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RR DONNELLEY LPGA FOUNDERS CUPMarch 14, 2012Karrie WebbPHOENIX, ARIZONA THE MODERATOR: All right, everyone. First off, thanks for joining us today. We'd like to welcome Karrie Webb, our defending champion and Rolex No. 19 into the interview room. Thank you for joining us today. First off, just give me some of your thoughts about being back here, second year of this event, won it last year. Been a few changes, but how excited are you to be back here in Phoenix defending the title? KARRIE WEBB: I'm really excited to be back here. Phoenix has actually treated me pretty well throughout my career, so it's nice to be back here again as defending champion. THE MODERATOR: You played really well in Thailand and you had some ups and downs in some of the other events. How are you feeling about the state of your game right now heading into this week? KARRIE WEBB: I feel pretty good. I feel like it's pretty close. I made some changes in the off season to my swing, just to tidy things up a little bit. It's becoming more consistent. So I need to work on that to where I feel like it's there day in and day out. My coach, Ian Triggs, will be here next week, so it's a matter of if I can take it from the range to the course. But I'm not quite carrying it out on the course consistently. And sometimes I think that's just because I've done so much technical work on the range that I'm taking that technical thought process out on to the course and I really need to figure it up a little bit. THE MODERATOR: I know in Thailand there were some glimpses where you felt really good. Was it the same in Singapore where there were moments where you felt the swing was coming together and others where you felt it was still a little too technical. KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think so.  I got off to a poor start in Singapore the first nine holes, but managed to have a nice come back there, but then I never really carried on with that momentum from Thursday afternoon. So it was a little bit more up‑and‑down, and you know, I think Singapore's course is one where last year I felt really comfortable on the greens and this year I didn't. And they're the type of greens that I think it goes one way or the other. THE MODERATOR: Always exciting to come back to an event that you've won. When we have an event like this, too, where we're honoring the LPGA Founders and you get to see all of them around throughout the week, how nice is it to be able to visit with them and get to promote them to everybody that might not always get to learn about these great women? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. I was at dinner for RR Donnelley last night, and Marilynn and Shirley and Louise were there, and I got to sit at the table with them, and it's always great to catch up with them. I feel very fortunate that early in my career they were young enough that we probably saw them four or five times a year and now we're lucky if we see them once a year, and I think having a tournament in honor of them, I think is why they make such a great effort to come out as well, and I think it's great for the young kids to get to meet them and hear some of the stories. I think any of the girls, the young girls especially that were at the dinner last night would have got a real kick out of hearing some of their stories from 50, 60 years ago. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Karrie? Q. You mentioned the Founders, and from your perspective do you think that the LPGA as a whole has a real sense of history of what proceeded most of these golfers out here? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think so as a whole. I think when I first came on tour, the generation of more veteran players when I first came on tour had that real sense of pride in the tour and where they'd come from and what they'd established and they really made a big effort to pass that on. And I feel like ‑‑ and again, having the founders there, they were there and present and so you got to feel that history, and like I said, now we don't have that opportunity as much, but it is up to players like myself to try and emphasize how important it is, the history. And just so that it does carry on, and you know, I think that's only going to help our tour grow because if we can get the girls to believe in something that was created from nothing and to what it is today, then they'll want to make it better when they leave as well. Q. When you look at the all‑time money list and see your name second, how much of a motivation is that to keep on playing? KARRIE WEBB: To be No. 1 you mean? Q. Yes. KARRIE WEBB: I don't know if it's necessarily motivation because as we continue, our purses continue to grow, I could work my tail off to become No. 1 and see it gone in a couple of years after I retire. So it's not something that I set my sights on. Obviously when you see that, I'm reminded of how great golf has been to me and I'm very fortunate for that, and it's always good to keep adding to it. That's definitely a goal. Q. Karrie, when you think about what the Founders accomplished, what impresses you the most about what they did as athletes, the conditions were so different then than they are now? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. You know, I think their greatest accomplishment is when we saw them up there last night, the fact that they're still all friends. At the beginning, 13 women, not only did they compete against each other, but they had to call major penalties and rulings on themselves. They had to ‑‑ one was president, treasurer, secretary. You know, they would have been ‑‑ if we got 13 girls to do that here, I don't think we'd be speaking to each other by the end of the year. So you only have to sit in one of our players meetings every now and then to know that women to agree on one topic is kind of a challenge. So I think their greatest accomplishment, besides the fact that where the LPGA is today, is that they still love getting together. They love talking about do you remember such and such and telling the stories. And I think that's their greatest accomplishment. Q. The tour seems to have turned a very difficult corner for the last few years. The schedule's bounced back nicely this year, and must have been personally satisfying for you to have the LPGA returning to Australia. What was the reception like there? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I was really excited. And obviously we played at Royal Melbourne. So it's obviously depending on whose opinion either the best or second best course in Australia and it's ranked Top 10 in the world. So I was excited as an Australian for the LPGA to be back in Australia, but I was also excited for the LPGA to play on such a quality golf course. We don't ever sit at a press conference to talk about playing a course that's ranked in the Top 10 in the world. I won't even say very often. I don't think we've ever said that. So I think that was really exciting, and for the growth of women's golf in Australia it's a huge shot in the arm. I think it'll be great for the young girls to see the big names over there and playing on quality golf courses, so I'm hoping the LPGA is down there for many years to come. Q. This tournament is a little bit different this year playing for money. Can you talk about does it have a different feel and what that means to the players, playing for a full purse? And then talk about your charity money what it did last year for the foundation? KARRIE WEBB: Right. I don't know for me if it has a different feel. I think I certainly appreciate ‑‑ and I know all the girls do ‑‑ appreciate the extra support that RR Donnelley contributed this year. I think it's fantastic of them to step up. The only difference is that there isn't any negative questions being asked about such a great concept. So you know, I think it's all positive this year. Q. Can you talk about the money that you gave to charity last year, and do you know where that went with the foundation, what it specifically did? KARRIE WEBB: The 500,000 that went to ‑‑ Q. Christopher Reeves Foundation? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. Q. You donated 200? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. 200. 100 I donated to Christopher Reeves Foundation and 100 went to Tsunami Japanese Relief Efforts. The 100,000 that went to the Christopher Reeves Foundation obviously goes to a charity that's near and dear to my heart. My coach, Kelvin Haller, in 1991 became a quadriplegic, so I've been involved with Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation since 1998, and the 100,000 goes to research to find a cure for paralysis, but it also goes to ‑‑ Dana before she passed away set up a resource center for anyone recently paralyzed or family members of someone recently paralyzed. It's a resource center for them to go to and find out the best rehab centers, how to buy a wheelchair, stuff like that. So for me it was an extra honor to be able to donate that money to a charity that I've been with for so long. Q. How would you rate the skill level of the field here? KARRIE WEBB: Compared to ‑‑ Q. Five years ago. KARRIE WEBB: Oh, okay. Just the skill out on tour? Q. Yes. KARRIE WEBB: I think it's always hard. I was asked that question the other day ‑‑ to ‑‑ I don't think there's any statistical evidence to say we're better as a group five years down the track. I think the fields are deeper. I was asked are the top players better now than the top players ten, 20, 30 years ago. I don't ever believe that ‑‑ every sport you talk about comparing people from different generations who don't ever play against each other, or under the same circumstances. And I just think it's impossible to do that. And I think it's unfair to whoever loses that debate. Even from five years ago to now, golf technology has changed so much that, yes, we are definitely better, and the fields are definitely stronger. Why is that? Is it technology? I'm sure it's talent, and everyone's fitness. So I think it's just a very tough question to answer, but I think the fields are deeper, and I think that's why we see so many first‑time winners popping up or people that haven't won that are in contention every week. It's just that more people have a chance to win now. THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for Karrie? Thank you very much for joining us, and best of luck this week. KARRIE WEBB: All right, thanks, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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