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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPENAugust 1, 2008Laura DiazASCOT, ENGLAND COLIN CALLANDER: Laura Diaz, level-par round of 72 for a total of 6-under 138. The round included three eagles and the first time it's been done in LPGA history, and the first time was actually here, by Alice Richmond in the 1979 Colgate European Open. LAURA DIAZ: Oh, I thought I was the first. COLIN CALLANDER: Nevertheless, congratulations. It's not every day that you do that. Have you ever had three eagles before? LAURA DIAZ: No, I've never had two. I knew it was a record for me and I was hoping it was an LPGA record, but I was going for my fourth one on 14, and I ran it by. So I almost got the fourth one. COLIN CALLANDER: Was that something in your mind as the round was progressing? LAURA DIAZ: Well, when I got there and I hit the green, I thought, hmm, I've got a chance at four. I actually hit a really good putt. I had the line and I just -- I think it ended up being downhill and I thought it was uphill. So ended up making par. COLIN CALLANDER: Let's go through the details of the eagles. LAURA DIAZ: I hit driver on the first tee and I had 214 to the hole, 196 I believe to the front. And I hit my Lazy Girl 18-degree club and I rolled it to about three feet so I made that putt. And then on 10, I hit 4-iron from like 223 I think I had to the pin and landed it a little short of the green and then bounced up to about 25, 30 feet and I made a right-to-left putt there. And then on 11, I hit 3-wood off the tee and I had 56 yards to the pin. And I said to my husband, I'm just going to -- who is my caddie -- I'm going to hit it into the slope, because from my angle, there was a little slope there. So we were debating whether or not to hit a high shot and fly it in or try to hit it into the slope and let it bounce up and get it close. I kind of did in between I guess, but it flew a little further than I was planning and the right trajectory and it went in. We didn't see it go in from our angle, but I saw it hit the pin and we're exciting. COLIN CALLANDER: Why do you call your rescue club "Maizie Girl"? LAURA DIAZ: My parents' dog's name is Maizie, and that's the head cover on that club. Our dog's name is Zoe; she's on my other club. So one we call "Zoe Girl" and one we call Maizie Girl. COLIN CALLANDER: What's your husband's first name? LAURA DIAZ: Kevin. Q. Did you have any kind of a chance on 9, the short par 4? LAURA DIAZ: No. I hit a bad drive out to the right and I didn't even get it to the right bunker and didn't have a very long pitch shot. But where that pin was and where I was, it kind of sloped away from you and I landed it a little too far off. Q. Are you the sort that will dwell on the eagles or the rest of the round that didn't go quite as well? LAURA DIAZ: I think I'm going to focus on the eagles. It was a rough day out there today. When we finished yesterday, I said to Kevin, "I don't think I've ever played over here when it's been this calm." And today was the weather that I'm used to over here. I just think in general when we're playing the British, I think most people think it's going to be windy, and today we had wind, we had rain and we had sun; so I guess that covers everything. I'm definitely going to just focus on the positives and stick with the excitement of the eagles. Q. How impressed was Kevin with the eagles, and does he help you stay on an even keel or does he get excited by such things or what happens? LAURA DIAZ: You know, the first one, I think we were both pretty even about, and it was pretty neat because I eagled 1 yesterday, too. But after I made the second one, I had made a really good putt and so we were excited that I had made that putt. And then when I made the third one, we both kind of went, oh my gosh, so just excited for the moment, and that's it, focusing on the next step. Q. Does Kevin usually caddie for you? LAURA DIAZ: Yes, he started caddying for me when I was pregnant a couple weeks before that Solheim Cup that year, I don't know, when I was about four weeks pregnant, and he came out and started caddying for me. I felt as though he was the best person for the job. We worked together the rest of that year, the first year of his life and then last year at the beginning of the year we tried something different, and a couple weeks into it, I guess around just before The Open last year, we went back to it. He's a fantastic person. He's a great demeanor for what we're doing, and we have a really good relationship. So it really works well for us having a 2 1/2-year-old, it works much better having both of us out on the road together travelling as parents together. Q. Is your son here with you this week? LAURA DIAZ: He's not here this week. Q. What happens when he gets into school? LAURA DIAZ: Well, he's actually already at school age. We started him at Montessori last winter. He went through and stayed home beginning of the year a little bit and he didn't manage to finish out the winter session. But we're just going to -- right now he's young enough that this works and he's going to go to school when we're home and we're going to handle when he's six, when he's six. We're just going to try and figure it out then. Q. Are your days of caddying at the PGA over? LAURA DIAZ: No, I hope not. My brother, unfortunately, did not qualify the last couple of years, but we played yesterday for birdies. He was playing Rhode Island Open, and I know he shot 1-over in the morning and I don't know what he shot in the afternoon, but he did send me a text saying he only owes me $10, so that was positive. I hope he made some good birdies in the afternoon round. He is kind of in between figuring out what he's doing. So if he focuses all on playing, I'm sure that I'll return to that position. On that note, I had a big wow on my text message -- COLIN CALLANDER: Should you get double the money for eagles? LAURA DIAZ: Yes, and usually the money doesn't exchange hands. (Laughter). Q. What's the age difference between you? LAURA DIAZ: Nine and a half, almost ten years. Q. Did you ever talk to Dottie Pepper about the Solheim Cup comments? LAURA DIAZ: No. Do you want me to? It would be my pleasure. (Laughter). As a team we collectively decided to move on from the comment instead of acknowledge it at all. To be honest, I don't think to this day I will ever in my life do an interview with her. It really affected me, and Solheim wasn't a time to talk about it. But the subject's been brought up. Sherri and I were affected by it. Dottie was a family member to me, and I don't even see her as a friend anymore. I think that it was a really low blow, and highly disappointing, really, because I think that as a golfer, you appreciate golf and what we're doing out there, and that is not at all what that comment was about. Q. In your heart, do you think you will ever get over it? LAURA DIAZ: Just in our heart -- no. You know, Sherri and I, we thought it was ridiculous, really. But it was more a heart thing than anything else. We had a team that was there to support us and pull us out of it. The week of Solheim, nothing -- I don't think myself or Sherri or I will ever look at Dottie the same. And you can print all of it. (Laughter) Especially you, Ron, because you'll put it eloquently, I'm sure. Thank you. COLIN CALLANDER: Thank you for doing an interview with us. Good luck for the weekend. End of FastScripts |
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