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LORENA OCHOA INVITATIONAL BY BANAMEX AND CORONA LIGHT

November 13, 2008

Karen Stupples

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO

MIKE SCANLAN: Can we do your scorecard first? Birdied 1,2 and 3.
KAREN STUPPLES: I had a 52-degree wedge on the first. Holed a 25-foot putt.
The second, I hit a 7-iron to eight-foot and holed that.
Third, I hit a 60-degree wedge to five-foot.
I had a bogey. I hit it in the bunker and then I left it in the bunker, and then I got up-and-down for a bogey.
12, I was left off the tee in the rough. Hit a really good shot in to two inches.
My eagle, I hit a 60-degree wedge, 70 yards, it was passed the hole and rolled back in, no putting required.
15, I drove through the fairway in the trees. It was a bit of a bad drive. Missed my target, hit it a bit to the right. Had to pitch out, had a chance at par but didn't convert.

MIKE SCANLAN: Thanks for coming in. Great round, 4-under par. Right now you're tied for the lead. We'll see what happens for the rest of the day. But if you would, just talk about your day.
KAREN STUPPLES: Yes, I was very happy with how I played today. Hit some very good-quality shots and, in fact, left quite a few out there. I felt like if I had made a few more putts, I could have gone very low today.
But for the first round, I'll take it, and it was just a pleasure playing this fantastic golf course.

Q. What can you tell us about the golf course overall, and what do you think about the upcoming round?
KAREN STUPPLES: The golf course here is absolutely fantastic. It's in top condition. The greens are, in fact, rolling really perfectly, and the fairway condition is superb.
The actual design and layout of it is really something that's quite challenging. It really makes you think off of every tee shot, and really, the tee shot is the biggest key to playing this course well. You have to keep the ball in play, and then because the greens are so pure and rolling so well, you have a good chance to make some putts out there.
Looking forward to the next few rounds. I would really like to continue playing as I have been playing, maybe convert a few putts, keep the ball out of the trees tomorrow. That would be ideal.

Q. Are you satisfied with your first-round result?
KAREN STUPPLES: Yes and no. Yes I'm happy because I'm going to be somewhere near the top of the leaderboard, and for the first round, that's always pretty good.
And no, because I feel like I could have made some more birdies out there I could have been a lot lower than I was. So yes and no.
I should be happy, but being a perfectionist, it's sometimes difficult.

Q. How do you feel about playing a full schedule again? What do you think about your season so far? You've had quite a few Top-10s this year.
KAREN STUPPLES: Actually it feels really good, because last year, I had a baby, and to come back and play, you never quite know how you're going to perform after you have a child.
I'm really very happy with my golf game. I feel that I'm a better player now than I was before I had my son, much more consistent. I think more mentally tough than I used to be. I don't give up quite as easy. I want to fight for every shot now, and I think that's been a big help.
And yeah, I feel very happy with the way the season has gone. I think the only thing that's missing from my year is a win.

Q. Tell me about your toe; how has it affected anything?
KAREN STUPPLES: I had a bit of an accident yesterday morning. Yeah, I had the accident yesterday morning. I was in a panic to get to the coffee, so I rushed around the corner and I stubbed my toe against the wall, and I have a fracture, a broken toe. But it's the middle one, and so it's supported by the other two toes.
It hurts a little bit, but nothing that I can't play with. And, in fact, it probably has helped me some, because it helps me keep my heel down longer through my swing, which is always something my coach is telling me to do.
If the lie is a little difficult, if it's a downhill lie, then it's a little more difficult because I can feel the pressure on my toe. But other than that, I feel very fortunate that it wasn't my big toe, or a finger.

Q. How do you feel today about the pin positions?
KAREN STUPPLES: The pin placements, I thought there were some tricky pins. I thought the rules officials did a very good job today setting up the pin positions. There were some easy pins and some hard pins and some medium pins. You have to pick your birdie opportunities of the pins to attack. The greens are very receptive, so that adds to some confidence, hitting some shots into the greens. But the pin placements I thought were perfect, spot-on for the first day of play.

Q. I just want to know, which one is the injured foot, the right one or the left one?
KAREN STUPPLES: Yeah, it the right one.
MIKE SCANLAN: Karen, thank you so much for coming in.

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