U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 3, 2003

Rosie Jones

Q. Got off to quite a start.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah. Three quick birdies on 10, 11 and 12. And then another one on 14. And I just was hitting really good, solid irons and some -- I knocked it to about 6 inches on 11. So -- and then about a 16, 17 footer on 12 to get my third birdie. So I was cruising right along. I thought, well this is going to be easy. When is the golf course going to hit me? So what I finally did up on 17, I kind of had a silly 3-putt. And then one really bad swing on number 3 today.

Q. A lot of lip-outs too?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, I did. I hit really good putts. I felt like on 18 and 1, on 2, and even further on into the front nine, my second nine, but finally I got one crazy putt to go in on number 8. And I had another chance at number 9.

Q. How far was that one on number 8?

ROSIE JONES: It was actually only about 17, 18 feet. But it traveled about 23 feet.

Q. As the crow flies?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, and it probably could have gone all the way down to the front of the green. If it didn't go in the hole. But I had all the confidence in the world it was going in.

Q. Seemed like there have been a number of players that get up to 3-under, 4-under, and then something comes up and bites them.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, the course kind of bites you back. I think the back nine, if you're starting back there and you're hitting it fairly good, you have some opportunities to make some birdies. And then you get into some tougher holes. I tell you that 7, 8 and 9 are probably the toughest three holes I have seen together in a long time. Par-5 is probably the toughest par-5 I've played ever. And it's just, you've got to be careful on every single shot there. And then 8 is really good pin placement back on top there today. And then number 9 is just a really good driving hole.

Q. What is it about 7 that makes it as tough as it is?

ROSIE JONES: You can really go for it from anywhere in the second shot, it's so important to set up for the third. And they have such a tight pin up on top, behind the bunker there. I hooked my 5-wood just a little bit and I was in that first cut. I really couldn't go for the green, the pin at all. So I played out to the right. I thought I would take a little extra club because the ball was in some thick rough and it ran almost all the way to the back middle or the dugouts back there in the back. But I just miscalculated the speed on the putt. It was just about three feet off the green. I just miscalculated that and made a 3-putt.

Q. You and Laura both went out in 32, were you able to capitalize on each other's momentum at all?

ROSIE JONES: I think when -- any time you're playing with somebody that's making some birdies and playing good shots and hitting solid shots you're always going to capitalize on that. It's easy to settle in to seeing how it's supposed to be done. We both had our mishaps today. I on 3 and her on 7. So it's hard to keep the momentum going. That's why I think you can see a couple birdies and make a couple birdies and then you go for a dry spell for a little while and maybe have a wreck. But there's lots of places to wreck out there. If you can just avoid those, you're doing all right.

Q. Talk about the teenagers. You don't have to be a teenager to score well?

ROSIE JONES: That's right. You can be an old lady like me.

(Laughter.) Working on being the oldest player ever to win. That would be nice.

Q. How far out were you on number 3 when the ball went in the water? Was it 160? 150?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah I was only about 163 to the pin. It plays a little bit uphill and into the wind. So I got this nifty little 9-wood that I love to hit. And for some reason or other I think I was trying to get it -- trying to do something with my club and it just backfired on me. And I just hit probably the worst shot I've hit in several weeks. So just bad timing on that. It was just unfortunate. I think I could have got it -- it really -- definitely it threw me back a little bit. I think I could have come in maybe two or three under.

Q. No. 2 you had a putt that you started celebrating early. What did you see there?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, I had a couple of those. Well I just -- I thought it was in. It was like you put your fist back in your pocket because I was already swinging it all over the place. I just felt like I hit some good putts. Like on 9 -- or sorry, 18, 1 and 2. All really good putts. I thought they were going in.

Q. We got you on number 8. Talk to us about your birdie there.

ROSIE JONES: Well that pin is just really difficult. We were kind of watching people ahead of us trying to get up to that pin. And it's just really hard because it's scary to throw it all the way up there and have it bite. The girls that are hitting 8-iron, 9-iron up there, that's a little bit easier. But for me I was having to hit a 6-iron. So I played it back in my stance and nipped it a little bit so I could try to run it up there. And that's what I hit it right where I wanted to, got it up on top. But the putt is like about a six foot right-to-left speedy putt. And it was actually a little faster than I thought it was. But I had the right line and by the time it was going into the hole it kind of bent the lip a little bit. But I was glad the hole got in the way.

Q. Do you figure that's going to be one of the tougher holes?

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, my score I think or my official thinks that might be a skin today so.

(Laughter.)

Q. Talk to me a little bit how many teenagers are here and are you amazed at all at how well they're playing so early and so young?

ROSIE JONES: Well it's nice. Because we get so many reporters asking us on the LPGA, what's with the American players, well, they're just another three years away and five years away, there is going to be a whole other slew of them coming out on TOUR. And that's what we need. So it's really good to see that there's a lot of amateurs, young players that are playing well. Their games are much better than when we were younger. And that's a tribute to equipment, coaching, teachers, golf courses, just junior golf programs and everything.

Q. Are you surprised at all with the numbers. 14 of them. That's a lot for a U.S. Open?

ROSIE JONES: Well that's great. I first started playing The Open I think when I was about 16 over 17. It's a great place to come and get some experience and once you get in the Open, you feel like you're hitting the big time. And it gives them a lot of great experience and they're ready for it. There's a lot of players out there, especially players like Michelle Wie, she's played several tournaments on the Tour this year as an invite and also younger players like her that have played in the U.S. Opens before this. And so they have got a lot of experience behind them.

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