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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 24, 2005

Rosie Jones

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

JOEL LAMP: We have the leader in the clubhouse, Rosie Jones here in the interview room, 3-under par 69.

Let's go over your score card. Birdie at the second?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, basically I had a pretty basic round today. I hit a sand wedge in about five feet for birdie on No. 2.

Parred all the way around until the 15th hole. Had a couple up-and-downs, nothing really crazy or anything. I missed a couple of greens out there.

On No. 12, hit a good chip shot to get up-and-down.

No. 13, pitched up within a foot and made that for par.

On 15 I hit my little TaylorMade rescue club up there about -- I call it my 5-hit because it's like a strong 5-iron about 15 feet on No. 15 and made that for birdie.

And then I hit like a little 7-iron into on 18 about two feet and made that for birdie. So 15 pars and three birdies.

Q. Other than anybody who has ever won this tournament, you've probably played this golf course better than anybody. What is it about this golf course that gets your juices going?

ROSIE JONES: Well, I think this is the type of golf course that you just have to manage your game really well and you can't go for a lot of pins. You have to know which ones you can go for, which ones you can't. You definitely have to hit it down the middle because the rough is majorly difficult to get out. You have to just try to hit it toward the green if you're in the rough and wish for the best.

But those things are my forte. I can't hit it -- I'm not a strong hitter, so being down the fairway is a must and so being a good driver; and if I'm thinking really well, managing my game, the next few putts, I'm going to be playing this golf course pretty good.

Q. 7-iron on 18, how far out was that?

ROSIE JONES: I was about 127. 18 is about the only one that's got like a stiff wind coming in our face. We got up on the tee box and the guy goes, "The wind has quit for a few minutes."

And I'm going, "There's no wind out here today." I went up to hit the shot and got down to the second shot and it's just like a gale force right there. So just, you know, that tunnel that comes up 18 always makes it really tough.

Q. Michelle Wie today, when you get something like that that early in the round, what do you think?

ROSIE JONES: When I saw that she was 2-under after three or 3-under after five or something like that, you kind of look up and go, "Well, that's a good start." It doesn't surprise me. I don't think the golf course is playing really that tough.

Q. Are you generally happy with your round today?

ROSIE JONES: I am. I had some really good chances for birdies on the front side opening up on 1, 2, 3 -- 2, I made, but on 1 and 3, 5, I just had birdie putts that I thought I could make and didn't make any. And so, really, what you have to be at that point is just really patient because you know you're going to make some bogeys out here.

Fortunately I didn't make any bogeys today, but it's the type of golf course you know that you're going to make them, so you want to take advantage of every birdie that you can.

I felt that I had to be really patient having missed a few opportunities. Last thing you want to do is get a little bit frustrated, a little bit eager, you know, try a little harder and go for a pin, make bogey; all of a sudden you're 1-over and you feel like you should be 2-under and get yourself in a tizzy. That's part of my experience in playing this golf course, playing so many years, too.

Q. A year ago this week you were talking about retirement.

ROSIE JONES: I was talking about retirement? I still am.

Q. Do you keep just playing yourself out of that with rounds like this?

ROSIE JONES: Well, it's kind of amazing that I do. I shot 64 last week and finished tied for fifth and we're still talking about retirement.

I do want to retire. I don't want to be out here -- it's a lot of hard work and my body is wearing out. I have some neck problems, and it's just the type of thing where you either -- it's all or nothing for me. And if I'm going to be out here, I want to play the same caliber that I'm playing that I've always played and I don't want to wait until, you know, I'm playing mediocre golf and I don't like that.

I felt last year that I played a lot of mediocre golf. I was hurt. I was coming off of a surgery and felt like I wanted to give this year a little better chance at playing well before I said good-bye.

Q. Is it the Solheim this year; you want to get on the Solheim team again?

ROSIE JONES: Definitely that was one of my motivations, other than wanting to play a little bit better than last year. I also left myself in good position to make Solheim going into this year. So I thought if I could be competitive, play one more Solheim, I would leave it after that.

Q. So you are going to retire at the end of this year?

ROSIE JONES: Definitely.

Q. Definitely?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah.

Q. So you birdied two of the last four holes. When you're in a little groove like that, do you sort of regret that the round is over at that point?

ROSIE JONES: You know what, whenever I get to 18 out here, I'm really glad it's over. This is a really tough golf course, and, you know, I'll take the birdies whenever I can get them. Especially on the last four holes there, it's one of the tougher holes that we play all year.

It's just a good round. I just feel, you know, I was patient, I was patient through the front nine, patient all the way around and kept giving myself opportunities and finally got a couple of putts to fall in.

Q. What will be the winning score, do you think?

ROSIE JONES: I can't really predict. I thought the scores were going to be lower today. I thought there would be a 6- or 7-under out there today. The greens are being really receptive. The only thing that's making it tough is the lies in the fairway are not as pure as we normally expect at this golf course, which makes it come off a little bit funny sometimes.

Q. Did you make the decision to retire earlier in the year or last year that this was going to be it?

ROSIE JONES: Last year I was going through a lot of problems with my neck. I have a herniated disk in my C5-6, and I just had a lot of problems with it last year and played with a lot of pain, and I couldn't even imagine really playing another full year.

I'm susceptible to getting hurt again. It's just a matter of if I take care of myself and don't play as many tournaments and don't play any volleyball games or stuff like that like I did in Hawaii. If I just stay healthy and smart about it, I'm going to be okay I think.

Q. Does this give you sort of like a calm sense, or is there a sense of urgency or is it more relaxed?

ROSIE JONES: It's kind of funny because last year I felt that way. I felt I want to be to play better, now, and I've got to hurry up because this is it.

This year, I don't really feel that way at all. I feel like I've taken a little bit of a load off. I'm trying to have fun. I'm trying to enjoy every tournament that I go to because I know this is probably going to be the last. Except for here, I may come back, I may come back to play a couple majors or something like that, but I don't really want to take on the magnitude of what you have to do every year. It's a lot of conditioning, especially when you get older. It's a lot of work practicing and stuff like that and grinding over getting your game ready and stuff like that. And if you want to play, you know, like I've been playing -- if I want to play like I've been playing the last ten years, it's a lot to do and I don't feel like doing it anymore. I wake up lots of mornings and don't want to play golf, and it's hard to motivate yourself and it's hard to put your heart into it every single time.

I feel like after 23 years, there's other things I want to do.

Q. There's a lot of talk out there about, you know, teenage this, teenage that, the teenagers, 15-, 18-, 19-year-olds. Last week you and Juli are both high on the leaderboard; you're both up there this week. Do you feel like you're kind of being passed over by all of the emphasis on who these young kids are and what they may or may not be doing?

ROSIE JONES: I think there's a lot of attention on the younger players, and that's good because that's the future of the LPGA. That's the future of women's golf. But, you know, meanwhile, they still have to beat me and Juli and Meg Mallon and players like that that played really well the last couple of years and Beth Daniel. You know, we're still a competitive force out here. We have a thing like we're like "Go 40s."

But there is a lot of attention on the young players, and there should be because they are new and up-and-coming. It's exciting, it's exciting golf. I mean, Michelle Wie is exciting golf. She played really well. I had the opportunity to play with her in Hawaii and it was fun.

I feel thrilled that I was -- my career has spanned the lifetime of playing with Whitworth and Wie. That's pretty cool. You've got the past and the future, and the future's young. There's good, young players.

JOEL LAMP: Thanks, Rosie. Congratulations on the round.

End of FastScripts.

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