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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2005

Karine Icher

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, COLORADO

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, Karine Icher. She was at 2-under par and she was a few feet from the hole in the 6th green. She has to complete the 6th hole and three additional holes.

Karine, you are a wonderful player with a golf swing, but this is kind of the best you have done in a major championship, isn't it?

KARINE ICHER: It's my best beginning on the major, so I hope to keep my play and my game for tomorrow morning and we'll see tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon after the cut, but I am pretty happy with my game and my putting today. And it's just -- it's so hard, this course is so hard, so everything can happen on this course. So I have tried to hit the middle of the fairway, hit the green, try to keep a good rhythm on the greens and that's it.

RHONDA GLENN: You were born in France and you live now in Switzerland.

KARINE ICHER: Yes.

RHONDA GLENN: Tell us about your golf background, how you began playing, who was helping you, how you came along to be such accomplished player.

KARINE ICHER: I began at ten years old in France. A golf course was just ten minutes from my parents' home. I tried one day, like this with my parents, and I liked it and my parents put me in the golf school. And I begin like this, but my parents didn't play golf, not at all. I have no brother, no sisters. So it's a little bit amazing that I have begin to play golf in France because the golf in France it's not so popular than here. It's amazing story.

RHONDA GLENN: Did you play any junior golf?

KARINE ICHER: Yeah, junior golf in my home club, the national team for France, and like this I have turned pro at 21 and it's my fifth year on the Tour.

Q. Just curious to know how did you end up in Switzerland?

KARINE ICHER: I representing a Swiss club so I represent Cran Montana, the golf who is playing the men's, the European Tour for the Open, so that's why sometimes there is a little confusion between to tell France or Switzerland. But I am French and I representing a Swiss club.

RHONDA GLENN: Could you spell that for us the name of the club.

KARINE ICHER: C-r-a-n M-o-n-t-a-n-a.

Q. How difficult was it to handle six hours out on the course, how annoying is the rain?

KARINE ICHER: It's hard. We had, I think, one hour and a half delay this afternoon. And then today we couldn't finish, so it happens sometimes on the tournaments, but you know, it can be the same tomorrow. So it's like this, it's for every player the same and I have tried to keep focusing on the golf course and on the game on the golf course.

But of course it's not so easy to play when you have delay and when you can't finish your first round.

Q. It seems like you have been playing very well recently, what has been the difference in your game that's allowed you to play so well recently?

KARINE ICHER: I have changed my coach this winter so I have worked a lot on my golf swing. I am training with Andrew Park from David Leadbetter Academy. My technique is much better than last year. And I have worked my short game, too, so I believe that's why I am playing much better this year than the other year. My goal was to play here on the LPGA the beginning of the season and from three years ago. So I am really happy to play here finally and to play well on the LPGA events and on the major.

RHONDA GLENN: You have a bandage on your thumb, have you hurt yourself?

KARINE ICHER: No, just, I don't know the word in English, but you know.

RHONDA GLENN: Blister?

KARINE ICHER: Yes.

Q. Do you sense that perhaps as you continue to play well, will you be intimidated by some of the big names that are up on the leaderboard with you?

KARINE ICHER: Yes, I mean, you never know on the golf sport, you never know. So I will try to keep playing like this and we'll see. But of course, every top player is here this week, so there's four rounds and everything can happen on this golf course. I mean, it's a very tough golf course and every hole it's a challenge. So just try to keep playing well.

End of FastScripts.

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