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THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 13, 2007

HALMSTAD, SWEDEN

DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you all for joining us. We have Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst in with us today. The two of you have played in almost every Solheim Cup since 1998. What is it like to come back to Sweden and hopefully gain the United States' first victory since 1996?
PAT HURST: I've never had the experience of winning over here, so I would love that opportunity come Sunday. So I was just here at Loch Lomond and didn't win then and wasn't here for Sweden, but looking forward to Sunday and seeing us bring home the Cup.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Juli?
JULI INKSTER: Same question? Again, I haven't won over here, either, and I wasn't here in Wales, but, you know, we're going to have to play good to win. The European team is rounding into form. It's a long golf course. I think it favors them.
Our team has got a lot of heart and a lot of spunk and lot of ribbons, scrunchies, and I think we're going --
DANA GROSS-RHODE: High heels? Short skirts?
JULI INKSTER: I think, you know, it will be -- I think it will be a good competition week. I think it's going to be a close match.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Okay. Great. We'll take questions for Juli and Pat, please.

Q. Question for Juli. Do you think that this could be your last Solheim Cup as a player, and would you like to be the captain in the future?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah. Well, I'm not sure about the last Solheim Cup. I'm kind of taking it year to year and stuff, but I would love to be captain one time or two times, or three. But, yeah, I'm really looking forward to when my rotation comes up and I'm able to do it.

Q. Kind of a silly question, but what are you guys going do with the hair ribbons that Morgan made for you?
PAT HURST: I didn't get one. Did you get one? I didn't get one.
JULI INKSTER: I'm going put them on my golf bag. She put a lot of effort into it. I want to make sure that she knows I care. (laughter).

Q. On a serious note, can you talk a little bit about how you think Morgan will do in the pressure as a rookie who has already won a Major Championship, kind of your impression since Paula was so strong last year as a rookie.
JULI INKSTER: You know what? The only way you really get experience is just to do it, and, you know, you really don't know how anybody is going to react. But Morgan is a great golfer, and I've been trying to tell her, "It's just golf. It's nothing more, nothing less."
You just hit your tee shot just like anybody and hit your second shot like anybody, and the hard thing is, I'm not really worried about the crowds. I know they're going to be really pro European. I think we all care about each other so much, we just don't want to let each other down.
I think that's where everybody tries to put the extra pressure on themselves. Our team room is very relaxed. You know, I really don't see any pressure, any stress in the room.
So, you know, you never know what happens when the ball is in the air, but, you know, I think they're going to do just great.
What do you think?
PAT HURST: I think they're going to do fine. They played Junior Solheim. I think that gave them a little bit of the pressure we're feeling this week. So, you know, I think they'll be fine. They've been around the block. It's not like they're new to this game.
JULI INKSTER: They all get along. They're all on each other 24/7. They all get along great which is -- you know, there could be some rivalry and some cattiness like that. They're all really on the same page and like the same music and, you know, same makeup, so --
PAT HURST: Same purses, same phones.
JULI INKSTER: Sunglasses. You know --
PAT HURST: They're comfortable with each other. I think that also helps out here.

Q. Do you find that other than golf that you guys have anything in common with them?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah. I got I got a 17-year-old and a 13-year-old exactly the same. I've got a lot in common with them. It's not like -- I mean, even though we are a lot older -- I am, Pat is not.
PAT HURST: Half, yeah, come on.
JULI INKSTER: We still hang with them. We can talk their lingo and their music, and so it's really not that different than from my house.
PAT HURST: They may not understand us a lot of times, but we understand them.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah. Yeah.

Q. You say -- are they like that every week, even when they're competing against each other?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah. More.
A Morgan and Paula play practice rounds together. Brittany Lincicome and Stacy P. and stuff, they get along. They go out to dinner and stuff. They do.
Golf -- everyone is on their own schedule out on Tour. Like Paula likes to play early. I like to play late. So it's a little harder to coordinate who is going where and -- here, you know, we have a tee time between 8:30 and 9:30. That's when you've got to tee off. It's easier to get together. But, you know, I think they get along great off the golf course, too. I mean, off the Solheim Cup.
JULI INKSTER: Us growing up, we had a lot of rivalry as players. We went to college together and hung out together. It was more, you know, we played golf, but then we had these guys. I'm surprised they do get along so well because they've kind of grown up with golf, golf, golf, golf, golf. You know, I think they all respect each other's games, and, you know, they're all competitive, but I think they put that aside and realize that they're going to be growing up together for a long time, they're going to be on this Tour for a long time together, and they get along great.
PAT HURST: They're good kids. Overall they're good kids.
JULI INKSTER: Very respectful. They get it. They get the sponsors and they get the Pro Ams and the media, and, you know, it's really hard to teach at a young age, but I think they really do a great job.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Do they ever look to you guys -- you two have played on Tour for awhile. You seem to be pretty good friends. Have they asked you guys about what it's like to be playing with people who -- you're multiple years in.
PAT HURST: I think they talk to Juli more than they talk to me. Certain people talk to Juli, certain people talk to me, and I think I want to say they more talk to Juli because --
JULI INKSTER: Because I talk more.
PAT HURST: You know, they do come to us for some advice.
JULI INKSTER: Morgan was my little sister so -- last year when she was a rookie.
PAT HURST: Did she come to you at all last year?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, she did. Paula, I don't know. I just kind of fell into Paula. I talk to her a lot. So --
PAT HURST: I talk to Brittany a little bit.
JULI INKSTER: They all get it. It's not like we have the secret to anything. I don't know. They probably know more than I do. I just try to tell them the way it's going to be loud and it's going to be, you know, pro Europe and just play golf.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: What are you two doing for you guys? Obviously you're helping to give them advice. What do you do for the two of you?
JULI INKSTER: Try to find a golf swing and Pat is trying to, too.
PAT HURST: Play golf and have fun.
JULI INKSTER: It's hard. It's a long week. We don't have much time to do anything. I think the best thing I like about the Solheim Cup is just being together, having dinners together. Last night we played ping-pong together. You know, just hanging out and being together is what I enjoy the most.

Q. Hi, Juli. So great to see you here. I was watching you on the practice tee today. You seemed to be work really hard on your swing.
JULI INKSTER: That's not unusual. I do that every week.

Q. As a teacher I'm always really tuned into that. Are you suffering jet lag? You okay?
JULI INKSTER: No. I feel great. Yeah.

Q. Going into this tomorrow, are y'all excited?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah. I feel good physically and mentally. So, you know, the first night we didn't sleep very good, but yesterday I stuck about an hour nap in, which was nice. And so, yeah, as far as jet lag, I don't have any problems right now.

Q. Question for Juli. How come the Giants didn't get any run support from Matt King?
JULI INKSTER: They haven't gotten any support from anybody. They're horrible.

Q. A question about like European players. You mix with European players all the time on the LPGA Tour. Does that kind of detract from the competitive edge of the Solheim Cup?
JULI INKSTER: It is hard. It's hard playing against them because we do see them week in, week out. We are friends with, you know, most of them. Couple of them I don't really know that well, but the ones that play on the European Tour and especially Laura. I've played a ton with Laura.
So it's kind of hard for that one week where it's us against them. But, you know, it is what it is, and you just kind of go out there and play your golf, don't you think?
PAT HURST: I agree. You're doing a great job.
JULI INKSTER: Thanks.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Do we have any other questions for Pat and Juli?

Q. Can I just ask, you say there must be few players on the European team that you don't know anything about at all. Is it strange to play people you don't know anything about it?
JULI INKSTER: It's like baseball. First time at bat when you haven't seen a pitcher before, you're a little bit sceptical. I'm sure they're very nice girls, you know. I'm sure their goal one day is to play on the LPGA, you know, but they seem to play well. One is leading the European money list, and Becky Brewerton I think has got a great golf game. So we don't get to see that much of them, but I'm sure they'll do very, very well.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Any thoughts as far as you playing against people you don't know?
PAT HURST: You know, it's kind of nice not knowing who they are because then you just go out and play your game. You just try to do the best you can, you know, more or less. I know it's match play, but then if you don't know them, you go out and play the golf course and play one shot at a time.
So, you know, to me it's a little bit easier when I don't know the other person. It's a little bit harder when you definitely know the other two. Like say we're going to go out and play it one shot at a time and see how it goes.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Any other questions for Pat and Juli? Thank you all for coming in. Pat and Juli, good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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