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SBS OPEN AT TURTLE BAY

February 16, 2008

Laura Diaz

KAHUKU, HAWAII

THE MODERATOR: First of all, you had a great round today, a great tournament, great way to start out 2008. How are you feeling right now, especially to be greeted by that little smile?
LAURA DIAZ: Well, doesn't matter what I do on the golf course. When I get off, I get to see him. That always brightens your day.
Yeah, it was a good week. I feel pretty good. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to look back and say, "Darn it." The wrong club, led to a high number. So if I can get that out of my mind, I'm pretty pleased. I did a lot of work with my dad and my brother and my husband in the winter on my putting and my swing. I'm happy that I was glad to take it to the golf course this week.
THE MODERATOR: Your birdie on 3. Go over the four birdies.
LAURA DIAZ: I was unable to go for 3. I hit my drive right. I had to lay up. Hit sandwedge into about five feet.

Q. Was that the first fairway you missed all week? Is that right? You only missed one until today.
LAURA DIAZ: Yeah, I missed that fairway, right. And unfortunately I was on a down slope. And the numbers were okay, but I didn't have a club that I felt would get up. So my brother had told me a couple of things: Conservative targets, cocky swing. So we went with that theory on that hole, because as much as I want to stand there and hit my 18-degree and try and get it on the green, it's not the wisest decision.
I birdied 5. 106 yards to the pin. I had a 52-wedge.
THE MODERATOR: Bogey on 7.
LAURA DIAZ: Yeah, hit 3-wood off the tee. Probably should have just hit driver. Didn't really have much wind today and had a lot of wind the last couple of days.
And that put me into having like 172, I think, to the flag. Which you're not going for the pin there. You're just going for 10-on, which led me to about a 150-yard shot. But it's still 7-iron and the green requires a lofted club. It hit on the green and went way over the green and then I made a bad chip and I 3-putted.
THE MODERATOR: For how far?
LAURA DIAZ: 3-putted from, I don't know, 30 feet, maybe. There wasn't much grass on some of the greens today. Like they were getting really slick. They were just getting dried out from all the wind and no rain the last couple of days.
THE MODERATOR: Birdie on 12.
LAURA DIAZ: I chipped it with a 52-degree from about 40 yards to about 12 feet.
THE MODERATOR: Birdie on 18.
LAURA DIAZ: I hit a sandwedge into 20 feet. I was 99 yards to the pin. Basically hit it pin-high left.
THE MODERATOR: Great birdie. You were excited about that.
LAURA DIAZ: Yes, I think I missed a couple of short ones early today. It's always nice to end the final hole with a birdie. And Lorena told me something a couple of years ago, her father, who I adore, always says to her: End like a professional. So it's something that you think about when you're on that last hole.

Q. Is it different chasing Annika as opposed to chasing Jane or anybody else?
LAURA DIAZ: Personally I have a hard enough time keeping up with myself. So I'm not out there chasing anybody. Chasing down the birdies, that's about it. We had a ton of great play this week. Annika played incredible. And Jane, I played with her today.
She's just a wonderful young lady and really we enjoyed ourselves out there together. And that's really nice. This is a challenging life we lead in the fact that you are competing against other players, but it's nice when you don't feel like that's what's going on. You feel like you're competing with a golf course. That's how Jane and I played today, I think.
So my answer would be no, because I'm not chasing Annika or chasing any other players, just battling it in my head more than anything.

Q. Is there a point when you felt like -- did you have a sense where you stood, I guess, during the day?
LAURA DIAZ: On the back nine, I saw a leaderboard. I knew Annika was at 9 at one point. When we got to 18 I saw 10 again. But, like I said, it's hard enough to stay focused on your game to try and worry about what anybody else is doing.
Unfortunately, you can't control what they do. That would be great if you could. But just out there trying to do my own thing.

Q. When you see that leaderboard, was your reaction Gulyana who?
LAURA DIAZ: I only saw Annika. I only saw the No. 10. I didn't see anybody else's name. I believe that that is my little sister who finished second. Russy. She was a rookie a couple of years ago, and she lost her card last year. And I haven't even seen her this week.

Q. Actually two years ago.
LAURA DIAZ: Two years ago. Vegas. We had dinner in Vegas or we played a practice round together in Vegas. So there's a program within the LPGA Tour that we do, a little sister program. She was my little sister I guess three years ago. And so that's great.
Like I said, I didn't see the board. But Kevin, my husband, told me when I got done that she finished second.

Q. You couldn't have done that good a job, because up until today she has only won 4,000 US up on the LPGA?
LAURA DIAZ: Wait a second. You're not a mentor. (Laughter) you're just really someone that they can call and try and feel comfortable. When I came out I didn't have one but yet a lot of the veterans kind of took you under their wing. I think we still do that. But this is more of a program, yeah, I didn't do a good job.

Q. I'm just yanking your chain.
LAURA DIAZ: Couple of years.

Q. For someone who has done what she's done up until now, amazing performance, isn't it, runner up?
LAURA DIAZ: It's great. I think that our tour is extremely deep with talent. And I think you're going to see a lot of that this year.

Q. Are you happy right now with the results? Do you feel good finishing second?
LAURA DIAZ: I don't really think I'm -- yes, I feel great. But my goal is to get in the Hall of Fame. I need wins to get there. Seconds, unfortunately, don't put you there in that spot. I'll keep working, and I'm confident that it's around the corner.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks.

End of FastScripts

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