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SBS OPEN AT TURTLE BAY

February 14, 2008

Kelli Kuehne

KAHUKU, HAWAII

THE MODERATOR: Kelli, obviously you just shot a 5-under par for the day which on this course you got out early before the wind started. Was that pretty crucial?
KELLI KUEHNE: I was lucky. I had a really good tee time, the second group out off the 10th hole. So I was able to take advantage of a calmer course.
THE MODERATOR: Go over your birdies.
KELLI KUEHNE: Start on 10? I birdied No. 12, par 5. Knocked it about three feet from 107 yards.
THE MODERATOR: What club did you use?
KELLI KUEHNE: 52 degree. And I birdied 16, 52 degree, hit it about 20 feet made that. Birdied 17, 52 degree. Knocked it probably 12 to 14 feet and made that.
18 I had a sand wedge in, knocked it about eight feet, made that.
THE MODERATOR: How far out were you on those 52-degree wedges.
KELLI KUEHNE: I think on 16 I was playing it for about -- I think it was probably 105 playing at 95. 17 was about 102, playing it about 90.
18, I knocked the 58-degree about eight feet from 76 yards. And then I birdied 4. I got lucky. I hit a 7-iron on the back part of the green and I made a bomb. It was a long one.
THE MODERATOR: How far was it?
KELLI KUEHNE: Probably 60 feet. It was a long way. I was very lucky.

Q. (Off mic.)
KELLI KUEHNE: It was a long ways. But I was very lucky and I'll take it.

Q. Did you grind it through the front after getting those three birdies?
KELLI KUEHNE: I hit it really well. I've had real good preparation coming into this event. And I feel really comfortable. I've got Tracy Phillips, my short game coach, caddie. And he got me through it. And he was with me in '99 when I won. He was caddying for me. I have a long history with him. I feel really comfortable.

Q. (Off mic.)
KELLI KUEHNE: That's my ace in the hole. If I follow directions, it usually goes in.

Q. Do you read the greens out here?
KELLI KUEHNE: I don't read my putts. He does. His eyes, he says, okay, go here and I'm like, okay. And I hit it. It takes a lot of -- the main thing I have to work on is just the speed. And that's nice for me because he's got a set of eyes, that if I had a 5-footer to win the U.S. Open and I thought right lip and he said left lip, I would trust him. That's a pretty big advantage for me to have him with me doing that.
Don't get your head real big back there.

Q. Is he going to be with you all year?
KELLI KUEHNE: No. He might be able to be persuaded; it depends. No, I'm going to try to bring him out as much as I can. But he's expensive. He's absolutely killing me.

Q. Obviously you played well at Tour school. Can you talk about how that may have carried into the off season as far as the preparation, how well you did?
KELLI KUEHNE: You know, it was a grind, two months before Tour school because I was kind of on a program and I spent a lot of time, meaning practicing, I was on a mission. I spent a lot of time with Tracy getting ready and spent a lot of time in Daytona Beach and West Palm Beach. My brother lives in West Palm. So I go down to West Palm, drive down to Daytona and go back to my brother's house and hang out. It was nice because I wasn't stuck in a hotel; I was with family.
It was a hard off season. It was a lot of work but very rewarding. Went to Tour school and had success there. Certainly a nice thing. After Tour school, I met up with Kristy Kern, her husband, and took one of my best friends and a couple of other people, we went skiing for a week and hung out and relaxed. I took a couple of weeks off and started going again. I went back to West Palm Beach with my brother. I was in Texas, I was there for three weeks, getting ready for my game.

Q. Is that what you visualized happening first round first of the year?
KELLI KUEHNE: My whole objective this year is I don't want to have an expectation. I want to play freely and whatever comes, comes. It's the first round. And I love the start I got off to, but it's the first round. I've got a couple more to go. I don't want to get ahead of myself. I don't want to plan or set it up. I just want to take it as it comes.

Q. If your 5 holds up, I don't know if it will or not, there are a couple of 4s and 3s, if it does, have you led last year after the first?
KELLI KUEHNE: Yeah, in Canada, I believe. I don't know. It was the first round. It's a good start, but we need to match it up with a couple other good days.

Q. Can you update on your brother?
KELLI KUEHNE: Which one? Both. Trip, he's working real hard at his real job. He's getting ready for the Masters. We'll have a big family affair at the Masters. My brother, Hank, is going to caddie for him. Fans are going to go, and we'll watch my brother, Trip, play there. And Hank is supposed to be starting I believe in a couple of weeks I think at the Honda in West Palm Beach. That could change, but I think that's what's happening. That's what's happening as far as I know.

Q. Who is Hank dating?
KELLI KUEHNE: He's still dating Nina. They're not engaged. They're dating. Perfectly happy. He's trying to work on his game, spending a lot of time with his son and spending time with her.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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