U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 11, 1997

Lisolette Neumann

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: I felt really good today. Started out, pretty much, I think the first 15 holes was just really, really solid, hit the ball great. I was driving it good. Hit a lot of greens, and just overall everything was working my way. And it just came down to the last three holes. I missed my drive on 16. I hooked it to the left and then I think I got just really uncomfortable after that, got really scared and left my next two drives out to the right. It's just the sort of golf course you can't afford to make any mistakes off the tee. A little bit of a struggle coming in. A little bit of a disappointment right now. Just got to stay positive and look at all the good things out there. Five birdies in the first ten holes and really solid golf.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: On 16 I just put a bad swing on it. And at that time late in the round like that, got a little nervous, just got a little tight. And I think it's typical for my swing. I get tight and I get very short and, very quick. So it's just something, I know what's happening out there and I just couldn't do anything about it. So hopefully I can go out and work it out this afternoon, and just try to stay focused on what I was doing out there, just sort of let that one bad swing get to me today and it feels pretty disappointing right now.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: That's the good news.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Started off with birdie on No. 1, and that was an 8-iron to about three feet. Also birdied No. 3, hit a 7-iron, and that was a tough putt there. It was about 35 feet and had about a 6-foot break on that one, so just snuck in on the left side. And birdie on No. 5. It was a 6-iron to about 25 feet. And a birdie on 7, that was a pitching wedge to five feet. And then I had a bogey on 8. I missed my tee shot left there. Hit my second shot up in the right trap short of the green. I hit the third shot just a little bit, like long. I missed the green by like a foot and a half, putted it up there to about four or five inches, made a bogey. Birdie on 10. That was a 9-wood about 15 feet. 16, that was a miss-drive. I hooked it, hit a 5-wood for my second shot, chipped it up and 2-putted. 17, I pushed my drive and hit a 6-iron just short of the green. Hit the next shot over the green and happened to hit a cameraman, I think, that could have been really a lot of trouble on that hole. I was actually lucky that I hit this guy and I think my ball stopped and I chipped it up to about five inches and made a putt for bogey. On 18, I missed my drive to the right again in the bunker and I had to lay up. And then I couldn't reach the green in three, so I hit a good shot and just barely missed my putt there for another bogey.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: It was actually sitting up there pretty good. I just got a little quick on it. I was trying to flop it up, because the whole green was like sloping from the right to the left, so it was sort of a tough shot. I thought I had to hit it high and let it sort of drop down by the hole. And just got really antsy and looked up on it and thinned it and hit the camera guy behind the green. Thank God, because otherwise I think it would have been gone. That was a good bogey.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: It's just that sort of like a feeling I get, like I'm afraid to miss it left. Something that I've done for a couple of years, sort of when I put a bad swing on it, it sort of goes left. And I'm trying to hold on not to let it happen, and it's typical I push it out right instead. So just a negative thought on the tee, and I just couldn't let go of that thought, standing on the next tee.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: I don't know. I always keep an eye on the leader board. I knew I was up there. But I played so solid to that point, that in a way you get a little nervous coming in the last couple of holes there. But overall I think just put that one bad swing on it. I just get a little tight and a little quick, and my swing is short enough as it is that I don't have to be any tighter or any quicker.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: That would have been great if I could have kept the ball in play. That's the thing with this golf course, if you can't drive it in the fairway, you're in a lot of trouble out there. I think if I would have hit a good drive on 16, it was a good pin, it was just on the front there, because that hole played pretty long today, and then on 17 with the pin being back. There wasn't really anything difficult with the holes, but if you can't hit the drive in the fairway, that's a lot of trouble out there.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: I think I'm just going to try to refocus out there. Today, I mean, I'm trying to tell myself that I wasn't that nervous, but I'm sure there's a little bit of nervousness in there coming into the last couple of holes. But I've been trying to stay focused. I've been trying to hit one shot at a time. I don't know. I think my mind maybe started wandering a little bit today, and I was sort of on 18 there when I was actually on the 16th hole, and I think it's really important that you stick to the next shot. That's the only shot you have control over. And I think for tomorrow I've really just got to stay focused and don't think ahead too much.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: No. I think you always get nervous when you're in that position. I think that's pretty normal. But of course coming into the U.S. Open, it's a very special event. And after I won it once, I know what it takes to win and I know how important this event is. But I guess I think it's pretty normal to be a little nervous when you're in that position. And it's kind of a good nervous, you know? It's just a matter of staying focused out there and just trusting the golf swing. And I think it's more the last couple of weeks for me, I just haven't been able to sort of hold on to my game, and I think that kind of came to my mind a little bit today, just being able to finish up the round there. I was just thinking a little bit ahead instead of staying within myself and hitting the next shot.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Yeah, I took too much sand. I was trying to get it up close so I could reach it. I just laid it back too far. I just couldn't get home in three.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: About another 50 yards up there. That would have put me -- now I had like 240 to the front, going uphill. So now I laid up, instead, I didn't try to go for it. If I got another 50 yards, I would have had 190 and could have got home easy.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Yeah, I wanted to lay up to a good shot into the green on the third.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Good question. I think probably when I won the tournament of champions, Grand Cyprus this last year.