U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 29, 2008

Mariajo Uribe

FULL AUDIO INTERVIEW

Q. 2-under par, low amateur for the championship. You must be pleased with your week.

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Yeah, it was a fun week. The first two days playing with Cristie Kerr and Lorena, I learned a lot of stuff and just enjoyed the week. And I had fun.

I wanted to play better today, but it was not the day. So I guess next year I'll be here and trying to win the championship again.

Q. Was it a tough day to play well? The weather conditions were a lot different.

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Yeah, definitely the wind. It was like, going, like against you, with you, so it was really hard to choose the right club, but it's fun to play in tough conditions and be out there and watching like Annika, like everybody rooting for her. So it's kind of nice being here. And I just had fun out there, even if it was tough.

Q. Does this make college golf seem easy?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Not really. The part I need to improve the most is I'm not really good at reading greens and so when I have a caddie it's much easier for me. So I have to keep on working on that and college golf is going to help me. But definitely it's a very good confidence boost for me.

Q. What year?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: I'm just finished my freshman year. So I'm a sophomore now.

Q. At UCLA?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Yeah.

Q. Did you win any tournaments this year?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: In college golf? I tied two because they don't make playoffs, so I tied Hawaii and then I tied regionals.

Q. You played with Angela. Everybody talks about her swing. What do you see in her swing that's special?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: It's just simple. It's kind of -- I think it reminds me of Annika's swing. It's like a simple swing, a lot of tempo. So I really like it, I really enjoyed playing with her and she made a couple of good putts, so I was impressed about her game.

Q. How did your English get so good? Did you come to the states early?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Thank you, but I don't know. I guess. I have accent. I'm always going to have it. But I'm working on it.

Q. Did you come over like when you were 12?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: No, I came to academy when I was 15 for one year and then I went back home. But it's just studying like an American school in Columbia. So you have like American teachers and stuff, so basically that's how I have my English.

Q. Do you watch the other Colombians who are playing on the various tours?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Oh, yeah. Camilo, definitely. Yeah. And yeah, and Carlita also and definitely, they're a couple, so we better make sure that we watch them, yeah, Vargas and stuff.

Q. What's it mean to be the low amateur? You are the U.S. Amateur champion and how meaningful is it? Are you able to express?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: I was a little bit worried because I was not going to play amateur tournaments this year so I needed like something to get better like points for the rankings and stuff. And probably an invitation for the Nabisco next year. So probably this will make it.

And I was just thinking that everybody's a player, not an amateur, a professional, so I was not really thinking about low amateur, but it's a really good thing to take.

Q. Why won't you play amateur?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Because I'm playing the four Majors so I don't really have time so I'm just playing -- yeah, so I'm -- yeah.

Q. You finished with a birdie on 18. Walk us through that hole.

MARIA JOSE URIBE: I don't know. I was between my driver and my 3-wood on the tee. So I decided to hit a 3-wood and then I had a hybrid. Didn't hit it that good, as all day.

And then my bunker shot was a little bit tough but it's a hole that I birdied before the four days, so I was thinking about making a birdie today. Every time I made birdie I made a bogey on the next hole so I was like I don't have a next hole so I might as well birdie this one. And I was just having fun and I love the crowd, you know. So I want them to clap. So I was like, okay, make it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Probably like seven feet probably. Seven, yeah.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MARIA JOSE URIBE: No, I'm going to the British Open and it's finishing the day before the U.S. Amateur starts so basically I would, I don't know.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MARIA JOSE URIBE: I think probably I'm like that -- I don't know if I'm the first one or not but everybody is really shocked by the idea. I don't know. It's a tough decision, as everybody -- hopefully it's the right one.

Q. What went into the decision process to play in the British and not the U.S. Amateur?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: It's really hard to get in the British. So I was just, I just wanted to have that experience. I haven't played overseas so just wanted to see how it was. And it's like you have to make like a process, this is my Open so now I have to play U.S. Opens so hopefully when I'm a pro I'll already have a couple of British Opens and I will know how to play those. So it's basically just for experience and to grow as a player.

Q. Do you think of yourself as an amateur this week? I know you are an amateur, but --

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Yeah, no, like as I'm telling you the course doesn't know if you're an amateur or pro and you have to go out there and play. And if you come here and think, well, I just want to make the cut because I'm an amateur you might as well just stay home. Like you have to go and win, even if you're an amateur and thinks it's like impossible, but, yeah. So.

Q. You're not sort of settling, right?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Yeah, I guess, I think that's the same thing that happened when I went to the U.S. Amateur because you're before like, okay, I qualified for the U.S. Amateur, so it's cool and I didn't even book my flight for the last day, so who -- how are you going to win something if you don't even think you're going to win it?

Q. What does this do for your confidence looking forward to the British?

MARIA JOSE URIBE: I think, yeah, it just gives me some things to work on and a really good confidence boost.

Q. Last thing, what do you know about Jessica Korda.

MARIA JOSE URIBE: Oh, yeah, that was a wonderful round. I was looking at it. She finished 4 or 5-under? 4? She's awesome. I don't know how old she is, she's like 14 probably. Okay. Yeah. I have been following her for a lot of time. I played junior golf with her and she went to the World Amateur two years ago, so I was really glad about that. And it's cool to do that when you're 15 and she's going to have a great career and that's the best for us that every player, amateur starts playing good. And that's the future for the LPGA.