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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSIC

September 2, 2007

Sherri Steinhauer

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Sherri, thanks for coming in and joining us for the fourth day in a row.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Thank you.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: You are the season's fifth wire-to-wire winner, just first win since the 2006 Weetabix Women's British Open. Congratulations on a great win. How did it feel out there?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I tell you, there's nothing like winning, and it was just amazing to be back on top again. I can't describe it. I'm just -- boy, thank goodness for my putter or I wouldn't be here.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: The last two holes were really exciting, 17 and 18. What went through your head and your reaction after you made the putt and closed your eyes, what was that like.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: It was just a feeling of relief. Today was one of those days where I felt like I was going to make every putt and I just didn't want to get in my way. And there's a couple of words that I used every -- all week this week to help me get through the week. And one was hope and one was fear. If you have hope, you have fear. If you have fear, you have hope. If you're hoping to make a putt, you fear you're going to miss it. And I constantly kept telling myself for the entire week that I'm going to have no hope and no fear and I'm going to stay in the present, and that's what I was telling myself coming down the stretch.
I wasn't doing so well with the swing. I must have had a little fear in that. I wasn't swinging very well, and at the end, and that was a bit disappointing.
But my putter made up for it.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Let's go your scorecard really quick and we'll open up for questions.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: No. 1, I hit a driver, lay up 9-wood, sand wedge, to about ten feet and made that for birdie.
No. 3, I hit driver, 6-iron to about eight feet and made that for birdie.
No. 7, I hit driver, 9-iron to about 20 feet and made that for birdie.
No. 8, just didn't make a good swing. Went out to the right. Caught the rough and didn't get far enough. Had to just chip it out. Hit a poor wedge shot about 40 feet but made a great first putt and 2-putted for bogey.
No. 11, I hit driver, 9-iron. Hit it about 20 feet, made that for -- it was about 15 feet. Made that for birdie.
16, hit driver, 9-wood in the front left bunker. Hit a very poor bunker shot out but I made about a 30-footer for birdie.
17, I hit a 5-iron about 25 feet above the hole and I made that for birdie.
Then I really started coughing coming down. I hit a really good drive, though. I was in-between clubs and I know in pressure situations, I should always take the shorter and swing hard and I took more club and tried to take a little off it and didn't hit a good shot. Went in the right bunker. Had a tough shot and hit it long, through the green, through the fringe on the first cut and it was about 23 feet and made that for birdie -- I mean for par. It felt like a birdie.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: All right. Questions for the 2007 LPGA State Farm Classic Champion.

Q. What was going through your mind after you dropped the put on 17 that putt you back in the lead and then the shots on 18 and where you thought things were headed after all of those?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Where what was headed?

Q. Where the tournament was headed and your place in the tournament was headed.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I just was sneaking a look at the leaderboard and looked like I was a couple of shots up. Then Rachel was the one who actually spurred me on. I really wasn't paying attention to Christina. I knew she was right there, but I was concerned with Rachel just because she was in my group.
I just don't think I can be too worried. I know Christina is a great player and she's making birdies ahead of me, but I didn't want to be thinking about so many things out there.
So I was kind of using Rachel as a barometer. When she made the 2-putt birdie on 16, and my hit my bunker shot out of the bunker, I told Joe, my caddie, I said, "I can make this." And then she made it and I think it spurred me on and I made a very, very good stroke and it went in.
So then I went to 17 and I made a putt from there earlier in the week for birdie when the pin was in the front, I think it was on Thursday. And I had a very, very similar putt and I made it on Thursday. So I had those good memories to go from. Just made a real good stroke and read it correctly and just what a great sense of relief from when that went in. I could see it was headed for the hole and just, please, hold your line and it did.
So then coming into 18, I asked my caddie after I hit the bunker shot, and I hit it out and I hit it over the green and I said, "Is Christina at 15"? And he said, yes. So I'm thinking, all right, I hit two putts, I can get down in two and still win.
So I get behind in the back of the green and I look and I'm like, "Whoa, she's at 16." She had not posted it yet, so he didn't know. So then I, you know -- I was just thinking 2-putt and go for a playoff. Give it a chance but just 2-putt and go in the playoff and see what will happen. It went in. It was amazing.

Q. Out of the wins you've had in your career, were any of the others characterized, like the finish was in terms of birdie, birdie, and then like you said, it felt like a birdie on 18? Can you recall anything?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: No, I don't have remember finishing like this. I don't have remember a win where I made so many putts.
Generally my ball-striking, when I've won the past seven wins, my ball-striking has been extremely good. Today my ball-striking was not as good, and I think it's the first time that my putter held me together.

Q. So when did you first go to the long putter, and what played in the resurgence you've had in recent years? And when a player goes to the long putter, who do they go to for instruction in how to use it?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I started using it six years ago. It was Tuesday of the ShopRite Classic in Atlantic City. And I was just struggling. I was hitting the ball so well and I decided I was putting so poorly, I had to do something different. So on Tuesday I picked up the long putter and tried it. I said, you know, I like this.
Went out on the first hole, and had about a 20-footer and made it and I said, that's it, this is in my bag. The same putter has been in my bag, the exact same long putter and I've regripped it twice. I've never had any instruction. Just self-taught with the putter.

Q. Has it made the difference in the last three rounds?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Absolutely. It's given me a new sense of enjoyment practicing putting. I just got so frustrated with the short putter. Every time I hit a putt, I would know that I would miss it. I didn't know how to practice -- I didn't know what to do.
And now using the long putter, I enjoy practicing and working and trying to figure things out, and that's, you know -- yesterday I didn't putt great. I stayed out here quite a while last night and said, "Joe, we are not going home until I get setup where I feel comfortable."
And I found it last night and you know, I was nervous when I came out here today because it's a new day. You don't know what's going to happen. But it felt really good on the putting green this morning and so the long putter has just made a huge difference in my career.

Q. What did it mean winning with your parents here?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, my parents have been coming here every year that I've played in this tournament. They saw me win in 1992. It was the du Maurier Classic in 1992 up in Winnipeg up in Canada and they watched me win that. Otherwise, this is the only other tournament.
I just can't tell what you it means. They are getting a lot -- they are getting old and I just don't know how old they are going to be around. They have lived a great life and I just owe so much to them about -- with as a child and all of the sacrifices they made for me playing in national events and traveling around. And most importantly they have just always believed in me. They are just great supporters. I just can't say enough, I love them so much and they have done so much for me.

Q. It's hard to do right now to separate being tournament champion. But just looking at this as a new venue this year for the City of Springfield, this is 30 years at one venue and here we go and there's all kind of uncertainty. You're the champion here, but just the whole experience here this week, the clubhouse, the course, just what did you think? I know it helps to win.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Obviously I love it. But I don't want to take anything away from The Rail because that's been a great venue over the years. This is another great venue. It's a wonderful golf course. You know, the volunteers and the hospitality, everybody has just been great. Kate Peters, the new tournament director, she's just been -- she's been great. She's helped me out with so many things this week. I just -- this is a great spot for us.

Q. What happened on 8?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I made a bad swing. I think I just in that situation, when you've got the nerves going, I should be swinging hard, not trying to let off a club. That got me in trouble and that was the reason for the poor shot, especially when I'm not 100% confident with my swing. I need to be swinging hard. So I think I made a bad judgment.
I only had 153 to the front. I could have hit a 5-iron. I carry a 5-iron 155. So I was trying to hit a high, soft, 24-degree, which carries 168, and the pin was 178. So it was either/or and I probably should have taken the 5-iron.

Q. Obviously you were at Portland last week?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: No, I didn't play.

Q. You're on the Solheim -- okay. Well, what I was going to start to say, was there any question about you coming here this year with travel and so forth, but that part of it wasn't -- you've only missed here, what, a couple of times?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Yeah, I can't really remember missing but maybe twice.

Q. Maybe once or twice.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Yeah.

Q. What's the closest you've been here?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Not very close. I've maybe had one Top-10. I just never putted those greens very well and you had to make a lot of putts to do well at The Rail and I just never had a good putting round, putting tournament.

Q. With the four brothers, where do you fall?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I'm the youngest. The oldest is ten years older than I am and the youngest is five years older.

Q. You said obviously mom and dad being here means a lot to you. At this point in your career, though, to put four days together like this, that part of it, what does it mean to you just in terms of where you're at in your career to still be able to do this?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: It's hard to explain. I'm just -- I think it's one reason why I enjoy the game more than ever at this point in my year because when you're younger, it seems like you put so much pressure on yourself. I was the worst. I was so hard on myself when I was younger.
And now, I'm just so thankful to be here. I just -- every week is a bonus. I enjoy playing and I love the competition. I have a completely refreshed attitude about this game, and every year is a bonus that I'm out here.

Q. Why do you think you have a refreshed attitude about the game?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Because I think that -- I just never thought I would be doing it this long and I feel so fortunate. And I love what I do. Not that I didn't love what I did, but there's a big difference when you put so much pressure on yourself and it takes the fun out of it.
Now I can just let things go. I do the best I can. I know when I walk off that golf course, I know that I've done the best I can. And I'm not going to beat myself up about it if it doesn't turn out well, and that's a big difference in how I used to handle it when I was younger.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Thank you and congratulations.

End of FastScripts

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