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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN

July 31, 2008

Juli Inkster

ASCOT, ENGLAND

COLIN CALLANDER: We have Juli Inkster, 7-under par 65 which ties the 18-hole total of the championship set by Candie Kung at Turnberry in 2002, and repeated by Karen Stupples here in 2004. Great round of golf.
JULI INKSTER: Thank you. Thank you very much. Basically you know it's perfect conditions out there. We didn't have any wind. The greens were a little soft. I hit the ball really well today. I've been struggling very much with my swing, and I got Karrie Webb's teacher, Ian Triggs, to help me a little bit and I think he got me on the right path.
Every day, it's gotten a little bit better and so I was pleasantly surprised when I teed my ball up on No. 1 and it went straight. I thought that was a good sign.
COLIN CALLANDER: You just finished tied ninth last week.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, you know what, I managed my game very well last week. I just played safe. I putted well. So I was very fortunate to finish where I finished last week. I mean, I played with Helen the last day and she deserved to win. She played great. And I was just hanging on by my little pinkies.
Today I played very well, I played aggressive when I needed to, and I really only missed one green, and that was on the par 3, 15. Other than that, I hit every green, and so that made my day a little easier.

Q. Did you get inspiration by what Helen did last week?
JULI INKSTER: Helen never inspires me -- well, you can put that in bold print. (Laughter).
You know what, it was great to see her win. I know how hard she's worked to come back and she's got a lot of drive. No, not really. It's great to see her win and it's great to see someone in her 40s win, but I have my own issues I need to work out, and I'm just glad I hit the ball well today.

Q. When did you see him?
JULI INKSTER: Karrie and I flew on the same plane from Geneva here and we're staying at the same hotel and she said she's coming out Monday to hit some balls, and I just said, "Is Ian here?"
"Yeah, he's going to watch me hit balls."
"Is there any chance he could watch me hit a few?"
He's a great guy. I told him to eat well and sleep well because I knew it was going to be -- you know what, he had some good things to say and there was nothing overhaul, he knows I have kind of a unique swing anyway. It was good. He helped me. And I'm not saying I'm going to strike the ball like this every day from here on out, but at least I feel like of a direction and I know what I need to do.

Q. You said about the players in their 40s, wonder what you think about people that retire in their 30s, Annika 37, Lorena said she might retire at 31 or something.
JULI INKSTER: You know, I think it's two different eras. They grew up, I mean, especially Annika and Lorena, where the money is good.
When I was out here, I think my first win, I won 22,500. I always thought I would play about five years and have a couple kids and retire. I'm kind of unique. I really love the game. I go out and play for fun. I go out and -- I think Annika, I think it's a lot of work. You know, she's got every time she tees it up, she's expected to win and every time, her work ethic is just grind, grind, work out, hit balls.
I took some time off and had kids and I think I just have a different perspective. Golf is what I do; it's not really who I am, and I have a family, and I enjoy being home, but I also enjoy what I do.
I don't think there's any reason why -- I don't think Annika could come out here and finish, you know, 15th or 12th on the Money List and live with herself. Me, I'm okay with that. I enjoy what I do. I love playing golf, but it's not the end of the world for me. And I think sometimes I think it's a lot more pressure on Lorena and Annika because they are expected to win every time they tee it up, and that's just a really hard way to play.
I know Annika wants a family and she doesn't think she can have a family and play the quality of golf that she's used to playing, and that's her decision. You know, it was hard for me to play with having young kids out here, so I can kind of see where she's coming from.

Q. Didn't you make an eagle on the ninth hole? Can you go over that?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I hit driver and I hit it right where I wanted to, and I didn't see where it landed or anything like that. But when I got up there it was 16 to 18 feet away. It was pretty much a straight-in putt up the hill, and made it.

Q. I would like to know one thing the coach told you to do that putt you back on the right track.
JULI INKSTER: A lot of it was my posture and getting the club to come back down the same path it goes back, instead of re-routing it. So I'm trying to did a lot of pre-squares and stuff like that. He said mainly it's getting my posture right. It was a little saggy and a little over, and that will get my hips to come more that way, instead of rotating.

Q. Next thing, can you remember a really appalling day after you had had kids when you were trying to play?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah.

Q. And they were screaming or whatever?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah, I can remember, it was in Portland, Cori had an ear infection and about -- Cori is my youngest -- 104 fever. So I took her to the emergency room about midnight and got back from the emergency room about 7:30 and had a 9:20 tee time.
But you know what, that's just what you do. Hayley was sick, it seemed like -- Hayley is my oldest. First year, it seemed like every tournament I was at, she had an ear infection or something. We were constantly battling that.
So it's just different things. Now they are 18 and 14, and now I have to worry about them coming home at night. Especially in France. (Laughing).
You know, looking back on it, I wouldn't change a thing about raising kids out here. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and I really struggled with that the first couple years. I look at my kids and they are very well adjusted and love to travel and are good people. And the players out here, the Meg Mallons and Karrie Webbs and Beth Daniels and the Pat Hurst, my kids have grown up with these people and they have been really good to my kids, so it's been very good for them.

Q. Do you remember what you shot the next morning?
JULI INKSTER: I don't even know what I shot. I was in a fog. I probably played well because I wasn't even thinking. You know what's funny about the whole thing is the emergency room doctor that helped me out, he came out right after his shift. He got off at 9:00 right after his shift and came out and walked the whole 18 with me. That was pretty cool, I said, "Well, we'll stay up together."
COLIN CALLANDER: Let's go over the details of your birdies.
JULI INKSTER: First hole I hit a good drive but missed my 7-wood to the right. I chipped up and made about a 15-footer for birdie.
No. 2 I hit two really good shots about 30 feet, 25 feet and I 3-putted for par.
No. 5, I hit 9-iron to 15 feet and made that for birdie.
10, I hit 3-wood, hybrid 7-wood and 2-putted from about 20 feet.
12, I hit driver and I hit just a little 5-iron in there about eight feet. It was a tough putt, and I made that.
14, I hit driver, that hybrid again in two, and I had about a 45-footer, knocked it up there about six feet and then I made that.
And then 15, I hit a bad tee shot to the right and I had about 25 yards I had to carry it back on the green and knocked it up there about eight feet and made that for par. So that was a nice save there.

Q. Do you have any plans to retire?
JULI INKSTER: Do I have any plans? Yeah, I have plans. I don't know when.
You know what, the way I look at it, I play 16 to 18 tournaments a year and I get the rest off, and I like what I do, so I just play. I'm not sure that I'm going to play next year, but I have plans to finish out this year and then I'm just going to re-evaluate and see. But I'm getting close.

Q. What would you do?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, believe me, I plenty to do. My little one is just starting high school and she plays basketball and golf and I wouldn't mind coaching a high school girls' golf team. I like to work out and I like to cook, I like to eat, so yeah, I think I'll be just fine.

Q. Can you tell us what you did after the U.S. Open when you took time off?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I took probably two weeks off and did nothing. Then I just kind of started working on my game. I wasn't really quite sure I wanted to come to Evian, and the reason why I came is because my kids would kill me if I didn't come, so I went and just I played good there. But I was seriously thinking about not coming. I was playing so bad that it wasn't even fun. So it gives me a little bit of light and now I have something positive to work on.
COLIN CALLANDER: Juli, thank you very much indeed.

End of FastScripts

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