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LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 28, 2005

Karine Icher

CORNING, NEW YORK

JOEL LAMP: We've got Karine Icher here in the interview room. Our leader at 12 under par. A 4 under par round today, 68, right?

KARINE ICHER: Yes.

Q. Let's go over your score card first. Birdie at No. 1?

KARINE ICHER: Yes, I hit the drive a bit on the left of the fairway and my ball went in the rough, hit a 7 wood probably 3 meters sorry about this, but I know it in meters.

JOEL LAMP: That would be about 10 feet.

KARINE ICHER: You can translate for me. 10 feet from the hole and I made the putt.

JOEL LAMP: Birdie at 2.

KARINE ICHER: I hit the green in two shots and two putts, with a drive and 5 iron.

JOEL LAMP: How far was your first putt?

KARINE ICHER: 6 meters, 7 meters.

JOEL LAMP: That's 21 feet. I've got my metric down

Birdie at 5.

KARINE ICHER: Driver, 3 wood, chip, putt downhill. It was a good putt. Not an easy putt, probably 5 feet.

JOEL LAMP: You were short of the green in two.

KARINE ICHER: Yes, short. We had the wind against us and it was difficult to hit the green in two shots.

JOEL LAMP: And then you got on a par roll and closed it out with a birdie on 17.

KARINE ICHER: 17, I played a wedge close to the pin and I had one meter putt uphill.

JOEL LAMP: We didn't get to talk to you this morning because you finished the round really early. You took the lead at 8 under par. Then you came out and you jumped out again early, because you finished this morning what hole did you start on this morning?

KARINE ICHER: I started on the 6th hole, because I started yesterday on the 10th. I had four left.

JOEL LAMP: And you birdied two coming in.

KARINE ICHER: Yes, I birdied 6 and 7.

JOEL LAMP: That got you into the lead. Talk about your thoughts sitting here 22 holes later with the lead heading into the final round.

KARINE ICHER: I'm really happy to be here, to be sitting here, because at the beginning of the season I had the conditional card on this Tour. So my goal, of course, was to play here, not in Europe, and I met with a good result in Mexico and that's why now I can play many more tournaments here. It's very nice for me. And tomorrow I'm going to keep my game, keep my putting. I'm really happy to be in this position now.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: Yesterday we had a four hour delay, so it was a difficult day, because I think every player was tired. And this morning, it was cold, the weather was cold, so I tried to keep my game in my mind just to play par on four holes and I thought that was enough.

But I made a good wedge on 6 and then a very good putt on the 7th. And I birdied the hole, so good for me.

Q. You had a long string of pars today. Do you look at any of them as a missed opportunity?

KARINE ICHER: Yes, I had four par putts, not very easy, so I read the line with my caddie. I thought about the putt and not about the result and the consequence. I think in my mind it was a good thing for me to do things like this.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: The putt on 18 was three meters, so nine feet downhill. The greens are pretty fast this week and very good. We had bad weather and the greens still are very fast. I put the ball, small putts, and the ball had good lines.

Q. After leading after the second round, how important was it for you to maintain that lead heading into today?

KARINE ICHER: It was important to maintain these two good rounds. If you play minus 8 in the first two rounds and then you play plus 6 on the third, I mean, it's nothing. I tried to play the par on every hole. When my ball was close to the hole, I tried to make some birdies. When I teed off on my third round, I didn't think about to lead tonight.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: Yes, 18 holes is going to be easier now.

Q. (No microphone.) You play primarily in Europe. You've played a few times here in the U.S., explain the differences as far as the travel within Europe as far as more traveling involved with the U.S. portions.

KARINE ICHER: Europe is far from the U.S., but it's two different tours between the European Tour and the LPGA. I think it's the biggest Tour in the world. Now I play on the LPGA and I think it's easier to travel here than in Europe, because in Europe you change countries every week and you change money, you change language, the food, everything, and you have to take a flight and come back in the same town where you take off.

I think it is easier to play here. We have better courses than in Europe. In Europe we play on not very good greens. The courses are not like this. So of course it's not easier, but it's better to play here when you are a professional.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: Yes, this year there is Stephanie Arricau. She's from France and I know her well. Patricia Meunier Lebouc, she is also French, and we are three French girls in the TOUR. They are not here this week.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: I mean, every player will play a good player, with good mentalities and very fair.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: The food, yes, the cheese, the meats. You have good meat in America, but it's more important for us if you ask the questions to every European player, they're going to tell you that, but it doesn't matter. We play a beautiful course, beautiful Tour, with many, many fans, and it's the most important thing.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: I have lived in Europe, not here, but it's better to have one point ahead, like one point behind, but I think I'm going to play my game tomorrow. I'm not thinking about the result and the consequence and the money and everything, the points and many, many things. Keep going, play every shot, shot by shot, and we'll see on the 18th hole.

JOEL LAMP: You've won already in Europe this year?

KARINE ICHER: Last year.

Q. You've got four victories?

KARINE ICHER: In Europe, yes.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: If I played against her, I'm done. She is a very big champion. I'm a fan of her, so I will try to play my game, not her game. I know it's difficult, but to be focusing on my game is the secret. I think she plays like this. Focusing on her game and every shot and she doesn't care about the other player.

Q. (International players on the leaderboard.)

KARINE ICHER: Yes, we are from Europe. Annika she's from Sweden, I'm from France. There is a Solheim Cup this year. It's a good thing to be on the leaderboard and to make some good results. And I don't know if I'm going to be qualified for the Solheim Cup, but anyways, it's always good for Europe, because in Europe, the golf it's not like in America, so it's a good thing for European golf in every country.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: Yes.

Q. (No microphone.)

KARINE ICHER: If I want to be qualified I have to make some points on the majors here, because now I play here. So on the ranking, European ranking, you make some points. In America, when you finish in the Top 10 in a major, not in other tournaments, so it's limited.

Q. Do you have to qualify?

KARINE ICHER: For the US Open, I have to be in the Top 35 at the end of this week. Now I'm 43. A good result is going to help me tomorrow.

Q. You don't have a lot of experience with this course.

KARINE ICHER: Yes.

Q. Tell me your impressions of it. What do you think of it?

KARINE ICHER: The first day when I came here, I played nine and I told my caddie, it's a short course, it's easier than last week. And it's surprising because normally on the LPGA we have always 5 iron on the second shot on the par 4, we have a long par 3s, and here it's a little bit different. But when you play the course in tournaments, it's completely different. There is some good if you miss on the wrong side, especially on the greens, if you're on the wrong side or if you miss the green on the wrong side, it's more difficult to make the par, so there is a very good greens here. It's a nice course, a little bit like in Europe. It looks like in Europe, a European course, with trees and rough, wedges on the second shot, not a lot of water. Normally in America there is a lot of water. Here, there's no water.

JOEL LAMP: Thanks a lot.

End of FastScripts.

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