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CURTIS CUP MATCH

May 31, 2008

Mary McKenna

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

STEWART McDOUGALL: Mary, thank you for coming across so quickly. It was a tough day for you. Disappointing at the end. How do you feel after that?
MARY McKENNA: You know, we're in the hunt. It's still there to be taken. Maybe if we get a little bit more wind tomorrow, it might be in our favor.
The girls just played their hearts out. The golf has been tremendous, it really has. The Americans are good and we know that. We very, very nearly matched them. So I'm very proud of the girls. I really am.
STEWART McDOUGALL: Questions.

Q. Is 5 hours, 22 minutes for a match acceptable under any circumstances?
MARY McKENNA: It's long. It's been a long day. I suppose you've also got to realize that this is the first time we played this format. This is the first time the girls have actually played four-ball. You also have the crowds to contend with and that, so it's a totally new experience for the girls, probably more so on this course. Like you won't give kind of short-ish putts, whereas on a lot of courses, you know, you maybe kind of would give putts.
So I think from that end of it, it might just have kind of slowed things down.

Q. Did you have to raise Breanne's spirits a wee bit? She seemed very down in the dumps at the end.
MARY McKENNA: Not really, because I think when you lose a match, you know, you come off the course and you need a half an hour. You know, you've got to be down. And I think it's nice that it hurts. If it hurts, it means something. If she came off, was laughing, smiling, having lost her match, it wouldn't mean anything.
They're all disappointed. But by the time they get back to the hotel and we have our own private team room, dining room, we've ordered dinner and that, put the telly on, what's that program, British Stars, whatever, Britain's Got Talent, they're having a look at that, they're in great form.
But it's human nature. They have to be down. The girls have built themselves up over the last two years for this week. They're disappointed for themselves. They're disappointed for everybody else. But they still know we're in the hunt. We'll be out there battling in the morning.

Q. Were you aware of the incident on the 13th green in the match involving Sally Watson?
MARY McKENNA: I was.

Q. What was your feeling about that?
MARY McKENNA: I don't really know what happened and I was standing looking at it.
I have to say the two girls showed great composure and great maturity because they just went on with it. They walked to the next tee and smiled, said, Right, that's the way it goes.
Again, you know, these little things happen. I don't honestly know. I just haven't had a chance to talk to Gillian exactly as to what happened. Quite honestly, it doesn't really matter. It's history. To me, these little things, you know, you're right, you comment about them, they become huge mountains. Quite honestly, you know, it's only a little thing. Somebody played slightly out of turn or whatever.
It didn't bother the girls. You know, I was impressed with the two of them.

Q. So what's the message tonight then?
MARY McKENNA: One point per head is all I want from them.

Q. Do you feel you have your job cut out for you tonight?
MARY McKENNA: We have, yeah.

Q. You said you wanted to be at a certain level.
MARY McKENNA: We'd love to have been. I thought getting the even points this morning was great. I thought, you know, if we could get even the same this afternoon or even win two in the afternoon, would have brought them a little bit closer and certainly would have given us a better chance, definitely.
But, you know, who knows. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. As individuals, I think on the right day, they all could beat each of the Americans. Whether we can all do it on the one day is the big task, you know.
But I have to be upbeat. The girls have been superb. We've just got to think positive, give them every credit for what they've done, even though we're not ahead.

Q. Mary, in the first match, it looked towards the end as if the Americans have had the edge on the greens, just slightly tighter in their chipping and putting.
MARY McKENNA: There's very little difference, I mean there really is.

Q. It's added up to quite a gap. So would you say it is the chipping and putting, if you had to sum up?
MARY McKENNA: It just hasn't gone our way. I mean, if you were out there watching, the number of putts that lipped the hole or just didn't go in... I mean, I don't think anybody has putted badly. I mean, it maybe sounds a little bit Irish. I mean, there are times we have putted badly in terms of striking putts, in terms of that, but like maybe they just didn't read them quite as sharply.
But they certainly, in terms of their striking ability, they holed a lot of putts, made a lot of birdies. You watch Breanne and Carly's match, four birdies. So they did hole an awful lot of putts. Just unfortunately it probably was the ones on the last greens.
Like everything else: if you miss a putt, it's always the reason why you lost the match. But, okay, maybe they have the very, very slight edge on us. I mean, it's very, very little. I mean, I have to say, yeah, maybe they've had us because they're ahead. But really, I mean, to me it's probably one of the best Curtis Cup matches that anybody has ever seen, win lose or draw. Compliments to the American girls equally because their golf has been superb. I think the spirit that it's been played in has been absolutely great. The girls are enjoying it, which is what it's all about.

Q. I think Krystle Caithness putted particularly well this afternoon.
MARY McKENNA: Yeah, she holed a couple of really good putts, yeah.

Q. The Americans didn't win a hole in that match. I think I'm right in saying that.
MARY McKENNA: Now, you've had time to study it. I've been running around. They played well. The two girls played well. They're great pals. They work well together. Sally just has been superb. I mean, it's been a tremendous week for her. As I said yesterday, she's just such a mature golfer for her 16 years. She's great.

Q. (Question regarding the experience.)
MARY McKENNA: It has been the greatest experience I've ever had. It's as simple as that. It has been absolutely fabulous. I mean, apart from the honor of it, apart from the fact that we're here in St. Andrews, which is magic, I have never been with eight players, I've never been with a group that has gelled so very well.
I mean, I've had to, if you like, not play two people. You just say to them, I'm sorry. Grand, fine, what can we do? They're out there. That's just been superb.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARY McKENNA: You know, always watching golf is. You can't do anything. You're there. What would I do if I was there? I'm not sure I'd be able to play some of the shots they've actually played.
STEWART McDOUGALL: Mary, thank you very much. All the best tomorrow.
MARY McKENNA: Thanks a million.

End of FastScripts

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