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LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 24, 2007

Beth Bader

CORNING, NEW YORK

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Thanks for joining us today. You're the leader in the clubhouse with 7-under, and you also four 7 birdies today. Will you talk about your round.
BETH BADER: Yeah, 7 birdies and no bogeys, which was nice. Like I said earlier, the golf course is yielding some birdies, but there are some tough holes out there.
I think I hit 11 fairways and 17 greens, so that helps. Once you hit the greens they're small enough you can get birdie shots on every one of them. I hit the ball really good and I made some putts.

Q. Can we go over the birdies on the scorecard? Start out with the second hole.
BETH BADER: Sure. Yeah, No. 2, the short Par 5. If you don't walk away with a birdie you feel like you dropped one. I just hit 6-iron in there to 6 feet up the hill and missed the eagle putt and tapped in for birdie.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: No. 5?
BETH BADER: And 5, again, is another short Par 5. But the key there is to try to hit it in the fairway, and knocked it to the left front fringe and had another tap-in birdie there.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: What club was that?
BETH BADER: I think I hit 6-iron in there.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: No. 6?
BETH BADER: And then No. 6 was pitching wedge to 6 or 7 feet past that hole and made a good right to left slider, so that was kind of felt like I stole one there too.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: No. 8?
BETH BADER: 8, was driver in the fairway to, I think, I had my 50 degree wedge. I think it was a 110 shot. Hit it to 4 feet straight up the hill and made the putt.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: 10?
BETH BADER: 10 was -- I think I had 98 pin, second to 4 feet right of the hole and made the putt.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: All right. 14?
BETH BADER: Is that the Par 5?
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Par 5, yes.
BETH BADER: I actually hit in the right rough. Had to punch out 5-iron to 150 yards. I had 165 pin and hit a 6-iron up there to 10 feet short of the pin.
So I did it a little unconventional, but it was good. I think it was a ten-footer up the hill for a birdie.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: And 17?
BETH BADER: Good 3-wood off the tee. Had 96 yards and knocked it to 8 feet below the pin.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: What club was that?
BETH BADER: I hit 56.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: 56 to 8 feet?
BETH BADER: Yeah.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: 10, what club was that?
BETH BADER: 10, I hit 56 again.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: All right. Questions for Beth?

Q. You just went over your distances and yards. Every birdie you had you knocked it within ten feet. Was that the key today?
BETH BADER: Yeah, that was a key today. Like you said, I was hitting it good and having those opportunities with some shorter irons, which was nice.
It kind of allows you to be on the right side of the pin, left side of the pin. This is a golf course that a lot of the holes you need to be below the hole, and it worked out pretty well today.
I was able, with shorter irons, able to kind of pick my spot and was actually able to hit it, so that was good.

Q. What's the main thing this year that's holding you back? You don't have a coach or anything.
BETH BADER: Yeah. Well, you know, honestly I've been hitting ball so good this year and it's been pretty disappointing that I haven't scored or placed higher in a tournament.
But I just feel like I just haven't been making putts as of lately. That's even more frustrating to hit the ball as good as you do to 4 or 5 feet and miss the putts, because I did that at Kinsmill and missed the cut by one. I just missed so many putts it just drives you bonkers.
You just have to keep grinding and know these putts are going fall. They fell today and I felt comfortable. So I obviously worked hard in the off-season with my iron play and it sure has improved. Now I just need to get focused a little bit more with the putting. It turned out pretty good today.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: Yeah. I have made a lot more cuts. If you look back, I haven't started the seasons out very well in the past. I know it's my seventh year and I know I feel like I'm a veteran I should be up there more often, but golf is so crazy.
I'm pleased with my season, how it started. Would I want more Top 10s? Absolutely. Bu you have to be patient and I am staying patient. It's still early in the year. I feel like I'm kind of getting in form and coming into some bigger tournaments. You know, majors are coming up.
So you just have to stay patient. I don't know how many times you can say that word. But I have and it's been paying off. My ball striking has become really good. I feel really good over the ball. I feeling like I can hit my targets.
So I'm pleased with how the season has started. Yeah, absolutely.

Q. Prior to this what is your lowest round at the Corning Classic?
BETH BADER: Oh, you've got to help me on that one. Got to be 66 or 65 maybe. I had a hole-in-one here. I think last year 66 maybe.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: I can double-check that for you when we get back out there.
BETH BADER: Yeah. That was three years ago, I think. I this is think it was on that day. I think I shot 66, but I can't be for sure.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: Yeah. You know, I'm a fairly long ball hitter, so, you know, a short golf course where you got to work it off the tee doesn't necessarily per se help long hitters.
But, again, with my ball striking and actually getting better off the tee, I feel comfortable hitting driver off the shorter Par 4s, and then I have wedges in.
So it's a golf course that can -- you can score. You know, but, again, you have to place it in the fairways and be in the right position on the greens, and today I was.

Q. Is the course playing fast today?
BETH BADER: Not particularly fast in the fairways but the greens with running out pretty good. I said to the my caddie yesterday, you got to kind of really study these pins, and a lot of times even with pitching wedge, 50 degree wedges that normally spin back they don't spin back. They may sit, but they don't come back at you.
The greens are rolling wonderful, but they're not slow. They're not soft, but they're not slow.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: Yeah, I think so. I mean, it was pretty warm from 9:30, 10:00 on. But, yeah, it's going to get definitely more sticky out there this afternoon. It's supposed to be a perfect day all day, so today is not really an early-morning or late-afternoon advantage.

Q. Have you ever led in a tournament?
BETH BADER: I have a couple times, and I think maybe this might have been one. Yes, I have.

Q. So it's not new territory for you going into the round leading?
BETH BADER: No, it's not new territory. I'd love to be talking to you on Sunday. I don't think I've had a going-into-a-Sunday lead before, so that's going to be a different story. I would love to be able to sleep on the lead.
So but it's time where I feel like I can -- I always thought that I could contend, and it's like I said, you just have to be patient and wait for your day to come.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: Yes. I have worked a little bit on my grip and my stance. So I had a pretty wide stance in the past and I felt like I was kind of flaying. So I put my feet a little bit closer together which helped me use more of my shoulders.
So, yeah, there has been some technical issues that I have worked with over the last couple weeks. That, again, too, putting and thinking about this and my shoulder and my feet. Today I said, Pick your target and hit it. I'd rather you miss your line and misread as opposed to having a really weak stroke. That's what happened today.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: Yeah. Well, I don't know how old this golf course is, but these greens have a lot of roli-poliness to them. There's a lot of little indentations and stuff.
So, yeah, you can't take for granted the 3-foot putts and the 4-foot putts. But the greens are rolling so pure and so nice, but you still have to pay attention to the river and look ahead to the horizons. There are some tricky greens to read out there.

Q. (No microphone.)
BETH BADER: No, no. You just have to make birdies out here. It's not like I could sit at - and expect to win the golf tournament. Like I said, there's No. 2 and No. 5 are short holes, and you need to really make birdies on those Par 5s.
Because there are some Par 4s that are tricky, so you have to capitalize on some of these Par 4s that are shorter.
You just got to keep going for that. This isn't a U.S. Open where even Par is going to win a golf tournament. I know that you've got to keep going, so that's what I intend to do.

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