U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1997

Trish Johnson

TRISH JOHNSON: Well, for 17 holes it was very good. I hardly made a bad swing for probably 16 holes. The first bad one was 17. The front side was the best. Really could have 4 four or five shots better on the front side. I made two swings on 18 that were diabolical.

TRISH JOHNSON: It was Laura's fault, yeah.

TRISH JOHNSON: Nothing to do with that. I hit the same shot yesterday, made a very, very bad swing today and then followed it up two shots later with an even worse one. Not recommended on that hole.

TRISH JOHNSON: Well, like I just said, I made a very poor swing on the tee shot and blocked it right. Played the sensible shot back into the fairway to have a shot to the green. And just -- I don't know what I did on the third shot. It was dreadful. It was a foot above the ground and straightened it into the reeds, a 7-wood, and then had to hit the same shot again, which I was very happy to hit to the green with.

TRISH JOHNSON: Yes, and really had to hit the same shot again.

TRISH JOHNSON: Yes. The first one I had 210 to the flag, so I dropped it about 15, 20 yards closer the second time.

TRISH JOHNSON: One of those things, bad swing, bad time. Just quick, probably, just looking to see if the ball was on the green before I actually hit it. An amateur error, I think it's called.

TRISH JOHNSON: I hit a super drive up the first, 8-iron to about 15 feet and holed that. Then I had a lot of chances, 3, 4, 5, 6 all for birdies, didn't make them. Made a good up-and-down at 7, or actually it was a 2-putt, but it was from behind the green. And that kept me at one under. Hit a wedge to about 3 feet at 8. And to about a foot to the 9. So that was 3-under. I had a good chance with birdie at 11, about a 3-footer but missed that. 13 --

TRISH JOHNSON: Hit 9-iron to about 12 feet there, holed a good putt. Made a really good at 17, from about 40 yards out after a bad tee shot. Then lovely 18.

TRISH JOHNSON: Well, I haven't had much luck in the Opens at all -- I played very well in practice and really just did the same things I've been doing in practice, nothing changed. My putting started getting a little better an the back 9, which gives my confidence a boost, basically. But I had a good last round last week in Toledo after three very mediocre rounds, which gave me a little bit of confidence. And really just carried on from there.

TRISH JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm not one of the long, long hitter. Not a Karrie or anyone like that. Probably in the next group down. So this course is it's not probably as long as most U.S. Open courses we play. And it's really, really good for my game. So if I can keep playing like that for another three days, then I should be in the hunt.

TRISH JOHNSON: To be fair today, it didn't really phase me. I hit a good shot after that, which was just as well. I might have been a bit unhappy if I hit a bad shot as well. I played 17 good holes, 4-under par with one par-5 to play. There's no point in dropping your head and pretending you're upset. The only thing you don't do in the first day of the Open is play yourself out of contention, really, and 2-under par is there.

TRISH JOHNSON: The first putt?

TRISH JOHNSON: It was a long one, about 40 feet. It was a good 2-putt. It was a good 7.

TRISH JOHNSON: A definite possibility. I'm sure there's a lot of other people that can say that. I'm sure if you ask the other players 3-under, they could say that, too. I think for 14, 15 holes I felt very, very good, every swing I made felt just about where I wanted to hit it. And I just early on possibly wasn't that confident with the putter. But there were some difficult pin positions, as well. And a couple of the holes that were really tough I knocked it quite close. Like I said I was very confident. It could have been 64, 65, but it wasn't to be. Maybe tomorrow.

TRISH JOHNSON: It's just a joke, really. I went to hit off and suddenly realized that the group in front were still there, but right down to the very end. We just waited a couple of minutes. It was not really --

TRISH JOHNSON: No, it wasn't.

TRISH JOHNSON: A bit of a rain drop that fell at one stage. But I don't remember any sunshine out there.

TRISH JOHNSON: It was a nuisance.

TRISH JOHNSON: That's just about all it was. It wasn't particularly -- it was just a pain.

TRISH JOHNSON: No, I don't think so. I think Laura is a one of the greatest players. I think she's probably, in my opinion, I haven't seen obviously people like Mickey Wright, but Laura is the best golfer that's ever played the game that I've seen. And I'm not trying to compete with that. At the end of the day if she plays well and I play well, I think I can beat her. You're not competing against one player; you're playing against everyone. If I don't win this week, I hope Laura does. It's as simple as that. It's not a question of trying to play off her. It's great, whether it's Laura or any of the English player or Scottish or European player, it's great for us. It's great for our Tour if we all do well over here. And like I said if it's not me that wins, I hope it's one of them, and obviously Laura next.

TRISH JOHNSON: In my opinion from what I've seen she's the greatest lady golfer that I've seen.

TRISH JOHNSON: I haven't seen Mickey Wright play; of players that I've seen.