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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 5, 2011

Juli Inkster

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we're privileged to have with us Juli Inkster, two-time U.S. Women's Open champion.
What some of you may not know is that she won her third straight U.S. Women's Open Amateur Championship on this golf course.
JULI INKSTER: Not this one.
THE MODERATOR: Excuse me, was it your second one?
JULI INKSTER: No. It was the third one. It was -- I was at the Mountain Course. Same place.
THE MODERATOR: Sorry. Same place. Same locker room.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah.
THE MODERATOR: She knows the locker room well.
JULI INKSTER: The buffet line. (Laughter.)
THE MODERATOR: Juli loves the Broadmoor, and she's back to play in this. She's a great champion, and I just want to know, Juli, what are you doing this week to win?
JULI INKSTER: Well, the golf course I think -- you got a lot of options out there, which I think is great, as far as where they set the tees. Like any Open, you have to drive the ball well. You know, club selection is -- I'm still a little bit trying to figure out percentage-wise how much farther I hit it here, but I'm getting close on that.
You know, with the Open, you just got to put your patience hat on and just try to grind away. I think the course is playing tough enough that even par is a good score.
THE MODERATOR: I understand that about maybe at least half the field are having to hit a lot of fairway woods into the par-4s.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, you know, it's a little different from the men's game and women's game. Not a lot of women carry 4-irons anymore. Most people carry rescue clubs.
Yesterday I hit a couple of my 4-iron rescues in the greens. Today, not so much. It was firming up just a little bit. It's a good golf course. I think the greens are extremely tough, so it's just trying to position yourself on the right side of the pin.
THE MODERATOR: Do you think having played in the Broadmoor environment and having played the Broadmoor Ladies Invitational, do you feel you have somewhat of an advantage on understanding these golf greens?
JULI INKSTER: No, that was like 30 years ago.
THE MODERATOR: Same greens.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, same greens, but I don't know. I don't think I have an advantage. I really just think it's ball-striking. You've got to strike the ball well here to have some shots at some birdies and manage your game.
You know, I grew up on greens like this. A little bit of poa, very undulated greens. It's all about speed and distance control.
So it will be interesting to see what scores we shoot out here.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. I know it's, like you said, a long time ago, but can you specify or talk about how much different you are today than you were then? What's different about your game than back then?
JULI INKSTER: Well, you know, I think I was definitely hungrier back then, more competitive. You know, I probably think -- I don't think my game was as good back then as it is now, but I think the competition is a lot better than it was back then.
Match play is so much just hating to lose, and I didn't like to lose, so, you know, I just -- I probably would say out of the three U.S. Amateurs I probably didn't hit it the best, but I was the one who got the ball in the hole.
That's a lot about match play. It's just making the shots at the right time. You know, I've raised a family since then and played a lot of different golf over a lot of different areas. I wouldn't trade my three U.S. Amateurs for anything.
You know, looking back on it - you know, I really didn't know what I did back then - but looking back on it now, one, most girls don't stay amateur that long to even have a chance to do three U.S. Amateurs; and then, you know, to win 18 matches in a row, it's pretty tough to do.
So I just think it's a feat that I'll never forget. I can remember a lot of my shots at the Broadmoor. You know, I played Cathy Hanlon - Cathy Marino now - and I can remember a lot of them to this day. I couldn't remember this golf course, but I could remember a lot of the shots that I hit.
THE MODERATOR: And no one had done that since Virginia Van Wie. Check with me later when that happened. That was in the late 20s, early 30s.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I wasn't even born then.
THE MODERATOR: No. I don't think anybody here was. Questions?

Q. You've accomplished the career slam, and Yani Tseng is going for it this week. Thinking back just trying to get that last piece, last leg of it, is it more difficult than the other three? Is there more pressure?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I think when you have a game like Yani, she's just playing so good right now. She's got a lot of confidence. You know, the thing with the U.S. Open, you really got to find a venue and a time that you're playing well and everything works for you.
I mean, it's different from the LPGA Championship and it's different from the Dinah Shore. They stay in one place. Then our British kind of has a rotation, so you play a lot of the same golf courses but at different times.
The U.S. Open, I think it's the toughest one to win. I don't think it's probably the strongest field, but I think it's the toughest one to win. One, because of the notoriety and the media. And the golf course, you've got to have a golf course to your liking and you've got to get some breaks.
She's playing extremely well. She's fearless. She's putting good. I think that's what's putting her over the edge right now.

Q. You talked about how you've changed over the years. How have you seen the LPGA change?
JULI INKSTER: It's changed a lot. We all went to college. We all played four years. All played against each other.
You know, it was kind of more of a sorority out there. Now it's business. You know, most of the girls don't go to college. You know, you get a rare one like Amanda Bloominghurst, that goes all four years.
And it's worldwide. We have -- I don't even know how many foreign players playing this week, but it's a lot. Our tour has gone over there. Our tour, you know, we're traveling worldwide. My passport looks like it's got the chicken pox it's got so many stamps on it. But I enjoy that part. I enjoy playing different places and trying different foods and seeing different cultures.
I'm glad I'm not starting my career. I'm glad I'm where I am at right now. But, you know, I think raising a family now would be a lot tougher than raising a family back then, because we used to just throw everything in a car or a van and take off.
Now, you know, you've got to fly everywhere and it's just a lot more difficult.

Q. How have you maintained your game? How have you played so well for such a long time? What's the secret?
JULI INKSTER: I enjoy the game. You know, I think if you have a passion for what you do, to me it's not really work. To me, it's -- I don't know, it just pecks away at me, because I just -- it seems like you can never conquer it.
I think that's what intrigues me. There is always some aspect or always something that you can do to get better. That's what kind of keeps me going.

Q. I know each Open is different, but do you have an advantage because you've won two of these?
JULI INKSTER: I don't think so. I mean, maybe I don't have the pressure that I had, you know, trying to win my first one. You know, I think winning any Open or any U.S. Open or really any golf tournament, especially the U.S. Open, there is pressure.
I don't know care if you won four or five or whatever, there's pressure. You want to win. That's why you're out here. I think the thing with the U.S. Open is just to give yourself a chance on Sunday to do it. I think that's the hardest part, is managing your game to there.

Q. I'm not sure how to best articulate this question, so I just want to see if you have a thought about this or a reaction. Nicklaus won twice at Baltusrol, and then he won a U.S. Am and an Open at Pebble Beach. You've won twice at Prairie Dunes, and now you have a chance to win twice here the same way. In other words, match what he did.
JULI INKSTER: That would be cool. I'll be all over that. (Smiling).
Yeah, Prairie Dunes, just the whole week was just, you know, it was like a dream. I won the first U.S. Am, my first one in '80. I go back in 2002 and hadn't been back since and ended up winning the U.S. Open there. I mean, it was just a dream come true.
And then coming here and, you know, winning the U.S. Amateur here, it would be great to have a chance to win the Open. I think my game is so much better than it's been the last couple years. I just feel like if I get everything under control, I feel I have a shot.

Q. In what way is it better?
JULI INKSTER: My ball-striking is more consistent. I'm putting better. You know, I'm just -- I'm doing the little things better. You know, I haven't put it all together, but I've had some good tournaments this year, been very consistent.
You know, it's just eliminating the little things, which I have been doing better of. Out here, you used to be able to shoot a 72 and 73 and get away it and still be able to win. Now you can't. Now it's putting four good rounds together is what you've got to do.

Q. At Prairie Dunes, as I recall, you kind of found something during the week, didn't you?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I found -- I think I found Jesus. No, I'm just kidding. I did. I mean, I was searching. You know, the first two days I was up and down everywhere. I was getting up and down from the garbage cans.
And then Saturday and Sunday I kind of figured a little swing key out and went with it and played great. I really played great on Sunday. Made some key putts when I needed and hit the ball pretty good, too.
So that's the key, is just grinding it out in the U.S. Open.

Q. Is part of your plan just to try to get to Sunday, be in contention?
JULI INKSTER: Well, part of my plan is just fairways and greens and grind it out, make a lot of pars. You know, the par-5s, have to make some birdies. The par-3s, you could probably make some birdies. You know, there's gonna be some definite par holes here you want to get your par and get out of there.
There are sometimes you're gonna have the green light and you have to fire at it. So it's just getting yourself in that position that you're going to have those options.

Q. Yani Tseng was in here earlier, and I think you and Karrie Webb, among active players, are the only players that have more majors than her at this point. She's only 22 years old.
JULI INKSTER: Maybe she'll retire. (Laughter.)

Q. I just wondered what you thought about that.
JULI INKSTER: Well, you look at Yani and, you know, you never think there is going to be another Mickey Wright or another Annika Sorenstam or Lorena, and all of a sudden Yani comes around. Yani has Lorena's power. I mean, she can bomb the ball. She's got a lot of passion for the game. She wants to be the best. She wants to get better.
So she could be here for a while. She could -- if she stays healthy she could probably break a lot of Annika's records.
THE MODERATOR: I think that about says it. Juli, thanks so much for joining us. Good luck this week. I bet we'll see you up here again.
JULI INKSTER: Sunday would be nice. (Smiling.)

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