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U.S. WOMEN'S MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

October 8, 2009

Martha Leach

OCALA, FLORIDA

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, our 2009 U.S. omen's Mid-Amateur champion. Congratulations, Martha.
MARTHA LEACH: Thank you, Rhonda.
RHONDA GLENN: I know you have tried to do this year after year for many years. What does it feel like?
MARTHA LEACH: You know, I really don't know what it feels like. Right now it's pretty surreal. I'm thrilled. I'm just so -- you know, I'm just like, okay. (Laughter.)
RHONDA GLENN: Tired?
MARTHA LEACH: No. No, I'm not. I'll probably crash. I mean, of course my daughter Madison called this morning and she's like, Mom, how did you sleep? Not very good. (Laughter.)
RHONDA GLENN: Were you up last night?
MARTHA LEACH: Oh, Rhonda, have you ever played a final? I didn't know what to think. I was tossing. You know you roll over and you think, oh.
I did have a saying all week. Even my husband doesn't know. From the very beginning of the tournament I said, "I am not afraid to win." I said it a hundred times on every hole.
If I turned over at night, I would say it to myself. Because I have demons like anybody else. I mean, before a shot, it wasn't like I was trying to place the shot, but I would say, "I am not afraid to win." I said it a lot. I really did.
So I was pretty good about my attitude. I think one time this week I really got down on myself. I mean, really down. You know how it sometimes go.
You know, but I remembered the saying. Sometimes I forget things. That was my big, big thing this week.
RHONDA GLENN: Yesterday you said you were not hitting the ball as you wanted to and that you were scattering your shots, spraying the ball somewhat. You hit the ball well today. What changed?
MARTHA LEACH: It was a great lie from the very beginning (indiscernible.) the bunker and stuff like that. You know, I mean, coming in I didn't put pressure on myself. You know, I'm not playing tomorrow. This tournament ends today. I may never get another chance to play in the final of a U.S. event.
You know, self-talk. You know, "I am not afraid to win" and just go from there.
RHONDA GLENN: Questions.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARTHA LEACH: Yeah, somewhere around there. Seems like 45. I don't know. This is my 21st one. I know that. 21 is my lucky number.
RHONDA GLENN: Has it always been?
MARTHA LEACH: Yeah.
RHONDA GLENN: How so?
MARTHA LEACH: My birthday is September 21st, so I've always loved 21. So I had a pretty good feeling about that. I like the fact that we're back in Florida, the area where it first all began for me in the mid-amateur. I like the fact that, you know -- I was telling one of reporters earlier that our daughter got married on July 31st, and two days later after that, my husband and I, we went to go see Fred Funk win the Seniors.
We're friends with them, and I walked with Sharon. He was winning, and when was lifting the trophy, I was like, I want one of these. I want to get one before I'm in the seniors. I want to win a tournament.
So, you know, I did a -- John has worked with me, you know, since we've been married. We worked on some swing changes, and I didn't do them all this week because the stress of the tournament. You just gotta get into the hole.
But I did commit myself to practice one hour a day on putting. I think I only took two days off. But I really did work on my putting, and it really did pay off for me this week. I made a lot of putts.

Q. In all the championships you've played in, is there a point where you told yourself, I can win one of these?
MARTHA LEACH: I never -- even though I said to myself, "I am not afraid if win," you never know. I mean, I could have not made that putt yesterday on the last hole, gone and lost in a playoff and the momentum could have changed. There are so many variables in match play, and you just never know.
Like on 16, I'm telling myself, "I'm one-up, and I need to go two up." I don't want to just wish it in there. But that was my philosophy. I'm just always looking forward that way.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARTHA LEACH: I would say I was 105 yards to the hole in an awful lie and missed the fairway. I was in the deep bermuda rough. And so I really -- I said 9-iron, and I hit a great shot and made about 10-footer.
4 I hit my best club probably all week. I hit a good next shot. Third shot hit it into the bunker on Friday, so then I bladed it. She was having her trouble, too. She was four on the green, and she was -- I had to hit it out of the bunker again. I made about a 15-footer and she lipped hers. I was really lucky there.
RHONDA GLENN: Okay. You said you bladed it into another bunker.
MARTHA LEACH: Into another bunker.
RHONDA GLENN: (No microphone.)
MARTHA LEACH: I drove it in the bunker, and then I had to hit a 7-iron out. Laid up and made bogey.
RHONDA GLENN: A birdie on 10. How in the world did you birdie 10? That is the hardest hole of the week.
MARTHA LEACH: I think I birdied it two times this week maybe. You know what, I don't know. You know what, I doubled it during qualifying or the day I shot 71 I double it. So I mean, I really don't know. I like that hole.
RHONDA GLENN: Was your driver in the fairway?
MARTHA LEACH: Yeah, it was.
RHONDA GLENN: What did you hit?
MARTHA LEACH: I hit 5-iron. It was 162 yards, and it was into the wind. So I just kind of did a little knock down.
RHONDA GLENN: How long was it?
MARTHA LEACH: Four feet.
RHONDA GLENN: And then bogey on 14, (indiscernible) (laughter.) Missed the green.
MARTHA LEACH: I missed the green, but I had a good bunker shot. And I'm telling you, that is a hard pin placement they had there.
RHONDA GLENN: Then on 15, Laura hit her shot within inches, and you had (no microphone.) So you went two up with three to play. You birdied 16. What a way to finish.
MARTHA LEACH: It was a great way to finish. You know, I have been working on my 60-yard shot. I had, believe it or not, it was at 59 and a half. Pretty close to 60. So I hit a great shot.
I was a little bit worried, because Mary Jane Hiestand was over on the right about flag high. I'm looking over there, and she's not (indiscernible), so I'm like worried.
I found out she was texting somebody. I was like, oh.
RHONDA GLENN: How long was that putt?
MARTHA LEACH: I would say that was like three and a half, four feet.

Q. I figured there was probably only eight feet between the bunker and the flag. Were you going for that particular path?
MARTHA LEACH: Yes. I remember that -- I can't remember. It was either a qualifying round or one day we had the flag a little bit further back, I never really saw that when I played at practice rounds.
I remember it was a little bit flatter and it had more room than it looks because of the bunker. But I knew I had like at least like seven feet, so I hit a really good (indiscernible.)

Q. (No microphone.)
MARTHA LEACH: You know, I look at it -- okay, this is one ever things I'm thinking. It's nice. I'm thinking in the 21 years that I have played in this tournament, you average 400 entries have been sent in. 8400 women have played in this tournament, and there have only been 23 champions. And there's been a lot of double winners.
And so I'm just kind of like, Wow. What are your odds? I mean, as I said yesterday, this year I was either gonna win the lottery or win the mid-am. (Laughter.) I did. And I said, Damn, I won't be winning any money.
RHONDA GLENN: Which would you rather win?
MARTHA LEACH: Right now? I won this. Why can't have both? (Laughter.)
Q. Is it special going into the record books (indiscernible)?
MARTHA LEACH: Yeah, it is special.
RHONDA GLENN: There is only one other sister act that ever won USGA championships.
MARTHA LEACH: You know, it is special. I talk to her a lot on the phone. Last night when I was talking to her, she said, God, are you sitting on the phone? I said, No, it's one of those days.
I'm thrilled with all the phone calls and stuff, but, you know, she was just telling me, Enjoy yourself. And then she started talking about -- she asked about how I was hitting. I said, I'm not really sure (indiscernible).
Then she started giving like a little bit of her way of thinking of golf, and I'm trying to do a new more of advanced golf outlook. Not taking anything away. I'm like, Let's not talk about the golf.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARTHA LEACH: Oh, it's special. But it means more to me because -- it just means a lot. I love her. But I have a lot of other siblings I love, too. She just happens to be a great golfer.
But I'm always amazed at how -- I mean, we laugh sometimes. Like it could be women's or men's and we are just like, Oh, my God, I can't believe I won any of these.
And I'm sure it's hard. I mean, it's kind of stressful for a loved one to be watching you.
RHONDA GLENN: How stressful was it for you?
MARTHA LEACH: I'm as tight as tick. What are you talking about? I mean, I'm like -- John was giving me some shoulder rubs. I mean, my shoulder is tight.
But, you know, for the most part, my thing was I kept saying to myself, "I am not afraid to win." That was my have motto all week. You weren't here when I said it. I didn't even tell you. You know, this is my thing, my battle, so it's for my mind.
But, you know, I did it.

Q. Now that you've won one of those things, has your perception changed?
MARTHA LEACH: Well, I knew it would always be difficult. Robin Burke and I had a conversation. You know, I miss seeing her at tournaments and stuff like that.
I'm just like you know what, it's hard to win. She's been at finals of the Amateur back in like '95 or something like that. We just say it is so hard to win. You have to have so many things going for you. You need your opponent to make a mistake, too.
That's awful to say. I will never pull against somebody. It's all up to me. If it goes in, it goes in. If the other person makes it on top of me, so be it. They hit a better shot than I.

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