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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

April 3, 2009

Kristy McPherson

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

DANA GROSS-RHODE: We have our leader, Kristy McPherson with us. You're leading the second rounds of the Kraft Nabisco Championship with a 6-under par, you've kind of had a good combination of tee times with afternoon/morning, avoiding some of the wind. Does that play into the factor of how confident are you sitting now as the clubhouse leader.
KRISTY McPHERSON: There's obviously some really great players out there right now that are at the top of the leaderboard, too. At the end of the day, I don't expect to be at the top of the leaderboard, but still, you know, I'm happy with my first two rounds, and I think I'll be well within striking distance coming into the weekend, which is all anybody can hope for coming into this tournament.

Q. Had you heard about the predictions for the wind this afternoon, and were you really happy to have a morning tee time?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Absolutely. I had heard about them starting on Tuesday, everybody was telling me and I played with the local girl, Jennifer Johnson. I played with her in the Pro-Am on Wednesday, and she was just a couple of groups in front of me and she was like, you know, we'd better be happy that we got the morning tee time on Friday. I figured she knew what she was talking about. She plays here a good bit.
Yeah, I was just counting my blessings for a good tee time. That's part of the game.

Q. But you played well yesterday and you played well today, so something about the conditions are working for you on the golf course right now. What is it?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Yeah, I mean, obviously the golf course is so pure. If you hit a bad shot, it's your own fault. If you miss a putt, it's your own fault.
I've been hitting the ball well and giving myself a lot of opportunities. With this golf course, you've got to make a lot of pars, and that's what we have been doing, staying away from mistakes. That's all I wanted to keep doing into the weekend, just hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens and see what happens.

Q. It was still a little bit breezy this morning. How different was the challenge compared to yesterday?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Actually, it was really breezy when I got out of the car to go eat breakfast, and when I came out from eating breakfast, it had calmed down a ton. So I was pleasantly surprised with that.
The back nine started getting a little breezy and I made two bogeys back-to-back on 2 and 3, both of them because of poor tee balls into the wind and let the wind take it a way a little bit, which I think is going to be the hardest part out here. It's going to be a lot easier to play this course from the fairway than it is the rough.
It definitely played a lot different, a lot tougher. You have to account for downwind or into the wind and how much release into the greens. Downwind, you can get up to 30 yards of release on to the greens, so you just have to really pay attention to where you can and cannot be on this golf course.

Q. Do you consider yourself to be a pretty good wind player?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Normally I do. I usually -- the tougher the conditions, I usually, like I said, I make a lot of pars it seems in any conditions. So the tougher the conditions, I seem to hang around right around par and throw a few birdies in there. So I enjoy tough conditions.

Q. Do you sit and watch this afternoon and root for some wind and watch on TV? When will you do the rest of the day?
KRISTY McPHERSON: No, I'm not allowed to say that, right? (Laughing) I have a feeling it's going to be pretty windy. If it's not, that's fine, too.
I'll probably watch a little bit. A couple of my best friends are up top that are playing well are playing this afternoon. I'll go out and just kind of watch a little bit on TV and see. Always learn a little bit more about the golf course, too, when you watch it on TV.

Q. What was mind-set after the two bogeys on your back nine?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Oh, I was mad. I was not too happy. I just hit two poor tee balls in a row. But after that, you know, I made a good 5-footer for par on the next hole, No. 4, and you know, the birdie on 5 was huge. Just hit a good shot up there, and got my mind-set back to where I was supposed to be.
I did get a little frustrated which causes a few more problems out there. But definitely, 5, the birdie there was huge to finish off.

Q. You say you don't expect to be at the top of the leaderboard by the end of the day, but there seems to be a pretty good chance that you might be at the top of the leaderboard.
KRISTY McPHERSON: Well that would be even better, won't it.

Q. How would that feel being the leader going into Saturday at the first major of the year?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Well, that's obviously everyone's goal. But like I said, you know, there are so many good players out there and there are some birdies out there. But there's a lot of tough holes.
You know, sit and watch and first-case scenario, I don't see being anymore than three shots back. If I do happen to go into the lead on Saturday, then that's even all the better.

Q. Who are you going to be watching today, the friends?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Well, I'm not going out there watching. They are not that good of friends. (Laughter) I'm good friend with Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome. Both of them had good rounds yesterday. And it's hard to sit there -- I'm going to watch them a little bit. I have to pull for them.

Q. On the friend note, how much has it helped having your friends play well, the people you practice with? Has that helped your game and your confidence?
KRISTY McPHERSON: It really is. I give money to Angela Stanford every week in the practice round. Just makes me mad.
It's always good. I play a lot both with Brittany and Angela in practice rounds. We spend a lot of time together and obviously Angela has been playing great this year. It's great to watch somebody play good golf and know that I can play with her. I just have to be on my game. But that's helped a lot this whole year.

Q. You say you consider yourself a pretty good wind player. I thought everybody from Texas and Oklahoma considered themselves great wind players.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I'm South Carolina, now.

Q. Did you grow up playing in a lot of wind?
KRISTY McPHERSON: I did. I grew up playing in a bunch of different types of conditions. We get a lot from Myrtle Beach. I play a lot of courses that are on the ocean, so we get a lot of wind there. It teaches you how to manage the golf ball a little better in tough conditions.
I can always improve on that, but I consider myself a pretty decent wind player.

Q. As we all know, Angela has had a really good run the past few months. What has particularly stood out for you in her game?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Her putting has tremendously changed since the beginning of last year. You know, she just starts making a few putts and gets the confidence. I mean, she makes more 20-footers than anybody I've ever seen in my life.
But once she gets confidence going, then, you know, that's all it is. That's 90 per cent of this game, anyway.

Q. Does your caddie have anything he does to come you down, any little tricks?
KRISTY McPHERSON: No, he kind of stay as way. We are new. This is our first year together. He kind of stayed away after 2 and 3. I told him, we need to have a good finish here. He was like, "Oh, absolutely. We've got a few birdies coming in here."
He stays positive the whole time and stays confident, which is good, because if I'm being mad, he can't be mad, too. But he's really great for me.

Q. What have you done over the years to continually progress and get better and what has changed?
KRISTY McPHERSON: Well, just more so getting comfortable out here. Your rookie year is tough. You play new golf courses. You're learning to play four-day events and travelling three, four weeks in a row, and you know, I think I'm learning more how to manage my time.
My putting has gotten better since the end of last year, and you know, through the middle of last year, and the switch to a belly putter which seems to give me a little more confidence. And when you have more confidence, 4- or 5-, 6-footers, then it changes your game a whole lot. It takes a lot of pressure off your ball-striking and especially off your chipping.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you all very much. Kristy, good luck this weekend.

End of FastScripts

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