U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 20, 2000

Juli Inkster

JULI INKSTER: The golf course played a lot different, of course, because the wind was blowing a different way. I had not played the back side that way; so, I was kind of playing by the seat of my pants, as far as where to hit it, but it turned out okay. I hit a lot of 3-woods, a lot of 5-woods off the tees today to try to position it. I played the back side extremely well, even though I bogeyed 10, still made the turn at 3-under. And the front side, probably not as well, but I had some good chances for birdies and just didn't make them. You know I started out with a bogey and finished with a bogey, so everything in between was pretty good.

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I feel like I played good. I'm not real comfortable with my swing. It's getting better. I've worked the last three days with Mike, and I just -- you know, feel like I've kind of got a little bit of the guides out there, but I hit a lot of good shots out there; so I think that will help my confidence a little bit.

JULI INKSTER: I really thought the wind would kind of blow the same way as it did the last two days, but it didn't, and you know the fairways are drying out, the greens are drying out. A lot of the shorts I played short and ran them up. I think as the week progresses, it's going to get tougher and tougher.

JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah. Plus this is the type of course where you really don't have -- you have a couple holes that are downwind and into the wind, but most of the golf course plays to the side, crosswind, which is extremely tough when you are hitting to hard greens, because once you get it up there, it's out there for the taking. I think that's what makes this course tough. It's not -- I think you have like two holes that really play downwind. The rest are just crosswinds.

JULI INKSTER: I am. I am very happy to shoot 70. You know, I'm very pleased.

JULI INKSTER: Again, it's a crosswind, and they had that pin only four to the left -- or four to the right, and the whole hole slopes this way, and once you get it right at the pin, the wind is just going to take it in that water. You know, Sherri Steinhauer played awesome today. She had one bad hole, but she played very well today and she putted extremely well. She took an 8 there. It's a tough hole with a crosswind like that. And tomorrow, the pin is left, but it's still going to be a tough hole because it's hard to aim far enough left to get it to stop.

JULI INKSTER: I'm managing my game very well, and I'm usually a very aggressive player and I go right at the pins, and I might be aiming just a little right, a little more left, just to get them on the greens and try to play those par 5's. Today it worked out. I hit -- when I had a short iron in my hand, I went at the pin; and if I didn't, I just played to the middle of the green and take my chances.

JULI INKSTER: I kind of like having them around. (Laughter.) No, they are great. It's like traveling with your best friends. You know, we're going to go to the baseball game this afternoon and take in a game. You know, we have a lot of fun out on the road. They are big supporters of mine, and I them.

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, it's a real tough. But that's my No. 1 goal is to be a Mom, and, you know, I love doing that.

JULI INKSTER: No. 10, I 3-putted, and I was just on the fringe. Putted it up and missed about probably about a 6-footer. I was on the far left. The pin was on the far right. My first putt was probably 40 feet, and then I left myself about a 7-footer I missed it. No. 13, I hit just a little 9-iron in about four feet and made that for birdie. No. 14, I hit 9-iron again about two feet; made that for birdie. No. 17, I hit pitching wedge in about four feet; made that for birdie. No. 18, I hit 5-iron about 25 feet. Hit it past about four feet and made that for birdie. No. 4, I hit it in the right rough, and then I hit it in the left rough, and then I hit it on with a sand wedge and I had about a 20-footer. I missed that and had a tap-in coming back. No. 8, I hit 3-wood, 5-wood over the green, and chipped up and made about a 4-footer for birdie. And then No. 9, I hit 5-wood off the tee and kind of skied it and hit 6-iron to the left bunker. I had about a 5-footer and it just slipped off to the left-hand side and tapped in for bogey.

JULI INKSTER: It's playing very fast. You know, I think I only hit maybe two or three drivers all day. The main thing is getting the ball on the fairway.

JULI INKSTER: No. 13, I had 126 into the wind, and so I hit 9-iron there. And No. 14, I had 137, kind of downwind.