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SBS OPEN AT TURTLE BAY

February 14, 2009

Angela Stanford

KAHUKU, HAWAII

MIKE SCANLAN: Let's do your card. Birdie, 3?
ANGELA STANFORD: I hit a 3-wood into the green side bunker; hit a pretty decent bunker shot to six feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: Bogey, 8?
ANGELA STANFORD: I probably hit the wrong club off the tee so I left it short of the green. Hit a decent chip shot but just never committed to the line on that putt; missed it.
MIKE SCANLAN: How far was the putt?
ANGELA STANFORD: Seven feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: Bogey 10?
ANGELA STANFORD: We were completely fooled by the wind there. We hit a 6-iron again and this time it went through the wind and did not balloon like it did the day before so I went over the green, hit a terrible chip, and probably 20 feet for my par putt.
MIKE SCANLAN: 13?
ANGELA STANFORD: 13, hit kind of like a hold 5-iron to keep it from -- the wind was blowing from right to left, to 15 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: 14?
ANGELA STANFORD: Hit a lob wedge. I can't remember how far we were out, maybe 105ish; I can't remember that. But hit a lob wedge to four feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: And 15?
ANGELA STANFORD: Hit a 6-iron to like 10, 12 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: Did you hit a driver on 18?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yes.
MIKE SCANLAN: Bold.
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah.
Nine? That was a good, seem like, 15 or just inside 15 feet.

Q. Did you take a drop over there or something?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, an unplayable. The ball was kind of in the root.
MIKE SCANLAN: Angela, congratulations on winning the season opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay. Your fourth career victory, and you now have three wins in your last seven starts dating back to last year. So some might call you the hottest player on tour. If you would just talk about the win and kind of the streak that you've been on dating back to last September.
ANGELA STANFORD: Well, the win this week, to be perfectly honest, I'm a little surprised. I didn't feel quite ready coming in. Had a pretty good lesson with my instructor before I came out, and he just told me to get here and get in the bunker and get on the range and do the things that you should have done the last two or three weeks.
So maybe that was some of it, that I didn't have high expectations and I knew there were things that I need to keep working on. So really I'm quite surprised.
As for the way it's been going, I know I say this over and over and over, but I'm just having so much fun. I mean, every time I work with Mike at home, I mean, it's -- he always has something goofy that we're doing or, I mean, he's making it really fun right now.
But I'm just starting to understand how to hit the golf ball, and, you know, why it does what it does and how do I make it do this, and how do I make it do that. And I feel like the last month, I don't know, I just feel like a kid again just hitting the ball and having fun. And, I don't know, it's been quite a ride.
MIKE SCANLAN: Questions?

Q. Were you concerned about stopping your hot streak in 2008?
ANGELA STANFORD: I'd be lying if I said no. I think any golfer would say that if they get on a roll and they feel like they're in that zone you want to keep playing. But, you know, in my mind I -- at the same time, there's a reason we have a break here. So, you know, I mean, physically and mentally I was okay with taking some time and recharging.

Q. Did things change mentally for you when Michelle doubled 11?
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I'm really -- when she hit the ball on -- well standing on the green on 10 I thought, I don't know if I can make up three shots in this wind. She was going to need to make a mistake. And I was really quite shocked when her ball went in the hazard.
And I didn't see it. I actually stopped watching it because I struggled with that tee shot so I stopped watching. But I was really surprised that she hit it in the hazard.
But, I mean, I was going to need her to make a mistake because it just seemed like the conditions weren't allowing a lot of birdies.

Q. How close were you to trouble there?
ANGELA STANFORD: I thought so because never saw it bounce. But I remember I had been there last year too, and the wind was more across than into us. So I think that's what happened with Michelle's ball; it just got up. And she spins it so much that it just took it.

Q. You said there weren't a lot of birdies out there, but then you made three in a row?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah. I know. I had to get back to hitting one shot at a time. And that's how I kind of -- at that moment I thought, I don't know if I can get to 10-under; I don't know if I can get to 11-under; maybe I can get to 8 or 9, but I'm going need her to come back.

Q. After Angela Park fell back, did it feel like match play?
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I had no idea where anybody stood. I was trying to look at the scoreboard on 11 but it like skipped the scores. And I said to my caddie, I'm like what happened; they didn't show the scores. He's like -- I think he said 10, 7, 5. I said, okay.
Then when I saw the scoreboard on 15 green, that's when I thought, okay it's just me and her. Because I couldn't see the scoreboard, I didn't know until then.

Q. Who was in your gallery of two today?
ANGELA STANFORD: Well there were two -- I guess there were two guys that my caddie had met. They're like surfer dudes out here. And he gave them tickets. One guy came yesterday and I guess he brought a friend today. And the other two said they were from Fort Worth, or they knew a guy that I play golf with at home. I don't know if they went to TCU; I didn't have enough time to ask them. But when I heard the "Go Frogs" I thought okay.

Q. They were yelling, "Let the big dog eat."
ANGELA STANFORD: I tell you, it's fun to have some surfer dudes in your crowd.

Q. How much did experience factor into the last nine holes?
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I think after what happened on 11, huge. Because up until that moment, I didn't think that -- you know, I talked yesterday about her talent.
I mean, that front nine, she didn't make a mistake. I mean, she was doing everything she needed to do to win. And when she made the mistake on 11, she didn't rebound like I thought maybe -- I mean, even the second shot that went over the green and the chip, I thought, you know, that was the moment that I need to step up because it was my chance.
And so I could see it a little bit. I mean, you could see just her youth in that. And that she didn't rebound as fast as she could have, I think.

Q. You put here away with the birdies at the end?
ANGELA STANFORD: The one on 15 was huge. And when she missed the putt on 16, again, I was very impressed with her going at that flag. I mean, that's what she had to do. And that's what is so impressive about her, is that she has that shot, that she can go at that flag at that moment. So it surprised me that she missed it.

Q. Just a matter of time before Wie wins?
ANGELA STANFORD: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. She's got all the shots. I mean, she controls her ball very well. She spins it -- I think her spin got her in trouble a little bit today. But once she figures things out, she is going to be just fine.

Q. How long did you overlap with LaDanian Tomlinson at TCU?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think we were there together just for one year. We had one class together. I don't remember what it was and it was like in the rec building so it couldn't have been -- coaching baseball or something like that. [ Laughter ]
Q. The putt on 13, did you think you would make a birdie putt before that?
ANGELA STANFORD: Honestly, no. I mean, the one on 9 was huge. I mean, that one I just thought, you got to figure out a way to get this ball in the hole or this tournament's over. Because I didn't know if she'd make her birdie putt or not, but all I could think was you have got to get this putt in the hole somehow.
And then, you know, I think sometimes par putts and birdie putts are different. I mean that was kind of a must make. But then, yeah, I really needed to see a birdie putt go in.

Q. Was the putter key to your week?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think overall I controlled my speed very well with the wind and, you know, the different conditions, rain here and there, so I think putting was the key.

Q. Was the rain distracting today?
ANGELA STANFORD: For me it's probably a good distraction because it takes my mind off of, you know, the things that I shouldn't be thinking about. So sometimes distractions are good for me.

Q. Any guilt letting down the Hawaii fans today?
ANGELA STANFORD: Well I don't want to get my mother in trouble. She sent me -- only a mom can say this, okay, so I'm going give you this. But only a mom could say this. She said, I spoiled Annika's last tournament and I kind of spoiled Michelle's first one. So I'm use to wearing the black hat so it's okay.

Q. What would you say to console Michelle?
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, she just -- it's just a learning process. And I hope that she uses what happened on 11 to her advantage. I hope when she gets in that position again, you know, she handles it differently. And I think she will.
You know, it's golf. I mean, I think I would tell her you are playing the hardest game in the world, so, you know, you're going have to have a little patience and know that you're one of the most talented players to come along in a long time, so just keep putting yourself in contention because it's going to happen.

Q. There's a chance this tournament won't be back. What do you think about not having this to defend?
ANGELA STANFORD: Everybody wants to defend. I think it will be sad because I feel like it's been a great relationship; it's been a great partnership. The volunteers have it down pat. I mean, that shuttle system they got, they got it nailed. So I think it will be sad because I know a lot of people have put a lot of time and energy into it and I hope they, the powers that be will work it out.
MIKE SCANLAN: Angela, thanks and congratulations.
ANGELA STANFORD: Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts

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