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LONGS DRUGS CHALLENGE

October 5, 2007

Kristy McPherson

DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Kristy, after a 3-under 69, you are currently second on the leaderboard tied with a group of people. How does it feel to come out here and do this in one of your last tournaments of the year?
KRISTY McPHERSON: It's definitely an important tournament. So it was nice today to just go out, and I had a solid round and whenever we got into trouble -- it was the round that every golfer loves. A solid round and one of those that always could have been better but anything that starts with a 6, you never have to complain.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: And how about the weather out there, everyone has said that the wind was pretty tough, especially yesterday. Playing in the morning, was that an advantage to you today?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Depends how windy is gets this afternoon. Yesterday we played and we finished in the dark and it was windy and cold and it was tough the last three, four, five holes yesterday were really tough.
Today starting out, it was three, four layers on and it was chilly but the ball was going shorter obviously and still the greens were soft and you could still throw it at the flag. I don't think it really played tough this morning. It warmed up to be a great day after that.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Could we go over those three birdies really quick, starting with the first one on the par 5, 15th hole?
KRISTY McPHERSON: 15, yeah, I hit driver, had 60 yards in for my third shot and hit it up there two feet and made birdie, with a 60-degree wedge.
1, hit 9-iron up there about eight feet and made a good putt there.
5, par putt straight up, made about a 12-footer, my best putt I made today, about a 12-footer, side-hill breaker for birdie. It was a good one because most people make birdie there so I felt like I was giving one up if I didn't. I just chipped from the front of the green.

Q. Can you talk about this is an important tournament just to make the Money List for next year; correct? To make the cut today, was that a big deal for to you make sure you get some money out of it?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Sure. Obviously every week, every dollar counts and you know, every week you look at the Money List -- I'm not much of a Money List watcher. My caddie is a big-time watcher. He let's me know where we stand. But I try not to -- it's so hard to play golf trying to make the cut.
And you know, I've gotten into that a few times this career just because I've gotten wrapped up in the Money List. You know, I was able to go out there and of course you make a few birdies early yesterday, it makes it a lot easier than starting behind the 8-ball like I have done many a times this year.
But yeah, it's definitely an important week for me, making the cut assures me to make some kind of check. Hopefully, yeah, climb up a little bit. But I'm still two days away and hopefully just trying to go out there and play some golf and hopefully be in contention on Sunday.

Q. Was there one hole out there where you really like playing where you really like -- where either you like how it sits and you think you can take advantage of it, or is there one where you go, hey, this is a really neat hole for this course, like a signature hole?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Obviously 16 is a great hole. If any of you haven't been up top there, looking down -- I'm a little afraid of heights, it's kind of scary. But it's a 210 par 3 and plays 270 downhill I think. It's a fun hole and it looks like you can just burn it right in the hole, you know. Any of those holes coming in there right towards, the end you're hitting a lot of elevated tee shots hitting it down. Those fit my eye a lot better where you can really see what you're aiming at.
16, I haven't played it too great the last two days, but definitely it's one of the greatest golf holes out here, and you know, could be one that determines the tournament on Sunday.

Q. Does trying to get into the top 90 feel like getting into the top five of the FUTURES Tour? Do you feel the same kind of pressure or think about it as much?
KRISTY McPHERSON: It's definitely similar pressure, yes. Last year coming off the FUTURES Tour, grinding, trying to avoid that Q-School, and you know, I finished the season off well when I needed it. And this year, with that being last year, gave me confidence coming into this tournament knowing that it can be done when I need to get it done.
But I think I have a little bit of a comfort zone being -- I don't even know where I am, 97, my caddie said, he's not wrong. But anyway, so I mean, knowing that I'm in the Top-125, knowing that I have status and this is where I a.m. going to play next year; and having that little security there makes it a little bit easier to play.
You know, like I said, I know that at worst case, we'll get in 75 percent of the tournaments for next year. So it makes it a little easier. But definitely, by all means, I want to get in that top 90. That was my goal at the beginning of the year and I haven't performed like I've wanted to this year, so, you know, this last event here could really turn it around and make it a successful season for me.

Q. Your best round of the year, I believe, didn't actually happen.
KRISTY McPHERSON: It didn't happen.

Q. Erased from the record books. How frustrating was that for you, and do you think about it much?
KRISTY McPHERSON: No, I don't. I mean, it was obviously frustrating but you know, they weren't out to get me. It wasn't just me. A lot of other girls got the short end of the stick there. It was tough for me because I've had a tough time starting the tournaments this year, getting the first round, like I said before, I've put myself behind the 8-ball numerous times and finally went out there and I played well and felt like, you know, things are going my way and I love the golf course. I was excited about playing more golf, and, you know, unfortunately a bad situation for LPGA, for the players, for sponsors, for everybody, and just have to let it go and that's kind of motivated me.
Last week I didn't play as good of golf as I wanted to but made the cut or whatever. Kind of got me refocused on these last two events. And hopefully we don't get some hurricane coming through this week or something. But we've got 36 holes in.
You don't get hurricanes in the West Coast, do you?

Q. Earthquakes.
KRISTY McPHERSON: No earthquakes. (Laughing).

Q. How many times have you been to Q-School?
KRISTY McPHERSON: I've been there three times.

Q. And you're good friends with Meaghan Francella, who has had a good year, have you been inspired at all by here since you guys were kind of going along the same track as far as college at the same time, FUTURES Tour?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Absolutely. You know, you love to see your friends play really well, and you know, I've been so happy for Meaghan, not only to get a win, but she's had a solid season in general. And it's fun, it's fun to watch her do that, but it's encouraging to me and to all of my other friends that, you know, aren't up there at the top of the leaderboard every week.
You know, it's encouraging. I feel like I can go out and play with Meaghan week-in, week-out, and, you know, she and I have gone through the same times and she beats me after the time and I beat her after the time and so to me it's encouraging when you see someone who is quote unquote, the underdog come in and do really well and I'm proud of her this year. She's done really well and hopefully, you know, we can all get a little bit of that.

Q. When you're at the top of the leaderboard now, do you start thinking ahead to Sunday?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Well, I'm not thinking ahead but if I didn't want to win, I wouldn't be playing this game.
I have all intentions -- I will probably not be at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the day. I think scores will be low this afternoon. Like I was saying earlier, it will be interesting to see what Lorena will go out there and shoot, obviously No. 1 player in the world. But just to be -- I might be three groups back tomorrow, whatever. You know, anything.
But right now, it's two solid rounds for me and I've got 36 more holes and all you can do is go play golf and add them up at the end of Sunday and see what happens.
But I'm not scared to play. I'm ready to go.

Q. What about 16?
KRISTY McPHERSON: I'm not scared of the 16th hole. I love the 16th hole, I told you that. I'm going to make an ace on that, you watch!
No, definitely, I'm excited. I was telling somebody out there earlier, they are always at the top of the leaderboard and I feel like I have nothing to lose. Like I said, I know where I'm going to play next year and hopefully I can move into the top 90, but I feel like I have nothing to lose and go out there and hopefully the underdog will come out on top.

Q. Is there any part of your game that you've been working on specifically in the latter part of the season? I know you got off to a slow start or maybe it was nerves, missed a few cuts early, or is it just putts are falling now?
KRISTY McPHERSON: I've made a lot of rookie mistakes this year. I came out early, I switched clubs early in the season. Always had Callaway and switched clubs and tried to make it happen for five or six tournaments and wasn't happening and finally said I'm going back to my old clubs and that was a key factor in my early part of the year.
But just starting Arkansas, or Springfield, switched to belly putter which has been huge for me. Feel like I can stand over there and get a lot more confidence with that and feel like I'm rolling it really well. If I get myself in trouble, I feel like I can get up-and-down from anywhere and feel like I can make the putts with that. And you know, like today, I hit a lot of greens. Then I missed the cut in Canada and got hurt and didn't play much golf, and there was a walking scorer getting in rookie hours and she rolled the ball so well; and so I thought, I've got nothing to lose, it wasn't going to get any worse than that.
So I switched to the belly putter two weeks later, had one built for me the next week and put it in the bag two weeks later. You know, just worked with it for a couple days early and it's easy. So it makes -- it makes putting a lot easier for me especially the short three, 4-, 5-, 6-footers, I feel like -- which I've struggled with most in the past I feel like I can stand over there and make them now.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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