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GINN OPEN

April 19, 2008

Lorena Ochoa

REUNION, FLORIDA

MIKE SCANLAN: Lorena, thanks for coming in. I got a little stat for you before we start: This is the fifth time you've held a final-round lead this year. The previous four times you won every event.
Has that crossed your mind at all? You're entering the final round with the lead again. Are you thinking about winning?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes. Hello, everybody. Yes, and I like to see that stat. I think it's always important to -- you know, this helps a lot for me and I think also for other players.
I think what I did today, I'm really pleased. It was a great day, especially starting with a bogey on the second hole. I was able to make eight birdies and just finish in the lead.
I like very much my position, and I'm very excited for tomorrow.
MIKE SCANLAN: Can we do your card?
LORENA OCHOA: Bogey on the second hole. I hit a 9-iron just short of the green in the rough. I hit a 56-degree wedge just a little bit long, maybe ten feet, and made that for par.
Birdied No. 3. I try to hit the green in two with a 3-wood 245 yards, and just ended up short on the rough on the right side. I hit it about five, six feet, and I made that for birdie.
No. 4, I hit the green with a 9-iron, 130 yards, just a little bit long, 12 feet, and I made that.
On No. 7, I tried to hit the green in one with a driver and just ended up pin high on the left fringe. I putted from there about one foot and made it for birdie.
MIKE SCANLAN: How far was your putt from the fringe?
LORENA OCHOA: 20 feet. And then No. 9 I hit the green in two with a 4-iron, 190 yards. Ended up a little bit short, maybe 25 feet. Two-putted for birdie.
On No. 10 I tried to hit the green in two with a 3-wood. Just ended up short on the front bunker. I hit it out really good, about one foot, and made that for birdie.
No. 11, I hit a 50-degree wedge 100 yards. About three feet, and I made that.
On 15 I hit an 8-iron 135 yards. Just a little bit long, maybe, six, seven feet, and I made that.
On 18 I hit a 7-iron 145 yards. A little bit long, maybe eight, ten feet and I made that for birdie.
MIKE SCANLAN: Thank you. Questions.

Q. Does it surprise you these days when you don't hit a good shot?
LORENA OCHOA: No, I hit a lot of bad shots but you just need to laugh about them and be able to have a smile on your face and just keep moving, you know.
I think I hit five drivers today to the right, missed few fairways, but it's all about the attitude you have. I was able to come back and play good.

Q. You're using some different clubs off the tee. Obviously the driver, but I think you were mixing up with a 3-wood a little bit maybe. Was that just for control, and did that help you today?
LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh. I think I use the strategy of the course. There are some holes -- I think today the wind change a little bit, especially on the back on No. 11, 12, 13. You know, for the tee shot because they play short. That's the way we been playing the whole week.

Q. Do you feel at all like you really could have pulled away? I think you missed really close putts today on 12, 13, and 14.
LORENA OCHOA: Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, I have no complaints. I'm really happy with my round. Sometimes they just don't drop in, and hopefully they will tomorrow.
You know, I did have some horrible breaks today. I missed the driver on No. 10 and just ended up in the rough and then, you know, made a birdie right there.
On 17, I hit the driver to the right again and got a good lie and was able to punch something out. So it's good balance, so I'm happy.

Q. I'm just curious if any of the players have asked you to take it easy on them or slack up a little bit? Are they giving you a hard time at all?
LORENA OCHOA: No. I mean, a little bit, but just joking around. You know, good friends. Yeah, they have a few comments. I'm going to take a week off next week. I keep telling them that.

Q. You said yesterday you like it to from behind because it allows you to be a little more aggressive. Do you go into tomorrow with that mindset, playing like you're coming from behind?
LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh, always. I think it's the best way to do. I think it's bad when you get too much into the other players' game. I'm going to just try to do my own thing and be aggressive. I am.
I like to make birdies, not only for me, but for the fans, and I'm going to continue that.

Q. A lot of the ladies took a lot of time reading the greens. Are they pretty tough to read today?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, they're just -- there's just not much grass on the greens. So you need to be very carefully with the grain to see. If it's downgrain it could be really, really quick.
And also it seems like they're just -- like you're playing over ice, you know, so you really need to hit it in the middle of the hole to make it.
It will never leap out or grab the edge. So it's difficult greens, yes.

Q. Talk about the way Carin played today through the first 16 holes. She had said she fed off you a lot and the way that you were playing well.
LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I think Carin is playing really good. We can see that her game is at a good level. I played with her in Mexico, in Morelia, and she had a good tournament over there.
It's just, you know, couple -- a bad break on 18 with that double bogey. But good thing she still has one more day to recover, and hopefully she has a good round tomorrow. I wish her the best.

Q. You're going to be playing with the two players from Taiwan that are good friends. What are your thoughts on that.
LORENA OCHOA: I love them. I think they're so nice. I had a great time today with Teresa Lu. I actually had lunch and breakfast this morning with Tseng. They seem very nice and have good personalities and seem like they enjoy themselves. I'm excited. Should be a fun group.

Q. Have you lost a lead on the final day since the Ginn last year? No? That's a pretty impressive streak. Does that change your mentality at all knowing that you don't collapse, or haven't in a while?
LORENA OCHOA: Like I mentioned before, I think it's all about experience. I do feel much complete right now as a player, making decisions and all of that.
But every tournament is different and every round and day is different, the way we feel. Right now I'm pretty tired. Tomorrow I'm just going to manage to do whatever it takes to win. For sure I'm not going -- it's not going to go easy. I think I'm going to take a low round, because good players are behind me.
Hopefully I can do it one more time.

Q. But you're pretty confident that kind of collapse won't happen again like last year?
LORENA OCHOA: I better be confident. You know, I just like the way I feel right now. I trust that my game is at a good level and I should be ready for anything.

Q. Just wondering if you adjusted your workout routine at all or are getting more sleep or are doing something to keep from getting too tired, this being week four?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I been running a lot this week but I know I'm not going to do it this afternoon. I feel pretty heavy with my legs, and I'm just going to take it easy this afternoon.

Q. Last year's Ginn tournament a turning point for you in a lot of ways? You said look, I'm an aggressive player and I might have had a collapse before, but that's not going to happen again the way I play. Talk about how that maybe helped you.
LORENA OCHOA: Well, you always learn the hard way. For some reason the Ginn Open, you know, both tournaments, here and in Charleston, they were tough to me.
I lost one in 18 holes and the other one in a playoff. You know, hopefully we write a different story tomorrow.
It hurt a lot and it was tough at the time, but then you look back and you always see that it's always worth it. Everything happens for a reason. I'm a much better player now and I feel good for tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)
LORENA OCHOA: Like Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we run like 35 minutes. Friday only 28. I couldn't -- today I'm not running.

End of FastScripts

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