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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC

June 3, 2011

Cristie Kerr

GALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Cristie Kerr into the interview room. Can you take us a little bit through your round? And everybody's been talking about the tough conditions and how there haven't been many players shooting under par kind of. What went right for you today?
CRISTIE KERR: I played really tough. I started out on the back nine, and that's probably the toughest setbacks ever played in all the years I've played here.
Played really tough. It was just the wind direction was just a slight bit different. So there were a lot of holes that played into the wind. The tougher holes actually played into the wind.
And the 11th hole was my first bogey of the day, the second hole. I almost birdied the first hole. Actually hit a great shot into the green, went over the green and it was kind of moundy around the hole. And didn't get up-and-down and so made bogey and missed a short putt which would have been a great up-and-down on 16.
I think it must have been three and a half feet, but that pin was way back in that new section. And it was just -- nobody made par on it. And I was able to birdie 18. I got there in two. And I was able to make the comeback putt for birdie. And.
I played great on the front. I started out great on the front by birdieing 3, par 5, and then 4, and I almost made two on the 9th hole.
I absolutely controlled the trajectory on those two shots perfectly on the tee shot. And absolutely ripped the 3-wood up there and I just didn't hit my putt with enough speed and it barely missed. That was an easy birdie there, but it was almost a two. It would have been a cool way to end.
I played great today and the conditions were really tough. The old 11th hole, which is now the 14th hole, that par 3, we all had 3-wood in there. And I was the only one that made par. And there was a double and a triple in my group. So that's telling you how tough it played today. The greens are really bouncy.
And I was able to control my golf ball today.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. As you know, usually the scores are kind of really low here. When you're two over through four or five holes, do you almost have to change your mindset or look at the scoreboard and see that everybody else is struggling, because in a normal year two over through five or six holes means you're in a lot of trouble, but this year you're still right there?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I mean the conditions were tough. And you could see from the morning rounds that nobody was really shooting under par. I looked up, and you know there's seven or eight scores on the board, then it switches again, seven, eight scores.
And I didn't see really anybody under par. So I kind of knew to just hang in there, there would be some birdie opportunities. And I had to play well to get them on the front. That's how well I played.
So, yeah, this course is playing much harder than it has in years past.

Q. How difficult were the greens getting out there with the wind kind of drying them out in the sun and all?
CRISTIE KERR: They were holding true. These greens have been really good in the past. And this is probably the best I've ever seen these greens. They've done a marvelous job in getting the course in shape.
And I think they were syringing the 5th green when we were there. Yeah, because I landed a -- it was a partial wedge shot, mind you, but I landed it three yards short of the hole which was too far. But it went 35 feet past the hole.
So there are a couple of greens that are really firm out there. The 11th hole, par 3, the fifth green, you kind of know where those are. And trying to get good shots in, full shots.

Q. Is your play today a carry over from Sybase?
CRISTIE KERR: I would like to think so. I'm working a lot on my game, got great equipment in my bag, great caddie. I'm a good player, yeah, why not?

Q. How tough was the win in terms of trying to pull a club out of the bag for an approach? Did you change your mind much or not at all? How did that work?
CRISTIE KERR: Actually, we were pretty committed to what we were doing out there, myself and Jason, my caddie. There weren't really too many times where we felt we were in between. And it kind of plays like a British Open a little bit out there.
You know, having to judge the bounce, and this is links golf, and I love links golf. And we tend to judge those kinds of conditions really well. So you could see that today.

Q. How key was 18 as far as taking some momentum into the front nine for you?
CRISTIE KERR: That was big, because I hit a great drive and a great 3-wood on the green, and I had kind of a straightforward uphill putt.
I knocked it about eight, nine feet by the hole. So to have 3-putted there I think would have killed some momentum for sure. So that was a big putt for me for today.

Q. Was the length of the round a factor of the conditions?
CRISTIE KERR: I don't know how long actually it took for us to play.

Q. Five and a half hours.
CRISTIE KERR: What time did we tee off?

Q. 9:01.
CRISTIE KERR: I've been in here about ten minutes. So our group, we must have looked for ten golf balls in the fescue today.
I mean Grace, specifically Grace, she kind of hit all over the place. I think she hit two balls out of bounds. Amanda a couple times got kind of in the fescue. And they've grown the fescue up a lot. It's a lot higher than I've ever seen it.
So it comes into play a lot more, I think, you know, this year. And I can guarantee you we're not the only group that probably was looking for some golf balls out there.
We easily, on the 11th hole -- not the 11th hole, used to be the old 11, our 14th hole, that hole we found 15 golf balls in there. But none of them were our group's.
So, you know, I think the Pro-Am guys lost a few out there.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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