U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 3, 2003

Juli Inkster

Q. Is it a little weird finishing almost at 8 o'clock?

JULI INKSTER: It was slow. It took us five and a half hours to play.

Q. You were able to finish strong, though?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah. Well, yeah. I bogeyed 7, with three great shots. And 8 I made a nice par putt and 9 I birdied deed. So I played really good. I hit a lot of fairways. I kind of geared down and hit a lot of 5-woods off the tee and 3-woods and those pin placements out there were tough. I just tried to make some birdies when I could and tough pin placements, I tried to play to the safe side of the green.

Q. Normally as the afternoon goes on the course gets harder, I think that was true except in your case you played better later in the round?

JULI INKSTER: I hit some good shots out there. I took advantage of the par-5. Number 4, I hit it in two and 3-putted for birdie. I don't know, I just kept trying to stay patient and try to hit the shots when I needed to hit them. I came out okay today. I made two bogeys today and was fortunate enough to make some birdies too.

Q. No three putts. So the putter was good?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I was on the fringe on number 10, 11, 12, 13. And I count that as a 3-putt. But stats don't. But I got a little aggressive and left it about four feet past downhill and I didn't make it. My speed was good and I putted good.

Q. More importantly is just what this does to you. Where are you?

JULI INKSTER: Well it was a tough day. I had all morning to sit around. I feel good about my game, but getting -- I wanted to get out here and play. I got off to a pretty good start and I birdied 11 there. And I feel good. I feel like I played the golf course the way it should be played and I got -- it's just a tough golf course. I hit a couple irons, or woods off the tee that bounced in the rough that I was right dead in the fairway and it's rolling so much they go in the rough. So I tried not to get too frustrated out there and just kind of took what it had.

Q. 4 it was driver, 3 wood?

JULI INKSTER: 4 was driver, 5-wood.

Q. Overall, the afternoon scoring was better and all the leaders come from the afternoon. Nobody was more than 1-under out of the whole morning?

JULI INKSTER: That surprises me, because I thought for sure that the greens had to be biting better this morning.

Q. They're really firm out there in the afternoon?

JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Very. I couldn't even find a ball mark. That's how firm they were.

Q. It's a little odd to be coming out here and having every one talk about the amateurs, the teenagers, but they seem to have hung in. Are you surprised at that?

JULI INKSTER: No, they got to be good players to be here. So the thing with this golf course it's a four day tournament. And you just got to try to just stay in there. Stay in the ball game. And I guess that's what they're doing. I'm worrying about myself. I'm not worrying about anybody else.

Q. So you're not ready to give them anything yet?

JULI INKSTER: Not yet. No.

Q. Is this the kind of Open where experience is going to have a lot to do with it?

JULI INKSTER: I don't know. I just think you've got to play solid golf. I could have the most experience in the world but if I'm not hitting the shots, it's not going to pay off. And today I thought I played very solid and aggressive when I needed to and conservative otherwise.

Q. Played well last week, you played well today. Your game's in good form?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I feel good.

End of FastScripts....