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CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2008

Lorena Ochoa

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Lorena, thanks for coming in and joining us again today. You're the defending champion, and this event kind of looks like the way you finished it last year with you in the lead. Can you just talk about your round today, six birdies, no bogeys?
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you, yes. Hello, everybody.
Today was a great day. It was great fun, and I'm really pleased. It always feels good when you have no bogeys on your scorecard. I made six birdies, and it was very important to hit good my driver. I think if you don't get in trouble from the tee, it plays a lot easier.
I probably hit 18 greens. I don't remember chipping. So that was good, too (laughing).
I'm just glad I started the right way and I'm in a good position. We have to stay patient, one day at a time, and I'm excited and ready for tomorrow.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: How important was it for you to birdie that final hole and take the lead in just one round?
LORENA OCHOA: I think for sure making that birdie makes dinner taste better (laughing). Now I can go and rest. Like I said, this is only the first day, but it's always good to be ahead. Hopefully the gallery enjoyed the last birdie, and tomorrow we'll start all over.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Let's do your scorecard really quick.
LORENA OCHOA: I made birdie on the 3rd hole. I hit 9-iron, 130 yards, about six feet.
And then on the 5th hole, I hit a 6-iron, 170 yards, about ten feet.
And then on No. 7, I hit a 7-iron, again, 145 yards, a little bit longer maybe, 15 feet, and I made that.
And then on 13, I hit an 8-iron, 145 yards, about 12 feet, and I made it.
On 15, I hit a 6-iron about six, seven feet and made it.
And on 18, tried to hit the green in two with a 3-wood. I had about 220 yards to the green. Just left it a little bit short and chipped with a wedge about three feet, and I made that for birdie.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Questions for Lorena?

Q. What was the hardest thing that you found playing this club today?
LORENA OCHOA: I don't want to think about the hard or the bad places. I think today was a good day overall. Like I said before, you have to be careful from the tee to make sure you hit the fairways, so that's the key. It's going to be the key the whole week.

Q. Do you feel like you have your game back right now? It never went that far away; it's just that you haven't won since May. I wonder if you feel you're back in the top of your form?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think my game has always been there. I think it's more emotionally sometimes you have up-and-downs and sometimes distractions and sometimes you're tired, and I'm feeling okay right now. I've played very solid the last couple weeks. I've had my rest, had time to practice and to get motivated, and I'm doing good. I don't want to get too far ahead. This is just the first round. And hopefully we continue going in that direction.

Q. You said that you hit 18 greens and you hit your driver well. Did you hit all of the fairways, or do you remember missing a fairway? I mean, you must have played very well off the tee to shoot 66, but did you hit all the fairways?
LORENA OCHOA: I was in the first cut two times.

Q. The other question is I noticed that you had six birdies today but only one of them was on a par-5 hole. You shot 66, but is it possible to say you left a couple out there still?
LORENA OCHOA: Not today. The par-5s are not short. I actually got in trouble on No. 10. My second shot I was in the rough, but it was a good par for me.
No. 9 I missed the fairway. I was in the rough on the right side. That was a good par again.
No, I mean, when they're not playing short, you just play them like a three-shot hole and just like another par-4. It would be a different story if I would be able to hit them in two, all of them, and just make one birdie. So I think it's good. You know, those par-5s are not easy.
The wind direction today was also hurting on 10 and on 18. I think tomorrow if that wind changes a little bit, then we have more opportunity to hit the green in two.

Q. Compared to some of the clubs you've played this year, you've played very hard golf courses and easy golf courses. How would you rate this Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, say from 1 to 10, and which course this year has been the hardest for you?
LORENA OCHOA: I think this course is pretty hard. I mean, if you put the U.S. Open as No. 10, the hardest that we play all year, this is probably No. 8. I think it's hard. I think because I didn't get in trouble, it looks easy, six birdies. But you need to be careful. It can be really quick and it can be really fast that you make three bogeys out there, so you have to play smart golf.

Q. By the time you had teed off already somebody had posted a pretty good front nine. Do you spend much time, or would you take a look before you teed off to see what somebody else had done, put up a low score and think, okay, it's going to take a low score to be leading after one, and do you check the board during your round?
LORENA OCHOA: I like to see where I am, I like to check the board, but more on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday. I don't think it's good to worry since we're just starting the tournament and other players are out of your control. I always try to concentrate just on my game, and that's it.

Q. Do you think that in a lot of ways that conditions were perfect for scoring today, too, and the players had to take advantage of that?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, for sure. I think it was a perfect day. On the second hole and the third hole, I said to Dave, my caddie, let's just take advantage of this beautiful day because blue skies, no wind, the greens were soft, and I think that's why you see low scores. But as they get dry and we have a little wind, it's going to be a different story.

Q. Who's your favorite group in Mexico or in America Latina, or singer? Who's your favorite singer?
LORENA OCHOA: I don't have one. I like many. I don't have one. It's like golfers, I admire and like many. It's good to like all of them.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Lorena, great round. Thanks for your time today.

End of FastScripts

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