not going to win every week, as much as you would like to. The goal every week is to win, but when you're not in contention, I think having good, solid finishes, finishing in the top 10, top 20, whatever it may be, I think whatever you can do to build confidence for the next week.
It's definitely something that I try to do because you're not always going to hit it well, you're not always going to putt well. But if you can finish solid and finish well, like with my 66 in Mexico, I was bummed I wasn't playing the next week because I felt like I could win the next week. So I try and just build my confidence level up each week even if I'm not playing well.

Q. You were sick last week when you missed the cut?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I don't know what happened. I got bit by a dog the week off, and I was supposed to be in Tulsa, took the week off to kind of relax and work on my game a little bit.
And then I went to go pick up my car where I had left it and a dog bit me in the leg. So it was one of those, I didn't really get to rest because I couldn't lift my arm from my tetanus shot. It was just one of those weeks.
I don't know if I was just run down, but I woke up Thursday morning and really didn't feel good. I had kind of a chest cold. I'm feeling a lot better now. My mom took care of me this weekend.

Q. Chicken soup?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: A lot to drink. I had ginger ale like crazy all week.

Q. Talking to John, your coach, he said that you're the kind of player that plays difficult golf courses very well. In that light, are you kind of trying to work your game or your year around the majors this year?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I mean, obviously every week is important, but I think for some reason the major golf courses I think set up really well for my game. I drive the ball straight, I hit a lot of greens, and if you hit a lot of greens -- major scores aren't going to be 20-under; it's usually a couple under. That's usually what I'm good for. I'm really consistent.
To be honest with you, I think we have been working a lot towards Bulle Rock and the Open and obviously St. Andrews. Majors are good for Solheim Cup points, so that's obviously in my mind, too.

Q. Two of those coming up in the next month with Bulle Rock and Pine Needles. Have you started to think about those yet in terms of how you want your game to be then or working up to it?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I mean, I think -- I've been at Bulle Rock before and I played Pine Needles last month when I was in North Carolina, so I know what to expect.
You know, I'm going up next week, Tom is up there now, and I'm going to go there and work with him next week. He's more a long-term, and I'm more, okay, what do I have come up next week. But he says, all right, we have Bulle Rock coming up in a couple weeks, we need to work on this stuff. I'm sure when I see him in July we'll be working on my knock-down shot and my run-up shots for the British. He thinks ahead a lot, more than I do.

Q. Have you been to St. Andrews before?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: No, I've only been to Mexico out of the country. It's going to be my first trip to Europe.

Q. When you come to the course, how much of a learning curve is there? How much extra work do you have to do or your caddie have to do or whatever?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Well, I've been here before, but obviously I haven't been here in a tournament setting. Obviously it takes a little bit more time, but you never really over-analyze. I tend to play better when I haven't seen a golf course because I don't know what's out there.
This week, my caddie walked the golf course on Tuesday and then I played 18 holes yesterday and played the Pro-Am this morning. I've played this golf course I think three times. We prepare like any other week, just kind of go out there, play 18 holes, try to get a game plan and stick to it the rest of the week.

Q. What's the key to this golf course?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I think you have to hit it straight. I mean, it's tree-lined. I hit a lot of 3-woods off the tee. I don't think you need to get greedy. I think there's a couple holes where you can cut off corners and take the extra ten yards and make sure it's in the fairway.

Q. Not to bring this up again, but the dog that bit you, what kind of dog was it, and how did that go? Did you see him? I know you have a dog, right?
MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: We have two dogs, yeah. Well, basically I left my car at the director of golf at the North Carolina Golf Course, who I got to become really good friends with. I was going to Mexico for a week, and I said, can I leave my car at your house, and he said, sure. I left it there. He wasn't there when I went to go back and pick it up. But the old football coach at North Carolina John Bunting was there, and he's good friends with him, too.
I walked in to go say hi to him, and his weimaraner was there. The dog was inside, I went out on the porch, gave the guy a hug, the dog kind of nonchalant walked up, bit me in the back of the leg and walked away. He didn't growl at me or do anything like that. It was unfortunate. I don't know, my luck, I guess.
PAM WARNER: Thanks, Meaghan.

End of FastScripts

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