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LPGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

December 5, 2010

Maria Hjorth

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

HEATHER DONOFRIO: We are here with Maria Hjorth, 2010 LPGA Tour Champion, LPGA Tour Championship Champion, congratulations on your fourth LPGA victory.
Can you just run us through what you're feeling right now?
MARIA HJORTH: Well, obviously I'm feeling great, after a win and those last 3-putts on 16, 17, 18, it was really amazing. So you know I'm just overwhelmed right now.

Q. That seemed to be one of the key putts you made, the second putt on 16, because you had quite a long 2-putt. Did that give you that extra momentum and desire for the last two holes?
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, I think so. It was, like you say, it was a long putt, and she had a chance to obviously make her birdie. So it was very important to stay still one ahead.
Obviously if I missed it, we are still tied for the lead, but two holes to go, one-shot lead, always feels better so, it was a great putt to make.

Q. Just if you could talk about returning to the winner's circle after having a child and everything, just the journey from that and the difference. Talked about balancing motherhood and playing.
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, I mean, it is a difference, of course. You're trying to validate your time and maybe not -- I definitely won't be out there grinding for hours and hours. I try to make sure that I do quality time when I practice so I can still spend time with my family. To me, it seems to work. I've been playing well this year. I've had, you know, just not really gotten four rounds together.
But being out there with Emily on the road, it's always great to have something else to think about to get you away from golf when you're done playing.

Q. Does this one mean more now? You were very emotional out there. Does it mean more now?
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, I think so. I mean, every win is emotional for me. But being a mother and coming back after giving birth is definitely something that I've been hoping for. It's nice to prove that it's possible.

Q. How much more meaningful was it being age to play where you live, your family is able to come out?
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, it's nice. It's nice to be able to be close to home, you know, and just drive home for ten minutes, you're home and you can sleep in your own bed. It's definitely very nice. It's more relaxing I think, to have your own house to spend time in rather than hotel rooms.

Q. What was going through your mind on 18?
MARIA HJORTH: I kind of felt I wasn't going to get too far ahead of myself. Obviously I had a two-shot lead and I hit a good second shot, but just come up a bit short. I thought that my 8-iron was going to be enough, but obviously I needed a 7.
I knew that she had a big chance to make the putt. You always kind of set your mind to that she's going to make the putt and so I told myself, you know, all you have to do is just make your putt, and whatever happens, happens. If she makes it or misses it, you've still got your putt and whatever happens.

Q. There had to be some -- there's always nerves, but that was a huge, huge putt.
MARIA HJORTH: It was. I mean, that was a huge putt. I was nervous, of course, but you know, you are always going to be nervous in those situations because you're putting to win the tournament. It's something special for sure. I felt like I had a good line and I knew if I can start it off that line, then hopefully it will go in, and it did.

Q. Tell me a little bit about that second shot, at what was it, No. 15, that allowed you to take the lead there.
MARIA HJORTH: The third shot? Actually I had a perfect wedge in there for my third shot, and I knew obviously the only place you can't miss it on that green is on the right in the bunker. But it was perfect. The wind was a little bit off the left and if I can hit a nice little draw up against the wind, the wind will take it over to the right, and it did. It was a nice, perfect yardage.

Q. There's so many awards up this week, Player of the Year for others and stuff, I know you weren't up for that. Was there just less pressure on you and pressure on the field maybe?
MARIA HJORTH: I think so. Coming into today, it was obviously other players that had way more pressure on them, because they tried to win, especially Cristie Kerr; she had to win to get the trophy.
So that makes it I think, for me, a little bit easier, because she might push her self a little bit more and think that, I really need to go low here to win today.
So I think in that regard, it might have been a little bit easier on me. But on the other hand you're out here to win tournaments and it's a lot of pressure on yourself.

Q. You are one of the few people out here who uses the long putter. When did you convert to the long putter? Obviously it's working.
MARIA HJORTH: I did. I converted to it about four years ago. But like in the middle of this year, I actually started using a short putter, because I felt like I could possibly putt better with a short putter.
But I didn't. I missed about five cuts in a row and realized that the short putter was not for me, so I went back to my long putter and had great results over in Asia, and obviously this week, I've been putting really, really good. So the long putter is for me.

Q. Is that the same putter that you switched to in 2006, the same exact one?
MARIA HJORTH: No, I actually switched to another model when I went back, going over to Asia, I switched the model of the putter. But it's still a long putter.

Q. Do you know what the length of that shaft is?
MARIA HJORTH: 48.

Q. In two days, you made some birdie putts, but about 20 miles of crucial par putts. Is it a different mind-set with you grinding over a par putt than a birdie putt?
MARIA HJORTH: I think sometimes that it's kind of a bit more of a go, like you have a par putt and you know that you need to make the par putt. It doesn't matter if you make or miss, but I think sometimes when you have birdie putts, you try more to make the birdie, because this is for a birdie.
So it's a little bit of a mind-set. But you know, I've just been putting really, really good all week, so it's been very nice.
HEATHER DONOFRIO: Thank you, Maria, and congratulations.

End of FastScripts

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