U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2008

Jack Peter

Carol Semple Thompson

FULLAUDIOINTERVIEW

RHONDA GLENN: We'd like to welcome you to a special presentation in conjunction with the World Golf Hall of Fame. And we have on the dais with us Jack Peter, who is the Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame, who has some announcements to make. Jack?

JACK PETER: Thank you, Rhonda. Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome to our second inductee announcements in 2008.

I'd like to take just a second and thank the USGA, David Fay and Chris Wightman in particular and their staff for allowing us the platform today. We were with this group at Oakmont last year and it's a real privilege for me personally and it's a great opportunity for the Hall of Fame to get in front of the national media. So thank you all for being here today.

I also want to wish you a great week. I'm not going to be here for the weekend, but if it's anything like a couple of weeks ago, I'm going to be riveted to the television and will be watching it from start to finish.

We're here today to make announcement for four individuals who will become part of the 2008 class of inductees. One of whom is with us today and will be introduced in just a minute.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, November 10th at the World Golf Hall of Fame in Saint Augustine, Florida. And it will air on The Golf Channel on a taped delay basis that evening. We'll have one more final announcement concerning the class of 2008 later this summer, so stay tuned.

Without further adieu, first, I'd like to announce that Craig Wood has been elected on the PGA TOUR ballot with 65 percent of the vote.

Craig, as many of you know won the 1941 U.S. Open. The 1941 Masters, in addition to claiming 21 PGA TOUR titles throughout his career.

The full results of the Tour ballots and the International ballot can be found on the press release which will be distributed at the end of this announcement.

Next Denny Shute, winner of 15 PGA TOUR victories, including 3 major championships, the 1933 Open Championship, the '36 and '37 PGA Championships, has been selected for induction through the Veterans Category.

Herbert Warren Wind, who I know is near and dear to you, in the Lifetime Achievement Category this year.

He's considered by many to be the foremost American golf writer. He wrote for the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated, covering golf and other subjects for almost 40 years and we couldn't be happier for the Wind family.

Each of these individuals will be honored posthumously at the ceremony and we look forward to getting to know their families and friends over the next several months. It promises to be a great evening.

Now, for a very special inductee announcement. Our next inductee is the -- what we think is the personification, really, of amateur golf. She's competed in over 100 USGA championships, including 32 U.S. Women's Opens. She's earned 7 USGA titles and Women's Amateur and British Lady's Open Amateur Event. She's played on a record 12 USA Curtis Cup teams and captained the victorious 2006 and 2008 teams.

I've got to tell you, it didn't take us very long -- we didn't have to have too many meetings to make sure this is the place we made this announcement at the U.S. Women's Open Championship this week.

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce and welcome Lifetime Achievement and Inductee Carol Semple Thompson.

Well, obviously we know that she's being escorted by her good friend, David Fay, the Executive Director of the USGA and the Chairman of the World Golf Foundation.

Carol, I just want to say on behalf of the 120 current Hall of Fame members, our board of directors, our staff, and over 300 volunteers, welcome to the Hall of Fame family.

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Thank you.

JACK PETER: Before we totally grant you the microphone. We want to have David say a few things, and get his thoughts maybe on you and the other inductees.

DAVID FAY: Well, first of all, congratulations. It's a most worthy award. I would call Carol the First Lady of Women's Amateur Golf. Now, I paused and I was thinking should it really be the first lady of the United States Women's Amateur Golf.

But for those of you who have seen her in action in Curtis Cup matches and the way she relates to the GB&I team, those of you who have seen her play in World Amateur Team Championships and the way that the women of the world relate to her, there's no question, you don't need to have to the clarifier "United States". She is the First Lady of Women's Amateur Golf.

But it's more than just that. It's not just as a player, not just as an ambassador. But what she does for the USGA. She was on the USGA Executive Committee. She was the Chair of the Museum Committee when we really got the thing going in a forward manner.

I remember her escorting the late Alan Shepard around when he came to check out his club that he struck on the moon. And he was saying, "I've read all about you. How many years have you been playing this game at the top level?"

And that's the amazing thing. When you come to the Women's Open each year you see these players out there, and they're not thinking of Carol as some elder icon, they're saying, "I remember playing with her", and playing in the Amateur and playing in the Open and just as a competitor.

But I did find it very funny that the USGA Executive Committee in its infinite wisdom assigned a Committee Chair, the Handicap Committee, to you. I think it was Judy Bell who did it.

Carol, you are a treat to the game of golf. And you honor the game so well. I'm just delighted to be present here when the announcement is made. You really have earned it. You are a special, special person.

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Well, thank you David, that was a nice, wonderful introduction. I'm very flattered by everything that you said.

I'm also thrilled to be one of the top amateur players around today, maybe one of the older ones. But it's amazing that the Hall of Fame would choose to honor me for that. I'm just -- I'm humbled by the whole idea of it.

I certainly do not feel worthy of this, but at the same time I'm loving every minute of it. How could I not? I went to the induction several years ago and matched Marlene Streit be inducted in November of, I think three years ago, maybe. And it was very impressive. A wonderful, wonderful thing.

I'm also thrilled this is happening while my mother is still here to be able to experience it. I know my father is up there somewhere experiencing it. He would never believe this in a million years.

It's tremendous. I want to say thank you to my family and to all the people who have helped me get through the world of golf to this point. It's just been a wonderful time. I've been blessed through my life, and I can't thank the Hall of Fame, the Committee, enough, for granting me this honor. Thank you.

RHONDA GLENN: We will now open the floor to questions.

Q. It's probably impossible for you to say so, what is it about golf that you're as passionate today after this many years, why?

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Why am I so passionate about golf? I think I learned it as a child. I learned how important it was to be honest, to be talented, to be forward thinking and positive thinking. It was just all the good things that I learned from the game that make it so important to me, even today.

I think all those things have stood me in very good stead through my life. And really that's what golf is to me.

Q. Two things. One, I want to know how you explain to Jack Nicklaus how you weren't going to be at Memorial this year. And two, tell me what you think is your No. 1 achievement. Since they've rattled off so many of them, you must have one that you believe is your No. 1?

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: You're asking how I told Jack I was not going to be at the Memorial? Well, I did write a note to Jack and Barbara several months ago. I thanked them I think for a Christmas present they sent to the Captain's Club people. And I mentioned that I wouldn't be there.

And then the day before I left for Scotland I had an e-mail from Jack saying, "Oh, I just didn't realize that this was happening and good luck." So Jack, I have great respect for Jack. He's on top of a lot of things in the world of golf. He was also very understanding that I missed The Memorial in favor of the Curtis Cup match in St. Andrews.

I've forgotten the second part of the question?

Q. Achievement.

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: My most fond achievement? Well, someone asked me what my favorite shot was of my whole career. And I had to say that the putt that I made in the Curtis Cup match in Pittsburg in 2002, my last Curtis Cup match. It was a miracle putt. It was at least a hundred feet long. And it broke about 18 feet from right-to-left and it was downhill. But it did go in the hole and it meant that I won the match -- won my individual match and I won a point to halve the Curtis Cup match. And then some of my teammates came in behind and we won the match handily.

But one of my favorite stories about that particular putt was that one of the British tabloids came out with a headline the next day and said, "Old dog does the trick." So that would be one of my highlights?

Q. But is it the highlight?

CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: That would be my one shot highlight.

I think my other highlight, highlight, would be winning the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1973 when my father was Vice-President of the United States Golf Association. My mother was very ill in the hospital, could not come to the finals. My father got there.

And after I won, at the presentation, the President of the USGA, Mr. Lynford Lardner, stepped aside and my father presented the trophy to me. So that's definitely a highlight.

RHONDA GLENN: Carol, from me, congratulations. Very proud of you. Thrilled to have played with you at times. And Jack, we'll turn it back to you.

JACK PETER: Rhonda, thank you. I do want to take a minute and recognize a very special Hall of Fame member who's in the crowd with us. Judy Bell. Thank you for being here, Judy. It's always a pleasure to see you.

Again, thank you ladies and gentlemen, for being with us this afternoon. We have one announcement left in the summer. Stay tuned. If I don't see you before, I expect to see all of you November 10th in Saint Augustine, Florida. Thank you.