home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

JOHN Q. HAMMONS HOTEL CLASSIC

September 16, 2005

Michelle Ellis

TULSA, OKLAHOMA

PAUL ROVNAK: Michelle, thanks for coming in and speaking us. A 3 under 67, a good score on tough course, one of the toughest courses that we play all year, you're at the top of the leaderboard now, a good place to be, your thoughts on that.

MICHELLE ELLIS: I'm obviously excited. It's been a bit of time since I put a first round together, since my injury last year. Everything is starting to come back together slowly. I a good couple weeks out in Portland and Springfield and places like that. I'm starting to get back in the swing of things and get back in the hunt and get used to being in that position again.

Q. Where were you injured?

MICHELLE ELLIS: After the U.S. Open, I didn't play too many tournaments after that. I had what they called like a slipped rib, and every time the sixth rib would rub up on the seventh. That's strengthened a whole lot more now. I've back to my normal shafts and my clubs. And even my driver, I went to a weaker shaft, so I'm back to the normal shaft, which is what you need to do out here.

Q. Did you all play lift, clean and place today; disadvantage, can you talk a lot of the normal weekend hackers will play that, but for the pros, is there a benefit to it?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Oh, yeah, obviously on the par 5s and things like that and shorter irons, you'd better like your longer irons, there's a lot of long iron shots there into greens. You know, if I can sit it up a little bit, it's always going to be a little easier to sweep the ball off the top. The grass here is always going to be clingy. I'm not a big fan of this grass, at all. But, you know, we've all got to play on it and I think it was a good advantage for all of us.

The low areas out there are still very wet. Our staff has done a great job in setting the course up today with moving some tee boxes forward and things like that, because, you know obviously they are very wet, the tee boxes obviously in the lower areas. And the low areas are where we're landing the ball and stuff like that, they have dodged a lot of that out for us so they have done a great job with setting it up.

Q. Is there a hole or two where the lift, clean and place really benefited your round today?

MICHELLE ELLIS: 13, I think, even though they moved us forward a lot, I still had 190 to the pin into the wind, and I'm one of the average hitters out here. I wouldn't say I was short, but holes like the par 5s, you know, trying to get a nice lie for your 3 woods, it's a nice advantage to get down there a bit closer.

Q. Did you play the Pro Am or a practice round early in the week?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah, I played 18 holes on Tuesday and then played the Pro Am on Wednesday.

Q. So you played the course under dry conditions Tuesday, and then you experienced a little wet condition; because of the wetness, how tougher is the course now than it was under the dry conditions?

MICHELLE ELLIS: I wouldn't say it's I'd have to say if we're going to do it off percentages, it's probably 20 percent tougher in my book. It was still a tough golf course when we played in the Pro Am. And obviously it's a great golf course; they have had U.S. Opens here, and it's going to be tough. And the greens are holding really well and they are running true, too, so you get yourself in a good spot but then always hitting the greens you can hit 18 greens out here and still shoot 90. You've got to leave your ball in the right spot also off the tee but also on the greens. You've really got to be precise on where you're hitting it on these greens.

Q. Was there any indication, did you feel like coming here that your game was in really good shape and that you had a chance to go low like you did today?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah, I got fairly like I said, I worked up into this, unfortunately towards the end of the year. But I've taken like I've got a lot got a lot of confidence in Springfield and got right in the hunt there, and to feel that sort of nervousness and adrenaline rush a little bit was exciting.

Then I had last week off and a chance to look at it and work on my game a little bit more, and then to come here, I didn't play last year obviously because of my injury. So the first time to look at this course, and it's tough, as soon as I walked out on it and played the practice round, I knew it was going to be a real low score that wins around here this week.

Q. Is this the nature of golf that all of a sudden your game starts, you find your game you lose your game, you find your game, is that just part of the sport?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah, I think so. Every tournament I've been to over the last few weeks, I've had like six different swing thoughts. Previous to my injury, you pretty much stick with the same one. You've always got your same areas and same things, but getting out of an injury there are still a few things I try and protect and with my setup I'm aiming a bit right and protecting my left side. There's a lot of different I have to say, you know, different swing thoughts and stuff like that that have changed as compared to when you play consistently, you're playing without having any injury.

Q. You have a Shamrock on your hat; a little luck of the Irish was with you today out there?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah, I think so. I hit a couple of really rank shots, I'd have to say, and really got lucky, but I always wear Notre Dame hats. I'm a big Notre Dame fan. Since I've been on the LPGA, everybody that knows me, knows me for the hats, I always wear them. I've never played an LPGA event without one on.

Q. Considering the wind is picking up a little bit, the sun is coming out, how do you think the course will play for the afternoon?

MICHELLE ELLIS: I don't think it's going to change that much. I think it's going to be really I think you'll see a considerable difference tomorrow in the wind keeps up. It will dry out a little bit but this afternoon. I can't see the wind getting up strong enough. Obviously it's going to be a lot more steamier for them than it was for me this morning because of the ground being so wet and the heat coming down. But otherwise, I don't think it's going to be too much of a difference.

Q. You got off to a good start, birdied on the first two holes, how big was that to get that confidence boost going from the get go?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah, that's always good. I'm not a big fan of birdieing the first hole. (Laughter). In the past, that's not always been a good sign for me. But I hit a great shot on No. 11 to within a foot, and you know. Obviously to be 2 under after two holes, anybody would take that.

Q. The fact that you were in the hunt and you've been through those motions, does that help you this week to say, okay, I've been there recently and I know what it feels like, do you feel more comfortable this week?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Oh, yeah, it's just getting back into that mode. I do feel comfortable with it now. I've got a great caddie on the backing Sam Henshaw, he's been caddying for Morgan Pressel last few months. We get on great and we're great friends. It's more like a practice round. I've never been more relaxed on the golf course with somebody. She doesn't show emotions high and low when it comes to anything during the round and I enjoy being out there with her.

PAUL ROVNAK: Can you take us over your score card, starting with the birdie on 1, what you hit in and how far the putt was.

MICHELLE ELLIS: I had like 90 to the pin and I hit a little pitching wedge to six feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 2.

MICHELLE ELLIS: Just clipped a little 11 wood in there. The number was hit it like 165 there. Hit it to inside a foot.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 5.

MICHELLE ELLIS: 5 was pitching wedge to about 80, 85 yards there.

PAUL ROVNAK: Bogey on 8.

MICHELLE ELLIS: Pulled it left off the tee, didn't purged a 5 iron on the green and didn't get up and down.

Birdie on 13, I had like a grip 7 wood in there, I had like 190, ran through the back so I had like a 45 footer and holed it.

14, the par 5, 108 to the pin, pitching wedge to 12 feet.

Q. Why Notre Dame hats?

MICHELLE ELLIS: When I first moved to the United States, my first football game I ever watched with my friends. I live in Lakeland, Florida and the first game I ever watched was FSU against Notre Dame, so I just went for the opposite team before I knew anything about Notre Dame and it sort of stuck with me.

Q. When did you first come to the States?

MICHELLE ELLIS: '99.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297