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RR DONNELLEY LPGA FOUNDERS CUP

March 20, 2011

Karrie Webb

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

THE MODERATOR: We're here with LPGA World Golf Hall of Fame member Karrie Webb, just notched her 38th career victory, the winner of the inaugural RR Donnelly LPGA Founders Cup. Congratulations, Karrie. Can you just tell us what you're feeling right now?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. I just said to a couple of the guys that were sitting here, I didn't think I'd be sitting here today, talking about winning. But now that I am, it's such a great honor to win this tournament.
And I don't know if you heard what I said on TV or on the 18th green, but you know, I really think that the concept of this tournament is great, has been ever since it was announced. And I don't think we get the opportunity or we don't do it enough is celebrate our Founders and where we've come from.
And I couldn't be more honored to win that event because I wouldn't have had the career that I've had and the life that I've had if it weren't for those 13 women.
THE MODERATOR: You've decided to split your charitable earnings between the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Japan Relief. Can you talk a little bit about that?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. Like I said, I didn't think I'd be sitting here winning, so at the start of the day I was playing to make as much money as I could for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation, and I talked earlier in the week on behalf of -- the reason why I'm involved with them is because of my coach Kelvin Haller, who's been a quadriplegic for 20 years now. So you know, that's why I've been involved with them, and it's near and dear to my heart to be associated with them. And I think they'll understand that I am splitting the 200,000 between them and the relief efforts in Japan.
You know, I've been glued to the TV watching it for the past, what, 10 days, nine days now, and you know, it's just unbelievable what's going on over there. And Japan, the fans, the people and many businesses over there have supported me throughout my entire career. So you know, I feel like it's just the least I could do.
THE MODERATOR: Do we have questions?

Q. I know the tax situation is better in Florida, but this area has been pretty nice to you, hasn't it?
KARRIE WEBB: I don't know where you're going with that. (Laughs). It is, yeah. It's my third win here in Phoenix, so like I said earlier in the week, I love coming out to the desert, and I hope to continue to be playing out here and have a tournament for many years to come out here.
But yeah, I've definitely enjoyed my time over the last 16 years.

Q. At what point during the course of the day -- you started so far back, at what point during the course of the day did you say I might actually have a chance here?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, I hadn't seen a leaderboard for a while because it was scrolling. It didn't have the main leaderboard very often, and I wasn't in the habit of just standing there watching it.
And then when I got on 11 tee, Val Skinner turned up, and I was like, what's she doing here? And so I figured I must be pretty close to the lead, just that the TV cameras and Val turned up. And then when I got on 11 green -- it might have been 12 green actually, because I birdied 11 to go to 10-under. It would have been 12 green would have been when I got to see a leaderboard and knew that I was tied for the lead and then I realized that's why Val's here.

Q. So how did your nerves change from before and after? Up until that point you were just like playing and now all of a sudden, oh, my God, I'm leading.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. I figured I had to be pretty close. I knew that Angela the last time I had seen the leaderboard she was still only at 12 and she hadn't really done much early on.
So yeah, just -- you know, it sort of, I think, probably just switched me into a different gear mentally as far as, okay, you know, you've got a chance now. Let's buckle down and play good golf from here.

Q. Could you describe what that other gear is like, what's it feel like?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, today it was easy to go there. Some days you just can't get yourself there. Or you try too hard to do it and over-focus, I guess, like you're trying to get into that zone.
You know, I just didn't feel -- the only time I felt really nervous was probably 17 and 18, especially the chip and the putt on 18 was the first time I really felt nervous.
And I think it was more that I knew how special it would feel to win this event. You know, it has obviously nothing to do with money or anything like that. It was just, you know, I thought this would be really cool if I won this event. So that was really the only time I got really nervous.

Q. Brittany was in here a little while ago talking about how she doesn't look at the leaderboard at all because it makes her so nervous, and you were talking a little bit about the scoreboard. What's been your relationship with the scoreboard over the years and your philosophy about that?
KARRIE WEBB: I'm a scoreboard watcher in general. You know, some days I know that, you know, it might be a hindrance, so I try not to watch it, but most days -- I think it's harder not to look at it than it is to look at it. Most weeks you have to avert your eyes from it at some point because it's just there.
You know, this week, you know, they had scrolling scores of everybody, so I was just standing there looking to see what everyone was shooting.
But yeah, you know, it's never really bothered me. It's probably motivated me more than anything. Even if I'm not on the leaderboard, I like looking at it to see what everyone is doing.

Q. She didn't know that she needed to get up-and-down to force a playoff. Have you ever been in that situation? You'd want to know; right?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. Definitely I would probably want to know, and when I walked up 18, I looked straight over at the leaderboard to see where Brittany was at.

Q. So you don't buy into this whole thing that you're going to play hard anyway whether you know what's on the leaderboard or not, so you might as well not look at the leaderboard.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. I know there are players that do it. I just always wanted to know. You know, it's just something I've done right from the word go.

Q. So do you have a sense of how many players do look at the leaderboard and how many don't?
KARRIE WEBB: No. I'd say it's probably more people look at the leaderboard than don't. You know, I can understand -- you know, sometimes you make a wrong decision when you actually -- you know, if Brittany didn't know, she might have had to birdie the last and might have played the hole differently knowing that she needed to do that.

Q. Jesper Parnevik did that in the British Open.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. There's been plenty of times where that's happened, but there's also been times people have won because they haven't looked at the leaderboard, so I think it's anyone's personal preference.

Q. I asked Brittany this same question, but was there anything tricky at all about that approach on 18, because she came up short, you came up short, Paula Creamer came up short, all kind of the same situation?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. Well, it wasn't tricky, just needed to carry it on the front because the greens were so firm today, but I had just missed the fairway, and hitting out of that -- well, it's not really rough, but it was very inconsistent how the ball came out. And I was really in between. You know, just I had to hit a really hard 8-iron off that lie to get it over the front. And I just didn't catch it well off that lie was really all that happened.

Q. What is it you think you like so much about the desert? Is it the style of the golf courses or the Margaritas or the cactuses?
KARRIE WEBB: I actually haven't had any Mexican this week. I actually forgot about it.
But no, I think -- well, typically the weather is always nice out here. You really can't beat it. This week we've had really good weather.
You know, and the courses, like I said earlier in the week, I love how green the fairways are, and you know, it's just -- it's pleasing to the eye, I think, when you come out here. And the way the courses are designed, you know where you have to hit it and know where you've gotta hit it into the green.
But you know, I don't have any other secrets as to why I've played well out here. You know, I've just always enjoyed the atmosphere out here. I've always appreciated how many people come out and watch. That's always exciting to play in front of big crowds.

Q. You talked about winning recently, now back to back and where you are in your career right now.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, well, back to back it's been I don't know how many years. I'm sure Heather and Matt probably know, but it's been a long time for back to back. Well, actually on the LPGA. I won back to back in Australia in 2007.
But yeah, it feels great. You know, at the start of the day, like I said, I didn't think I'd be sitting here. I knew I had an outside shot. But you know, I wouldn't have picked it at the start of the year that I would have won two out of the first three, so feel great about it, and hopefully it'll continue for the rest of the year.

Q. In the LPGA right now, where is that in 2011, some of the changes. What are your thoughts of this year so far?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think you know, the year has started off well, and I think this event -- I think it went off really well really. You know, I think they did a fantastic job to get this tournament run as well as it was. You wouldn't know that they only had a few months to put it together. And I think it's a great kick start to our domestic season having this event.
And you know, I think the LPGA -- you know, the LPGA, you know, we've had our tough times, and we have throughout the history of the LPGA. You know, I think we're going to build from this event, and things can only improve.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Karrie.
KARRIE WEBB: Thanks.

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