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LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 30, 2004

Vicki Goetze-Ackerman

CORNING, NEW YORK

PAUL ROVNAK: Vicki, thanks for coming and joining us. You had a fabulous round, five days of the hunt, made things real interesting there for a little bit. I'm not sure if you could have done much more. It was a terrific round to watch.

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: Thank you.

Q. Tell us about your day and we'll take questions after that.

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: I felt pretty good about my day. Obviously, I want to shoot i wanted to shoot at least 5 under. I thought if I shot 5 under I would have a chance. I didn't think it would be enough, and it wasn't, but I felt like I at least gave myself a chance to win out there.

I got a few birdies going on the front side, hit a lot of great putts that didn't go in early on, and my only disappointment was my tee ball on 16 and 17 put me out of position to really make a birdie coming in, so that was my only disappointment, but it was good to be in contention and have an opportunity to win, and try again next year.

PAUL ROVNAK: Questions?

Q. You made a pretty good run. Is it easier to make that push when all the focus is on Michelle and Annika and you're kind of sneaking in from behind?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: I've never done it from the other way, from the front, so I can't really answer that, but I'm sure nobody was looking at me today, and that was fine, and I kind of knew that, and I was hoping to sneak up and kind of alarm people a little bit, and I at least scared them but I didn't do enough, but yeah, I mean, I guess I had nothing to lose.

Q. Did that help you maybe stay more focused when, you know, you're not the main attraction?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: You know, possibly. I mean, like I said, because I haven't been in that other position, I don't know how they handled it, or how I would if I were in that position but, basically, I would prefer to be ahead because that means I have to shoot not quite as good as they do to catch me, but I don't know, I mean, I know I didn't have any pressure on me. The only pressure that was on me was due to my only self wanting to play well, so that was it.

Q. Were you score board watching at all? Did you know when you were, at the time, tied for the lead?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: I did know, yes. That score board was right there, so you know, and I felt good about it. It wasn't like I looked at it and said, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I'm tied for the lead. I was like, I said, this is great, they haven't pulled away from me. I'm like, I got a chance.

So I felt really good about it. I gave myself some opportunities. I had a lot of adrenalin going. It was tough to pick clubs coming down the stretch because it was just going so much further. I wish that happened all the time to me, the golf course would be a lot shorter, but I just didn't get it done coming down the stretch. I played hard, I had a great par putt on 17, and I played well.

Q. Was it kind of like deja vu of 2000 when you finished up, and the same type of scenario, you were a couple shots back, and you ended up backing into a tie breaker. Did that scenario enter your mind at all, even though it was Annika that had that double bogey 18?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: It did enter my mind for a brief moment, but the problem was it was so brief, because she was right behind me, so I looked and she was on the green, and I thought, she's not going to four putt from there, so I knew it was over.

Obviously, when I was in the tent, I knew that things could happen, but more than likely wouldn't.

Q. Just considering where you started the day, are you pretty pleased with walking out of here what you accomplished?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: Absolutely. I'm very pleased with how you played, I played well, I shot 5 under, I don't feel like I lost the tournament; I just didn't win it. Obviously, when we come and play, we want to win and do the best we can, but just the fact that I didn't have a bogey today is a bonus because I haven't done that all year, so I should be pleased with a lot of things. So we'll go out next week and see what we can do.

Q. I asked Michelle the same question, but when you were making your par save at 17, she was struggling to save a par at 16. You both did it, but then Annika drilled a birdie at 16. It's almost like, all that work you do, how frustrating is it to know that you have to play so much better most days to beat someone like Annika?

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: That's just life. I really wasn't concerned with Annika at that point, I had my own issues going on, and I was just pleased that I made the par putt on 17, and I felt, like you know what? If I could make a birdie on the last hole, I had a chance. I didn't know that she made birdie on 16, I really didn't know what was going on until I got to the board on 18, but, you know, like I said the other day, you don't have control over anybody else, so you just do the best you can, try to make some birdies, try to make some things happen, and see where the chips fall, so to speak. The only thing I was frustrated with is I hit my drives not in the fairway on 16 and 17.

Q. Comment on her when, obviously, she was real close in the second and third round, she got as far back as three or four strokes after the first round and then really just kind of like a good race, came alive when she had to down the stretch.

VICKI GOETZE ACKERMAN: That's Annika. She's always there so, you know, I don't think we're used to seeing her every week that she's out, so, I mean, nothing she did today really surprised any of us or actually what she did all week. You know, you're going to have to play well to beat her, and we know that, and, unfortunately, I played well, but not good enough, so just keep plugging away, keep working on it until one day I do.

End of FastScripts.

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