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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSIC

June 6, 2009

Helen Alfredsson

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

JASON TAYLOR: You managed to finish 10-under overall. You're in a pretty good spot for tomorrow.
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Yeah, that's right. I mean, we had the wind. When you're looking at the board, you're wondering, Cristie Kerr played a different golf course. Yeah, it was windy. Se Ri was so funny. She goes, I'm tired already and it's on the 3rd hole. I hit a small iron in yesterday, and today I had like a 5-wood.
Somebody was asking me, Are you getting comfortable? I said, It was a different golf course today. So many different shots. You had to take totally different lines.
But it's a good test. It was nice not to lose, you know, too many shots.
JASON TAYLOR: Questions.

Q. Is it a different golf course because of the strong winds from the south today?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Absolutely. Everything. It was basically the opposite. You know, like on the par 5, I couldn't remember yesterday, was that 13? Yeah, 13. I mean, I had a drive 350, had a 4-iron 240 yards and went over the green. Unheard of. You're hitting so many different clubs. The next hole is like 180 to pin. We hit 8-irons. It's like Scotland almost where you have a yardage just to guide you somewhat.
Obviously the holes that previously had been downwind, now you're standing with totally different clubs. I don't know how many rescues I hit today. But it keeps your mind sharp because you can't just go through the motions.

Q. Players mention 15, 16, 17 playing the toughest today. Is that what you experienced? Were they playing tough?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Yeah, 15. Obviously, 15 is one of those that I was thinking of, that you couldn't cut the corner, hardly anything. Yesterday I think I had a 58-degree wedge. Today I had a 4-iron. It's a big difference.
16, you know, obviously yesterday was so short. You couldn't reach it today. I had two good shots. But that's what makes it fun, though, in a way. It's tough, so it's not too much fun to play through the wind. But then you have somebody like Kristy McPherson, which we don't understand, but she shot under par, so you knew it was possible. She's coming up after me. I guess you understand her better than I do.

Q. A little Southern.
HELEN ALFREDSSON: A little (laughter).

Q. Growing up in Sweden, Europe, we hear the conditions are generally tougher.
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, I don't know, Sweden is not that bad. I have a funny story. At Turnberry now, the British Open for the men are played there. I remember the first time I came over in '88 as an amateur, I had never been exposed to those kind of winds. We thought it was just howling. I had a milkman as a caddie. We were amateurs. Is it going to be worse than this? Didn't think it was possible. He looks at me and said, Ma'am, this is just a slight breeze. Welcome to Scotland.
It's a very good test of how you strike the ball, how you work the ball. It's fun when you're done. It's not always so much fun when you're out there. The funny thing is it's tougher downwind than into the wind.

Q. As far as selecting a club?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Yeah.

Q. You played at the Kraft Nabisco. The second day there this year?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: I got the luck of the draw. I have no idea. It was pretty severe. I think I had maybe the back nine from that. That was pretty severe, too. Those greens are so much harder and faster. That makes it tough. At least the ball rolled. On 18 my ball rolled almost 10 feet from the wind. Here the ball, it wiggled, but it didn't leave the play.

Q. This year, going into the final day, is this your best position, as far as being in the hunt going into the last day?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Yeah, I guess I haven't really kept track of what I do, what I don't do in each tournament. It's nice to sniff the leaders (laughter).

Q. A lot of players said coming into this the wind makes this course. Today is an extreme example.
HELEN ALFREDSSON: It's good. It's good. I kept the field back a little bit. Amazing scoring in the past couple of days. Obviously you gain some great respect for the golf course today, how it played. All of a sudden, wind came in a different way. There's much more emphasis on hitting good drivers, give yourself a good chance. If you're in the rough, you try to stop it, it's impossible. Especially around the greens, the rough is fairly thick. It's hard, especially downwind, to keep the ball on the green.
JASON TAYLOR: All right. Thank you.
HELEN ALFREDSSON: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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