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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 9, 2010

Brittany Lang

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased Brittany Lang has joined us. She had a score of 3-over par, 74 today, and she began on the back nine.
Brittany, you had an early birdie on No. 14. What club did you hit in there?
BRITTANY LANG: A full pitching wedge.
MODERATOR: How long was your putt?
BRITTANY LANG: It was probably about a 15-footer.
MODERATOR: Okay, and then a bogey on No. 6, and a bogey on your 6th hole on the back nine, which is 15 --
BRITTANY LANG: The bogey on 15.
MODERATOR: -- and No. 17. Bogeys.
BRITTANY LANG: 15 I hit an 18-degree hybrid off the tee and 18-degree hybrid into the green, and it was perfect. I left myself exactly where I wanted to be. I three-putted. I hit the putt way too hard and three-putted into 17.
MODERATOR: And No. 17?
BRITTANY LANG: 17 was silly, too. I like the way I hit that hole. I had a 7-iron off the tee and had a little pitching wedge in there and I just totally hit it - the pitching wedge - terrible, and didn't have an easy shot and didn't get it up and down.
MODERATOR: And then you had pars until you got around to the 5th hole, which started a little parade of three straight bogeys. How did that happen?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah. Well, the first one I just hit a big flare with my 3-wood and pitched out; hit a good wedge on; missed the par putt, but had a good look at par.
Next one I hit my 8-iron right and I was just dead. I hit an awesome shot to have a 12-footer; almost made that. Hit really good putts for the pars, but walked away with bogey.
And the next one I hit a driver into the fairway bunker, hit into another bunker, hit it out, and was lucky to two-putt. So it really wasn't that big of a deal. Tried to stay positive.
MODERATOR: And 9, you had a real good finish to your round.
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah. Almost holed out a sand wedge, tap-in sand wedge putt, birdie.
MODERATOR: How do you feel overall about the way you played today and your position in the championship?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, I feel really good. It's good experience for me. I feel better than I have in this position. I got away from my process and what I'm doing when I made those few bogeys, so something to learn. Just stick to what I'm doing. I got a little ahead of myself.
MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. As with every Open, there comes a time where you have to deal with some kind of adversity. Cristie Kerr dealt with it in the middle of her round. What were you telling yourself as you were as you were going through that bad stretch, and how did you get it back?
BRITTANY LANG: Um, well, I mean, it's a U.S. Open; you're going to make bogeys. To be honest with you, I wasn't even that concerned. You're going to make bogeys; it's gonna happen. You just want to stay away from big numbers.
I just wanted to hit a solid shot and have a birdie putt, and I did that on hole 8. I hit a great 3-iron hybrid and I had a birdie putt, and I still had a 5-footer for par. You just have to stay positive and know that other people are doing it, as well.
It's the person who stays positive who's gonna come out on a good note out of that rough stretch. So just tried to have a good altitude.

Q. You say you got away from your processes. You played negatively out of the church pews once. Did that weigh into your decision to not hit driver on that next hole? Why didn't you hit driver on the next hole?
BRITTANY LANG: Which one?

Q. On 4, I guess, it was. You had to play a negative shot out of the church pews, and the next hole you didn't hit driver. You kind of blocked it out to the right a little bit. What happened there? Were you still frazzled from the hole before a little?
BRITTANY LANG: No, our play -- we don't hit driver on that hole. I hit 3-wood on that hole. I've hit two terrible tee shots on that hole. My game plan is to hit a 3-wood on that hole, not hit a driver. Does that answer your question? Yeah.

Q. Well, what happened though? I guess what happened wholly in that process that you pushed it to the right? Because you recovered very well from having to play negative on 4. You hit a very good iron shot to save par out of the church pews. What happened with that stretch on 5, and then 6, dumping it in the bunker? Did you frazzle a little bit, or what was it on those two holes in particular?
BRITTANY LANG: Which one, 5 and 6?

Q. 5 and 6 on the course, which would have been your 13 and 14.
BRITTANY LANG: Well, I hit -- the first one I hit my 3-wood just a terrible swing, a big block. You could get the ball closer, you know, chipping out, hit willing a wedge on, so we made a smart play. I just didn't make the putt. So bad tee shot, put it back in play, tried to get a look at par, made my bogey.
And then the next one was a good swing. I mean, it's just a very narrow landing area on that par-3. You know, I just missed my target by eight feet. It's just really narrow. You have to hit a great shot. I missed it, and so there you're -- does that answer your question -- then you're looking at a 12-footer for par, and you've got to try to make that putt.
Yeah, I mean, there was no mental things going on or anything, just a couple of bad swings. The one on hole 6 was not that bad of a swing. The one on hole 5 was a very bad swing.
MODERATOR: Generally though you've been swinging well, you think?
BRITTANY LANG: Very well. Very well.
MODERATOR: Did you make any changes prior to this championship in your golf swing?
BRITTANY LANG: No. You know, my coach, we worked really hard last week just getting it in perfect shape so I could come out here and do what I'm doing now.
But my golf swing has changed these last couple years. It's very simple now, very easy to play. My coach has done a great job.

Q. What was significantly different about the course today from shooting under par to over par? And also, with the rain, how is that going to impact the course the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow in your opinion?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, well, I don't think the course played that tough today. You know, yesterday, I made a lot of long putts yesterday, so I was very fortunate. That was why I shot low.
You know, today it did not play that tough. I turned at 1-over, and I nearly birdied 1 and 2. I had really good looks there, so -- and, I mean, I'm hitting like a knockdown 9-iron.
I don't think the course played that tough at all. I mean, I just hit some very poor shots on my bogey stretches, but the pin placements overall were not very tough, I don't think.
And the water, it's gonna make it play extremely long. I don't know how this course drains, but it's gonna play extremely long and soft. It's going to be very lengthy.
MODERATOR: Different golf course this afternoon and tomorrow.
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, different.

Q. This course is going to claim its victims. Can you talk about how important it is that some of the best players are going to be top of the leaderboard and what that means to this event?
BRITTANY LANG: Can you ask that again?

Q. Some of the best players in the world are going to be at or near the top of the leaderboard. How important that is to this event, to women's golf, that some of the best players are coming through despite a difficult course?
BRITTANY LANG: Well, that's why they're the best. They're going to be at the top. I think it's very important; it's a big event for women's golf, playing Oakmont, being the U.S. Open, and it's very important that those good players play well. It gets people to watch, for sure.

Q. Being it was just the first day yesterday and there's always that hunter versus hunted thing, how do you be careful not to envelope yourself last night with, All right, I'm the name at the top or I'm the leader? And what specifically did you do to make sure that, you know, kind of not to think about that too much?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, I just tried to remind myself it's just Thursday; it's a long week; you have a lot of golf to play. I just wanted to continue to work my game plan, my strategy, you know, what I'm working on in my game, how I play the course.
Because if you get out of your process, you're going to make some big numbers. You're going to make bogeys. If you're not committed to your process, committed to your strategy, you're going to make bogeys. So I tried to really stay in each shot and continue to just hit -- play each shot one at a time.
It's easier said than done, but I tried to do that on every shot today. That gets you away from thinking.

Q. Could you just talk about the importance of this tournament to you, getting a win? It seems like you may have a better chance to win the Women's Open than some other event. Can you talk about that?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah. Well, it's a very true statement. I've worked on my putting a lot. I have not been a particularly good putter, and these past couple years I've started to become a very good putter. I'm a good ball striker, and that's why I play well at the Open, because I hit fairways and greens and I'll two-putt and make pars, and every now and again one goes in.
But my putting has improved immensely; my stroke has gotten so much better; I've worked incredibly hard. I'm starting to play even better at Opens now that I can putt a little better.
And to answer your question, it would mean everything to win a U.S. Open. Just like, you know, playing in the Solheim Cup, winning your country's Open, it would mean the world to me.

Q. Were you at all, particularly on your back nine, starting to get irked about the pace of play? It seemed as if when the two women you were playing with, their games went downhill a little bit, the play slowed significantly to where at one point there were almost two full holes open in front of you. Irked might not be the right word, but was it troublesome to a degree?
BRITTANY LANG: I think I was part of the problem, as well. I was just telling her we were crawling out there. I don't know what we were doing, but we were playing so slow. I was slow on the greens as well, so I know we needed to pick it up.
We got put on the clock on hole 7. They put us on the clock for 7, 8, and 9. And we needed to be. We were playing so slow. But, no, I was fine. I mean, I needed to pick up my pace, as well. So I was not irked.

Q. I hope my research is accurate, but it's my understanding that Duke has produced like 13 players for the LPGA Tour.
BRITTANY LANG: Duke?

Q. Yeah.
BRITTANY LANG: Yep. I have no idea. That sounds about right.

Q. And none have won a tournament, which shocks me. Are you aware of that?
BRITTANY LANG: Yes.

Q. Can you discuss your thoughts on that?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, it blows my mind. Beth Bauer was probably -- I mean, not to hurt anybody's feelings. I think she was probably the best player to come out of Duke. She was rookie of the year, but she never won.
No, I'm very aware of that. I'd like to be the first Dukey to win. That would be great. It is amazing how the Duke players have not been that successful on tour. And I don't know why, because they're great players.

Q. I read at one point today 12 players were tied for the lead. If the leaderboard remains that way to jammed packed after Saturday, will there be any influence whether you play a more aggressive or conservative game? What would be your approach?
BRITTANY LANG: Well, right now I'm going to play each hole exactly how I've planned to play it. I don't think it's gonna stay that bunchy. You're going to see some dispersion come the weekend.
But I am gonna continue to play exactly how I play this golf course, because I like how I'm playing it. It keeps me -- you know, keeps me away from big numbers. I'm able to score, make pars, make birdies.
So I'm gonna play exactly how I planned to play it, which is somewhat conservative. But I don't think of the leaderboard is going to be very bunchy come the weekend.

End of FastScripts

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