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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 7, 2007

Karrie Webb

HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND

DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you all for coming in. Karrie, you had a great round, 4-under today. Just talk about this being a major and how you played today.
KARRIE WEBB: The golf is obviously exciting. Always excited to tee it up in a major and very happy to get off to a good start today.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Let's go over your scorecard.
KARRIE WEBB: No. 1 I hit a 9-iron to six feet from 122.
2, I missed the fairway hazard. Had to just lay up in two and 2-putted from 35 feet.
4, I hit a 7-iron pin-high just on the fringe to about 15 feet.
6, I hit a 9-iron to about 20 feet, made that, from 129.
8, I hit 3-wood on the green in two to about five feet and missed the putt and tapped in.
17, I hit 7-iron to about 20 feet.

Q. Do you feel you're getting what you should out of your round with your putting?
KARRIE WEBB: Only one I should have made; I had a lot of chances but it's the best I've putted since February, so it was good to see.

Q. Are you working on anything in particular or just general maintenance work?
KARRIE WEBB: You never really know how you creep into bad habits, but my head was a long way behind the ball, which answered a lot of questions as to why my speed on my putts, long putts were bad and why I was missing a ton of short ones.
So you know, obviously we've started working on that on Monday and, you know, I had a good putting session yesterday afternoon which gave me a little bit of confidence for today and knocked the first one in on the first hole.
So although I missed a couple of short ones, I rolled the ball as well as I have and, you know, felt like I had chances to make putts.

Q. After playing DuPont for all those years, does this finally feel like home for this tournament?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I guess so. You know, this is the third year I think we've been here. Like I've said in the past, I had a love/hate relationship with DuPont, and I really feel a lot more comfortable on this golf course than did I at Du Pont. So I enjoy playing here.

Q. Considering you nearly won this tournament a year ago, do you think you come in here sort of flying under the radar a little bit? Do you like that kind of position?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I don't mind it. I knew how well I'd been swinging it, and it was just a matter of trying to get some putts to go in and feel confident there.
Actually today was probably the poorest I've swung it in months. So just do a little bit of tidy-up work this afternoon on the range and work on my putting again. But like I said, really happy to be in here at 4-under and happy to be under the radar.

Q. How long did it take to you get over what happened last year?
KARRIE WEBB: I mean, it's funny, because the year before that, I was really struggling and had a good last day and finished in the top 20. That was like a bonus that I could even get myself into the top 20.
So to get that close to winning a major and then to not win, it was disappointing but I didn't -- probably just that night. I didn't really dwell on it.
I kind of felt like I got my own back for the way I won Dinah and hitting that shot. Last year was one of those years where I tried not to be overly disappointed at the tournaments I didn't have a chance to win, and just really enjoyed the fact that I was putting myself there more and more often.
So it wasn't something that mentally disturbed me for the rest of the year. I think maybe if I had lost that the playoff, you know, actually did something, you know, hit a bad shot to cause me to lose; that would have been more disappointing than losing to a shot like that.

Q. When we ask players about great shots, they think of you at Nabisco. Did you have any visions of Se Ri's shot?
KARRIE WEBB: I did not. I hit just the best drive down there and Se Ri had missed hers. I thought that I could almost make par and win that hole with the pin position and how far back she was.
Obviously it was really hard to regroup after seeing that one go up to a couple of inches away.

Q. Se Ri is having a little bit of trouble today on the course. She's 1-over and she looks like she's nervous because of what happens afterward. You were in this position right here two years ago. What was it like, and what could you tell us about trying to relax?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I didn't get to speak to her this morning, but I know she was really excited to play today and get finished.
And I know how she feels. When I got announced on the first tee two years ago here, it was like I was going into my first major ever in the last group on Sunday. I just really had a lot of butterflies and just was really excited.
And I had a great pairing, to play with Meg Mallon and Laura Diaz. It was great to play that round with them. I didn't have a great day either, I don't think. I think I shot 2- or 3-over as well.
But I think it's really hard to not enjoy the day even if you're playing poorly because it's such an achievement to know that all she has to do is wait for the induction at the end of the year.

Q. Any advice on her speech?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, she's already talked to me about that. Obviously with her -- even though I think her English is good, that's what she's most nervous about, saying her speech in English and getting her message across as much as she can.

Q. Along those lines, I guess there's four of you, Annika, yourself, Se Ri and Juli, still four formidable players. It's the only sport where Hall of Famers are still pretty much -- unique situation.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, still playing the game, is that what you're saying?

Q. Yeah.
KARRIE WEBB: Well, I guess I forgot to mention it earlier about Juli, playing my career with her. I guess because she started ten or 12 years before me, but you know, getting into the Hall of Fame and playing alongside Juli, Annika and Se Ri is -- you've seen that throughout the LPGA's history. There's groups of players that drive each other to excellence. You know, I'm just glad I'm a part of that group and it's been a pleasure to play alongside Annika and Se Ri and Juli.

Q. How much of a rivalry -- everyone focuses so much on you and Annika, is Se Ri overlooked, just rivalry in terms of competition?
KARRIE WEBB: Maybe for a year or two. Maybe she wasn't there for a couple of years.
But I think it was -- I think the biggest reason why she was probably overlooked was just her inability to really show us her personality.
I think when she talks to you guys, she gets nervous and her English isn't as good as it is if she was talking to me. You know, I think that was probably all it was. I mean, she played extremely consistent, good golf for, what, four or five years.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Karrie, thank you for coming in.

End of FastScripts

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