LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 26, 2002

Rosie Jones

MODERATOR: We've already started.

ROSIE JONES: (Microphone not working) And so basically, that was it. I felt kind of flat out there. Really didn't have a lot of any momentum going, and really just tried hard to, you know -- without pushing too hard, to put some pressure on here. And neither one of us were really playing that great, and hitting it close and having good chances for birdies. And I just didn't feel like I was on top of my game today. And I think I broke my toe this morning. So I had a hard time getting to my left side on some of my iron shots, and that was kind of -- you know, I kept hooking it, came back off the shot and pulling some low iron, so I was -- one of the girls on the -- that worked with The Golf Channel, was walking her dog and had the dog right outside the doorway of the hotel and had it tied up to this metal thing; and she went in to go get some coffee, and I was sitting there, going to pet the dog, and then this whole metal thing fell over and went right over on my toe. So it didn't bother me until about third hole, when I, you know, really -- or the second hole when I really ripped into the drive, and you get on the outside of that toe because it's my left side. It just kind of -- you know, hurting. And by the end of the day, it was really okay until I started limping, coming in. But it didn't really affect me other than I felt like I come off a couple of shots.

Q. Here's the microphone.

Q. Laura didn't really make a great mover either. You had matching pars all the way through.

ROSIE JONES: I was looking at the scoreboard thinking someone's got to be doing something, because if I see, you know, someone else besides Laura making a move, that kind of gets you more concentrated on yourself in this golf course instead of just being lackluster with Laura. And so I was kind of looking at the scoreboard, but I really don't have a good knack of looking at the scoreboard because every time I look at them, there's something else on them, sponsors or I get the third page or something like that. But my caddie pretty much knows, and if I want to know, he tells me.

Q. She's got two wins now. Can you see her starting to become the player everyone thinks she's going to be?

ROSIE JONES: I think she's getting really comfortable and confident. She manages her game pretty good, and, you know, she's got a lot of passion. And I think, yeah, she's one of our great stars here at the U.S., and on our tour.

Q. What did you think was your best chance to catch her, coming out of the back nine?

ROSIE JONES: Well, every hole I played well. You know, 13, I had, you know, 20, 25-footer, and I had good putts coming in. You know, when my opportunity comes in, it's when we're having smaller irons, which is the whole 15 through 18, and I just couldn't hit it close enough. I got the putt on 15; but on 16 and 17 you're hitting wedges and 9-irons, you know, you should be hitting those, I should be hitting those within 10 feet. I know this golf course well enough that I could and should, but I just couldn't get it.

Q. Rosie, on 15, made a nice putt for a birdie. You were talking about not getting your game on track. But at that point I think a lot of people sensed that you were ready to make that move.

ROSIE JONES: Right.

Q. Did you feel that that you were finally ready to go?

ROSIE JONES: Exactly, because 16 is a really tough driving hole even though you're hitting a iron. I hit 5-wood. I think she hit some sort of iron. And it's not an easy hole. And because the green's not easy too. Once you got to get it in the right place to make a putt. And I thought because she hit it in the trees a couple of times, that my chance is going to be now, 16 and 17 and possibly 18, because they're all pretty tough holes, pretty tight. And when you're leading, you're young and you're leading, you get nervous. So I was ready to pounce at any moment; and I just couldn't hit it close enough to really get her nervous. And she said she was nervous, and I made her sweat the whole way around, but, you know, it was -- I told her it was hard to beat the Queen. And she said the queen of what? And I said "The Queen of Corning," are you kidding me? Whoever wrote that yesterday. But she -- it was fun. We enjoyed each other's company, I think out there today, this afternoon.

Q. What do you think about the (inaudible).

ROSIE JONES: Oh, I think they're great. We've got some good players. You know, we got some good, fresh, young players out there that are starting to pick up their game, starting to really play well, and come into their own out here, and I think this is going to be a big year where you're going to see them starting to win a lot.

Q. How long was your putt on 15?

ROSIE JONES: About 20 feet.

Q. And how big was her chip shot in nine?

ROSIE JONES: Well, she chipped it in about probably about 40-footer probably.

Q. Was that --

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, I was like lucky. No.

Q. That was a pretty big (inaudible).

Q. I'm sure that you were confident right till the very end that you could win; but when you saw Laura make that approach shot on No. 18, and put it as close as she did, did anything inside of you say I think my chances have gone by me at this point?

ROSIE JONES: No, not until I saw -- no, actually not until my chip shot didn't go in. Because I was planning on hitting my shot inside of her and make it really exciting. And then when it didn't, my chip shot was really just on the back edge, not all the way down the gully, so I really felt like I really had a chance to knock this one in. And I missed my mark a little bit, my line on the chip shot. But, you know, I thought I'd give it a really good chance. And until then, she had to make the putt. If I would have made my chip, she would have had to make the putt.

Q. Did you change your part of attack on your approach on 18 when you saw how close she did come?

ROSIE JONES: Well --

Q. Or do you pretty much --

ROSIE JONES: A little bit. I know I got a birdie no matter what, so I'm going right at it. And I went ahead and took the longer club because I wanted to make sure I had enough, because I didn't want to be on the front of that green. I thought the green would be a little bit softer because some of them were, and -- but I should know better. This one is never softer than any of the other ones. It's usually harder. You know, but the last thing I want to do is not get a chance to go in. So I just caught it so flush that, you know, seems like whenever I try to swing easy is when it really catches good.

Q. (inaudible.)

ROSIE JONES: Thanks a lot you guys.

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