	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

LPGA NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JOHN Q. HAMMONS

September 5, 2007

Sherri Steinhauer

ROGERS, ARKANSAS

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Sherri, thanks for coming in and joining us today. You're coming off a win at the State Farm Classic and then next week you're heading over to Europe to play in the Solheim Cup. You're fourth time being a Solheim Cup team member. Talk about this busy stretch, the exciting stretch.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: This has just been great. Qualifying for the Solheim Cup team is obviously just the goal of all Americans. And I, myself, I structure my season around preparing for this and working with my pro. We've put a plan together getting ready for Solheim Cup, and it seems to be working. I hope I didn't peak too early last week, just really looking forward to it.

Q. Talk about being in Arkansas, your thoughts on the course and everything here at Pinnacle.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think it's a great golf course, I love the layout. Driving -- actually, when I flew in and then driving over to the hotel, the Embassy Suites is just a great spot for us to stay, and just love the feel of it, with all the new -- the area is all new there and all the restaurants, and then driving over here to Pinnacle and seeing the clubhouse and the food. That's always a good way to get to the players' hearts, is through the food, and that's been excellent. I love the golf course, it's a great layout and it's going to be a great test of golf this week.

Q. How do you attack the course?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, I think position off the tees is going to be important. There are a lot of doglegs out there, so positioning is going to be important. And the greens are very, very tricky. They're very undulating and I would have liked to have had more time preparing on the greens, but just haven't had the amount of time I would have liked. I think they're going to be very tricky and they're tough to read, so I think that's going to be an important part.

Q. How is the rough? Is rough going to be a factor?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think so. There's definitely some spots that are really thick and then there are some spots where it's fine, you'll get a good lie. If you're going to miss it, you want to miss it in the right spots.

Q. What are your impressions of the last three holes?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think they are great finishing holes. Like I said, on 16, the tee shot is going to be important, and depending upon where they put the pin, if they put it off into the back left, that's going to be a real tough pin position.
And then you've got 17 with a narrow green and it flows off down to the right, and it's not a good spot to be. And you don't want to be left because then you have a downhill bunker shot. So 17 is a great hole.
And 18 is going to require two great shots to get down in position to have a short iron in and be able to attack the pin. I did notice that myself and I thought the finishing holes were going to be really good for this week.

Q. Some events are 54 holes, some events are 72. Talk about the pros and cons of each.
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I think in a 54-hole event there's just no room for error. In order to win, you have got to be -- you just can't make mistakes. And in a 72-hole event, if you do make mistakes, you've got more holes to come back on. You've to be on top of your game to win a three-day event. I've never won one myself. I think you have to be on top of your game in a three-day event to win.

Q. Do you feel you're on the top of your game after last week?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I felt pretty good. I wish I was hitting it better. I'm working on it. Not quite hitting it as well as I'd like to right now. Still, I have tomorrow and hopefully then peak by Friday.

Q. You played in the Pro-Am earlier. How do you approach that? Do you go out there to have a good time or are you working on little things for your game later on?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: I had a great group today. We had more fun and they were just -- we had some exciting shots that the guys hit, and they said to me, "How do you do this? How do you play with us?" And I said, "You guys are great. I love playing with you and you guys made it exciting today with your shots." So there's a lot of interaction and enjoyed the day with the amateurs, but definitely still viewing the golf course and learning things out there.

Q. Is it important to interact with the fans?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Absolutely. I take my Pro-Ams very serious because these are the people paying for the tournament and I appreciate all that they've done in giving us the opportunity. I always want to play really well for them, and I just enjoy talking with them and just always when I walk off the golf course I just hope I've done a good job for that day.

Q. Are you looking forward to next week?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: We're looking forward to it. I think all of us are here except three players. There's just nothing like playing on a Solheim Cup team. I've got a whole new group of players. I haven't played in a long time on a team, so there's a lot of new players that I'm going to be playing with. And the greatest part about it is just the camaraderie amongst each other and the bonding, which is so important in order to compete well and have a successful week.
We've done a lot of things together so far and we've had dinners and we've played practice rounds together as a team, and so we're just all really looking forward to the week.

Q. A few years ago you were the Junior Solheim Cup team captain and you coached Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel, so playing with them this year, does that add a little something special?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: That was, because in 2002 I coached the Junior Solheim Cup team and that was at a point in my career when I was struggling, and so it just gave me another perspective. And to meet the younger players has really actually helped me out here. I know there's other players that were on the team, Brittany Lang, Jane Park, she plays now and then, that are out here on tour, and to have the experience that I had with them as a group and now competing against them has just made it real special because I know them quite well.

Q. What determines which tournaments you'll play and which ones you won't?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, it's all about how I'm feeling. I can't go -- I used to play seven events in a row when I was younger, but now I don't want to play more than four events. I just look at the schedule and figure out how that's going to work out. There's very few golf courses that I won't go to just because I don't like them. It's not one of the determining factors. Corning is one of my -- I love playing at Corning. I haven't played the last three years, but it's only because just the way the schedule has worked. It hasn't fit for me physically. That's how I go about determining which tournaments I'm going to be playing.

Q. (Inaudible)?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, players are always -- yeah, we talk about things we love about tournaments and, you know, does that make me decide I'm going to play in it? Not necessarily. That wouldn't be really one of my determining factors.

Q. How big of a boost was it to win the British Open?
SHERRI STEINHAUER: Well, it was real big since I hadn't won for a couple of years. Just winning over in England at the British Open and having it be a major, I had won two before and they weren't majors and so winning last year in a major, that just made it all the more special, doing it under those circumstances.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Thanks for your time and good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297