U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 1997

Alison Nicholas

ALISON NICHOLAS: It is. It's lovely, isn't it? It's bigger than me, I think.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, I mean obviously I was a bit nervous today. It was a big day. And obviously playing with Nancy was going to be a good day. But obviously I knew the crowds were going to be behind her. And I think a lot of people prayed for me today. So I just tried to be calm and to play my game, and see what happened at the end of the day.

ALISON NICHOLAS: She said you played well today, Ally, and well done. And I can't really remember, actually. It's all a bit of a blur. But she was very nice and gracious, too. She just congratulated me and wished me the best.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I find it understandable. Of course that's going to happen, and that's fine. I expected that to happen and I tried to enjoy it, really, to think that they were applauding me a little bit, too. She's a great champion and she deserves that applause. I just had to play my golf and concentrate on that.

ALISON NICHOLAS: They were great. The crowds were terrific. It was just a wonderful day. And playing with Nancy was a privilege. I shall just remember this forever, really. I shall enjoy telling my niece and nephew, if I don't have any children, that is, about the day, and playing with Nancy Lopez and winning the U.S. Open.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, it's tremendous, it's a dream come true. When you're up there in contention you always want to finish the job off. And I was pleased to be able to do that today. I had to fight, though, at the end, because a few things went wrong and she put a little pressure on me. But I came through in the end. I want to thank my family and friends and all the people who have prayed for me and supported me. I can thank Him upstairs for being with me, too, and for what He means to me.

ALISON NICHOLAS: No. I was just really nervous. I just tried to -- I knew all I wanted to do was get the ball over the creek or whatever it was, the wetlands there and have a shot into the green. I knew there was a possibility that Nancy could birdie the hole. But I played my third shot on to the green and then the pressure was on her. And then obviously she had a tough putt because it was a downhiller. And all I needed was a 2-putt for the win. It happened.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, I mean obviously on 14, I only had about 105 yards over the water to the pin there and I've got a wedge that I usually hit about that distance. Obviously when that went over the green I can only think it was adrenaline. Because normally I can't hit a wedge that far. Obviously I was a bit concerned then, but I knew it's not over until the 18th. So I have to really fight and gather my thoughts and not think about -- think about the present, not the past, because there's nothing I can do after I finish the 14th. I just have to go forward. I think that was enormous. My caddy said, "Al, you've got to think forward, now. Think of the present." Forget what's happened, let's just play. We've got four holes to play, let's do it. And so I concentrated on those thoughts.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Mark Fulcher.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I hit half an 8-iron into the green and the putt was about, probably about 14 feet.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, that was unbelievable. Nancy had obviously hit it in very close there. And she was throwing everything at the pin and really putting the pressure on. I thought, well, I've got to knock this close. And I obviously went straight for the pin. A few people went up at the back, I wasn't absolutely certain it had gone in. My reaction wasn't sort of as it should have been, perhaps.

ALISON NICHOLAS: About 56 yards.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, because the crowd went wild after she hit the shot so I presumed it was pretty close.

ALISON NICHOLAS: That was terrific. But there's a long way to go. Again, I had to go on to the next hole and concentrate on the next shot.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. I mean No. 6 was another tough pin. I wasn't supposed to be going as right as that did. But I tried to play a little conservative, because I felt -- after the eagle I was four shots in the clear. I tried to just play for the middle of the greens and see what happened, really.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. That was as tough as they get, I think. I got the speed exactly right and obviously had a great 2-putt.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Obviously at No. 9 I got up-and-down for a par.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I was in the semi rough on the right and had an 8-iron and it was sort of lying down a little bit and I thought it would release or pop out quite easily. And in fact it didn't, really. So it went a little bit left. I had a chip from just off the green, which wasn't very far away. It was only about 30 feet. And knocked it to about two feet. On 17, I mean obviously I hit it left from my second shot, a 6-iron, and obviously left the chip short which perhaps was a mistake. I was probably trying to get it too close, instead of just get it on the green. But the putt that I had from the fringe was important; I needed to get down in two. Obviously I went down the last with a 1-shot lead.

ALISON NICHOLAS: About three or four feet, probably.

ALISON NICHOLAS: No. But it was very close.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes. Because the ball was lying against the grandstands, so I got a free drop. But there were a lot of people in that corner and also the railings from the grand stand, from the steps, were very close. But it didn't really impair -- I wasn't really thinking about it too much.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes. At the back of the green.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Behind the green.

ALISON NICHOLAS: A little bit right. But not much.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah.

ALISON NICHOLAS: It was okay, but the green is sort of like downhill -- a really delicate downhill chip. And, of course, it went down to the front of the green. It was a tough shot.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. But I think there was quite a bit of rough before the water, so I don't think it was in danger of going in there. But obviously it made my fourth shot difficult, because I was against the curve of the rough. I was thinking of perhaps using a sand wedge and blading it, but I decided to go for the putter, because it jumped up when I hit it. It was a difficult shot.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes. She put me under a lot of pressure. She went for the flag and made some great shots and made some really good putts, too. Because we seemed to for some reason -- we were always having downhill putts, really tricky ones. And she made some great putts. And I think that eagle was very significant today.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, we had fellowship earlier this week on Thursday evening and he's the chaplain for the Portland Trailblazers, I think, and he came to talk to us. And a lot of my friends who are Christians back home and over here rang me up to morning and prayed for me before I went out today, they did, too. They didn't pray for me to win, just to have peace.

ALISON NICHOLAS: They were rooting for me. Laura and Trish are delightful, and Lisa. I mean it was great to have them in the crowd. They're great friends, too. It doesn't mean that they're not, just because they're not Christians.

ALISON NICHOLAS: It hasn't sunk in yet. I'll probably start dancing somewhere some time, but I can't tell you when at this stage. I've been busy ever since I finished, so I haven't had time to reflect. It's just something that I've dreamed about and it's just terrific to be the U.S. Women's Open Champion. I should scream and shout somewhere.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I did. There was a lot of pent up emotion. I think my caddy lifted me up, I can't remember, about six feet in the air. I'm excited, but it hasn't really sunk in just yet.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Probably the 6th.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yesterday it was playing as a par-5, because it was into the wind. I didn't really count that as a par-4. And the pin was in an extraordinarily difficult position. And all of us were hitting long irons or woods into the green. We played it to the right and hoped we could get up-and-down.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. I was really pleased with the way I was striking the ball. I was hitting it longer and longer. But it becomes -- my caddy was getting a bit worried. When you choose a club and you're hitting it longer and longer, it's like, "What are we going to take this time?" That's what happened on 14, basically. There's no way, I normally hit -- it was only a three quarter wedge, supposedly. And it flew forever.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. Of course they did. I think it would have been much more difficult if I'd never played on the LPGA before, to come into this championship. That emphasizes Laura's victory when she won in '87. It was just tremendous. I think the actual experience and knowing that you have won in America helped me enormously.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I just got into a rhythm. And I could feel -- I felt strong, my swing was smooth and I just felt really good and confident and I was firing it to the pins. I was putting really well. I putted well for a number of weeks now. I just felt confident. I decided to go for it and enjoy the whole championship and enjoy playing this golf course. I just went from there. I tried to get as many birdies as possible.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah. All those years ago. I remember when I first took up the game and I was given a book, I think it was the first book that she did or that came out about Nancy. And the lady captain gave it to me at the club. She said read this, this might help. She was encouraging me to play. My handicap was probably about 20 then. And she was someone I always looked up to. It's amazing now that I've played with her today. It's just a sheer privilege. It's just exciting and fun, and I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Obviously, the players I looked up to, yeah, because the European Tour didn't start until 1979, I don't think. Obviously it got better and better since then. But there wasn't an enormous amount of publicity. And I think Nancy Lopez has just been -- had a lot of publicity and done so well. She's a legend in the game. She came to the UK and played in -- what were they called -- the Colgate tournaments. And obviously seeing her play there.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I didn't see her play there, but I heard about it. And obviously I think there might have been some TV coverage. And just Nancy Lopez was the star and has been for a long, long time in ladies golf when I first took up the game. What was your other question?

ALISON NICHOLAS: My first trip to the states. Wow, that was back in the winter of 1983, 1984. I came to practice and play and stayed with one of the John Palmer, who used to be the commissioner on the LPGA he was married to Mary Everard, I came out to the states the first time then to play and practice. And of course, him being commissioner on the LPGA, I went to watch a couple of tournaments in the beginning, in the January of '84, and obviously knew a lot about the players and the Tour. And that was my first occasion in the states. I played the Orange Blossom Tour, actually, as well at that time. In Florida.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Definitely. I lost to the European team. Obviously it was the first Solheim Cup and we were very nervous and we probably felt a little bit intimidated. Definitely I was. I think my game and my confidence has come along with tremendous strides over the years, from playing in Europe and playing over here and from playing in the Solheim Cup.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I started at 17. That was really through my parents. I started the game. My mom and dad played. I played a lot of tennis, really team sports, and and was more interested in team sports. But I -- I was good at tennis, but I didn't feel I could actually make it in the professional game. So I decided to have a go at golf because I loved and enjoyed playing in tournaments under that kind of pressure. I thrived on it. So we decided to have a go at golf and gave me three years to see if I could do anything. I used to work in the winter, doing all sorts of lovely jobs.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, I was a cleaner for a while. I looked after children and older people, as well. I cleaned peoples' houses. I worked in a hospital in the sterilizing department. And then I went and played the amateur circuit in the summers. We took a huge risk, because I haven't really got any academic qualifications. But my dad knew, he had a feeling I could make it in the game. What was the other question?

ALISON NICHOLAS: No. I've got no regrets at all. Because I enjoyed my team sports and enjoyed playing them at school, so it was never a problem for me.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I don't know. I won my second LPGA tournament in Columbia, Edgewater, and here we are on the U.S. Open champion. I think I probably ought to play a bit more in Portland (laughter) and I might move here, you never know.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I don't know. I haven't made a decision about that. I'll see how things go when I get back home and see if I can fit it in my schedule. I'll try hard to, but there may be a possibility I might not be able to make it.

ALISON NICHOLAS: About 165, 160 to 165. But it was going further this week, for some reason. I was hitting a 6-iron about 160 this week.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Battleship they call me at home.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes. With a lot of fans. They say you're just like Ian Woosnam. I have been compared to him on occasions.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I do know Woosie, yes. Not very, very well. But whenever I've watched him in a tournament he's always come and said hello. I've spoken to him on a few occasions. I enjoy watching him play. He's probably one of my idols, as well. I've followed his career, and especially I got a lot of inspiration from him when he won The Masters.

ALISON NICHOLAS: He might do that.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I haven't called anyone yet. I would like to call my mom -- I can't call my mom, because she's in a yacht in the Mediterranean. I don't think I'll be able to get a hold of her. But my sisters and my dad, I'd like to call them. I don't know what time it is in England right now. I don't think I'll worry about it too much.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, I was just struggling out here, and I was homesick. My whole mindset wasn't quite right. And I needed to go back and gather myself together and get a bit of confidence back before I came back out here again.

ALISON NICHOLAS: That was '90, it was.

ALISON NICHOLAS: No, I was struggling mentally, I think.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I realized that the thing is when you come over from Europe, obviously the strength and depth of the competition is greater over here than it is there. I didn't adjust very well to that, because I was used to being in the top five every week in Europe, and it wasn't happening, I was missing cuts. I just got a little bit down on myself and I realized that that was going to happen on the LPGA. And I had to go back and get my confidence back in Europe and come back and realize that, okay, you can play well and miss the cut sometimes. I had to realize that and not get down on myself and just play each week and be more patient with myself.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Thank you very much indeed.

ALISON NICHOLAS: I hope I'm still alive.

ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes, it's terrific. What a great job everyone has done this week. It's been superb.