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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC

June 3, 2011

Catriona Matthew

GALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Catriona Matthew into the interview room. Congratulations on your round today. Can you just take us through the day a little bit and how you were able to shoot so well in these conditions.
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yes. Obviously it was pretty windy out there. I've been playing well coming into this week, and just went out there and played really well. Hit a lot of greens. Hit the fairways, didn't make it into the rough, which probably causing havoc for some people.
But, yeah, I birdied the first hole. Hit probably my worst drive into the bunker on the right. Had a good shot out about ten feet and holed that for birdie. Birdied the par 5 and chipped up to about 10 feet and holed that one.
And then 8 and 9 -- what did I do on 8? Oh, yeah, I just lift a wedge and hit it about 12 feet and holed that for birdie. And then on 9 I hit the green in two and 2-putted for birdie.
On the back 9 -- 10, I was kind of in between an 8 and a 9, and I went with a 9. And it just came up at the front of the green and 3-putted.
Then 14, hit a good wedge into probably 10 feet and holed that one for birdie. And 16, I thought I'd actually hit a really good second shot, just a little 6-iron, and I think the wind just dropped, it just went a little bit long and I didn't get up-and-down. But apart from that I felt I played really well.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. What did you think of the conditions, the wind? And you've obviously had a lot of success at the British Open, does this kind of condition fit your game?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: It's usually windy here, but this week has been exceptionally windy. I've not known it as windy as this in the past. The look of the course is, kind of a slight lengthy look to it; so, yeah, it does make you kind of feel like that a little bit.

Q. Did the wind cause like some indecision out there at certain times, like were you between clubs, and did you have to like really think before pulling a club today?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Between clubs, I mean a few times. I think you just had to -- the greens out there are quite small. I think the pins are at the back. I wasn't being too aggressive, just aiming for the middle of the greens and that would give you a decent putt at it. Probably wasn't really being too aggressive, just trying to hit the greens in that wind and take the putt that I got.

Q. How did the conditions change as the day changed? Did it get more benign? Tougher?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: No, actually, I would say it probably there, from finishing on the last hole, I don't know whether it was sheltered, but that was probably the first time I felt the wind probably dropping slightly. Apart from that, it was pretty constant all day.

Q. When you started your conversation, did you say you had not been playing well coming into this?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: No, I had been playing well.

Q. Okay. The other thing I was going to ask about was is the rounds were five hours, maybe longer. Was that tough to deal with?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I mean, it was pathetic, the pace of play. I don't know if it was just too many people in the field to get around. But, yeah, I don't know what we can do about that.

Q. Obviously in the past here the scores have been super lower than they were today. Do you prefer days like this where the wind's up and it's tougher conditions, or do you prefer those more sort of benign conditions?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: I mean, obviously today I liked it today. Obviously played well. Probably like it a little bit more testing than just flat camp, and then it becomes more just a putting contest then on this course.

Q. One of the things that seemed pretty constant was people just sort of not knowing which club to hit, what kind of shot to hit, waiting for the wind to shift and looking for the ball in this fescue. Do you think that naturally leads into five, five-and-a-half-hour rounds?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yes. Obviously the wind makes it slower than normal. I mean, the rough is just crazy in places.
I mean, I can see how you could be looking for golf balls. We were fortunate in our group that we probably only looked a couple of times. But the wind does definitely make it slower.

Q. You mentioned you came in here playing well. Has that been the way you've been playing all season, or were there a few lulls here and there?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, you know, I haven't played a whole lot yet this season. But, yeah, I've played well. I played well at the start of the year, couple of top 10s out in Asia. I played well in LA and just had a bad week at the Nabisco.
And then I had a few weeks off and felt I played well in the match play but was playing against Hye Jung Choi, and I played well, but match play, she just played that a little bit better. I played pretty well down in Brazil last week. So it's nice to get into some tournaments to get some kind of match fit.

Q. What's it been like having to sit out so much early in the season, like you said, when you're trying to get some rhythm going in your golf game?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously it's not ideal. But for me it's probably not quite as bad as others. I've got two small children. We've been moving house and just been busy in different ways.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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