THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 18, 1998

Chris Johnson

Betsy King

CHRIS JOHNSON: We made birdies and we had birdies on No. 5, just to tie, and so when you're making birdies to tie, you know you're playing a tough match. And then, 7, we're -- made a great birdie. Betsy made a great putt on 6. And then, on 7, par makes eagle. You know, we had our birdies lined up. We were ready for birdie, but she makes eagle. So there was a lot of good play out there today.

CHRIS JOHNSON: Yeah. Yeah, it is. I mean, that's what it's about. You know, I wasn't really pleased with the chip. I left it in probably one of the easier places to putt. At least it was below the hole. I just had to hit it, didn't need to worry about it having a ticklish slide or anything. Had it just outside the hole and hit it.

CHRIS JOHNSON: I'm getting over it, working on that a little bit.

BETSY KING: She had a really bad lie on 16, in the gallery a little. I mean, at that point, you're just trying to almost make it because they're pretty close for birdie. I think sometimes when your best ball or better ball, it dictates a little differently how you play a shot. If you're playing your own game, you're trying it get it on the green, make 4, maybe make 3. In that situation, it's almost like you're trying to chip it in and make 2 and I think it makes you play shots differently.

CHRIS JOHNSON: Number 15, I just thought it was a little better lie and the club kind of got stuck in the grass. I was getting stuck in the grass in the practice swing, but I thought where the ball actually was, it wasn't as sticky, it wasn't as thick.

CHRIS JOHNSON: I guess it's as good as it can be.

BETSY KING: Well, I mean, I didn't feel like I played great. You know, we both had moments -- Chris started out really well. I just need to hit a few more greens. I played okay middle and faded a little bit. But I think this golf course is like that. If you just miss a shot sometimes, you don't even hit the green, where some courses you play what you think is the best shot in life and you end up with a 30-footer. Definitely a little more severe around here, I think.

CHRIS JOHNSON: Your shot into 16 was -- from where you were -- was great and then it rolls through the fairway.

BETSY KING: Greens are definitely firming up. I went out this morning and played 6 holes and I thought they were a lot harder. They were out cutting fairways between the matches; so they might have cut the greens as well because they did seem to be pretty hard.

BETSY KING: Well, you could tee off after the last match. I teed off about 10 o'clock. Finished about 11:15.

BETSY KING: Well, I knew it would be good. I mean, we're both -- we both have a Christian faith and I think that that's fun to play that way, too. I mean, we weren't going to hear any swear words out there if she didn't -- if she missed a shot. And then Chris and I played together at Diner's, too, and I give her all the credit. She played very well, never having played at SOLHEIM before. You play a Nichirei or you play in the Diner's, but this is a lot different.

CHRIS JOHNSON: A lot different.

BETSY KING: She did very well.

CHRIS JOHNSON: There's a lot more people out watching each of the matches, and it is for your country and in your country. I think that makes a big difference.

CHRIS JOHNSON: I think -- I don't know. Just a little excited. Not the nerves of -- my butterflies weren't flying in formation, but they were going a little too far.

CHRIS JOHNSON: I did.

CHRIS JOHNSON: Just a little bit. I played -- it's uphill and I played it to play a little longer uphill and I couldn't quite go at the flag, either. I had -- because the trees were just -- were protecting the flag just a little bit for being as far over to the left side as I was.

BETSY KING: Not really. I mean, I think they had a couple of times early on where they had two putts for birdie and didn't make it and kind of were a little fortunate. Sometimes you only get one person in there and ended up making the putt or hitting it close.

CHRIS JOHNSON: I could have gone in on 16. You know, we didn't make that one. It was a good putt, it just -- it just didn't go.

BETSY KING: We didn't -- we didn't make any long putts for birdies. Well, I made one 20-footer.

CHRIS JOHNSON: One on 6.

BETSY KING: I mean, Laura made a couple of goods putts, made the one for eagle, made a pretty good putt.

CHRIS JOHNSON: 13 was a good putt.

BETSY KING: 13 for birdie and then, you know, she hit a couple of others that I think she probably felt she should have made. So I think it was pretty even.

CHRIS JOHNSON: You know, I don't know. I mean, Laura -- it's funny. I think she lost interest a little bit midway through and then, all of a sudden, came back and she made that putt on 13 and that kind of got them going again.

BETSY KING: They both hit bad shots on 12 and I think that kind of got her fired up a little bit.

BETSY KING: Yeah, she came back and made that putt on the back fringe.

BETSY KING: I think when you come to the SOLHEIM, you expect anything; so it's pretty hard to get surprised.