THE NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2001

Juli Inkster

JULI INKSTER: No. 1, I hit 8-iron out. I was probably about 35 five feet away, made it. Routine tap-in. No. 2, just short, chipped it up there three feet; made it for birdie. 4 drove it in the left rough and hit short and had about 20 yards to the pin. I mean, 20 yards to the green so probably 35 yard shot and left it about twelve feet short and missed it. Made bogey. Number 8 I hit 6-iron about twelve feet made that for birdie. No. 10, I hit it over the green with an 8-iron, chipped up and missed about a 15-footer. 12, I hit a 9-iron about six feet made that for birdie. 14 I hit -- I was between clubs, tried to hit a little 7-iron. I just pushed it dead right into the water made double. 16, I hit a little 7-iron about 15 feet; made that for birdie. 17, hit 6-iron. The pin was up front. I was on the back, so probably 25-footer; made that for birdie. Then I made about 12-footer for par on 18.

JULI INKSTER: Overall I thought I played fairly well. I hit one bad swing on No. 14, but I thought the course was playing tough out there. The wind was up. The greens were hard. The rough is up. It was extremely tough to get the right club in your hand.

JULI INKSTER: Yes.

JULI INKSTER: It is as thick as I remember in a long time. But for a major championship it should be tough, I mean, there is plenty of room to drive it out there. It is just you know, like 6, 7, you know, those are good holes into the wind and then you turn around you got 14 all the way on in are good holes into the wind. So I -- with the wind it just adds that degree of difficulty.

JULI INKSTER: Starting on No. 2 it started on two, so hopefully the people in the morning will be able to experience the fun that we had this afternoon.

JULI INKSTER: Yes. I feel like every time I tee it up I have a chance to win. So I haven't played much this year. But I am getting back into it. I feel like I am -- I struggled last couple of weeks with my putting but my putting seems to be better this week and been working hard on it. My golf swings starting to feel better, so I feel like I am coming into this week ready to play some good golf.

JULI INKSTER: I hit a perfect drive and I hit a 4-iron and I should just build a condo on that right side because I am there every time. (Laughter). Good 4-iron but the wind just kind of took it and I am in the rough and I just -- I had wedge out and then the wind started coming up and I am thinking, okay, maybe I should hit 9. So hit a little 9. It just flew out of there in the back of the green, so I had to take that away from the bleachers and didn't -- I putted it and didn't hit it hard enough; left myself about 15-footer and made that for par.

JULI INKSTER: (Laughs) He did good. It is hard. Last week how hard the greens were, I had a kid just caddying for me and this week the rough and I am playing a new ball and it has got him all confused. He caddie me for me at the Hyundai matches -- we are talking about my husband Brian is caddying this week. He caddied for me at the Hyundai matches. He knows my club selection real good. I am playing that new Titleist ball. I am hitting the ball farther so I have got him all messed up and me messed up too. It is nice having him on the bag, but I guess I can't expect as much as I expect from Greg, but my caddie's wife is having a baby this week, so, that is why he is taking some time off.

JULI INKSTER: Yes.

JULI INKSTER: I started using it at Tucson, but last week the greens were so hard and I just -- I can't get a grasp of how far I am hitting it. It is not so much off the tee, but my irons, I feel like I am a club longer and it is just hard mentally to get myself to play that.

JULI INKSTER: Titleist they will do your ball speed and club speed and -- but they can throw that all at me and you still wouldn't know what I was doing. So just go -- I am a real feel-player and I just know that 135 yards is just usually just grip-down-knockdown-8-iron and now I am hitting 9-iron and I am not so sure I need to hit it hard. So I think it's a good ball but I think I just need to play with it. It is hard to come out here and expect two or three rounds or two or three tournaments to have a feel for it. So I think I just need to play it a little bit more and get a feel for my shots.

JULI INKSTER: Yeah.

JULI INKSTER: It's a great ball. I just think you know, I just know a lot of players are playing it out here and getting a lot more distance. I think there is going to have to be sometime where they are going to have to put a stop on it or these golf courses are going to become obsolete especially for the men. We can always move back to bigger tees, but you know, I just think -- I don't know where you stop it, but it is definitely -- I have never seen a ball give you and still handle the way it handles, without playing a hard cover like a DT or a Top Flite or something like that, that gives your clubs more distance and in the wind it just stays on line, I mean, it is remarkable.

JULI INKSTER: I know I am picking up more on my drives. It is not that big a deal, you just hit it out there. I am really -- I am really more interested in trying to get a feel for how far I am hitting them. It is hard when you are playing hard greens because you really can't get a feel how far you are hitting them because you might hit it 130 and it will roll out 15, so you are not hitting it really 145, but so in the back of your mind you say okay, well, I hit that 145 but it is just -- it is confusing. I think I just need to play it a little bit more, especially on greens that are holding a little bit more to kind of get a feel how far I am hitting it.

JULI INKSTER: You just hate to keep giving up -- I played with some girls in Florida that usually don't hit it by me and they are hitting it by me. I am like, wait a minute. You know, and I said, what ball are you playing. I am playing that new Titleist or the new Callaway, I am like you got to play it to keep up with the Jones. You don't want to be giving up 10 to 15, 20 yards when you used to hit it past these girls. I said -- I immediately went and said we need to get the ball.