MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY AIG

June 6, 2002

Betsy King

Q. You want to talk about your round? Want to do your score card first?

BETSY KING: I am actually on the 16th tee right now, and I had regulation pars the first two holes, and I birdied 3, I hit an 8-iron about 10 feet and made that, and then I birdied 4.

Actually, I hit my tee shot in the right rough and played a really good second shot where I had to punch a 6-iron low enough to keep it under the tree, but hard enough to carry a bunker that's about 50 yards short of the green. I rolled up perfectly about pin high, 15 feet, and I made it for birdie.

And then birdied 5, the par 3, I hit a 7-iron about 15, 18 feet, made that for birdie.

And then I have basically made regulation pars the rest of the way except 10, I drove it into the right rough, I had a fairly good lie and I just caught a flier out of the rough, I hit in the center of the green and it went over with a pitching wedge, I had about 125 to the pin, and literally chipped it off the front of the green.

I was right against the collar -- between the collar and the long stuff, and hit a chip shot where it didn't even carry the green, it hit on the back fringe and rolled all the way off the front of the green, and I two-putted for bogey.

And actually, right before the stoppage of play, I forgot, I hit my tee shot in the rough on 15 and caught a bad lie, hit a 4-iron, and still had 70 yards to the pin and hit it -- actually, sort of, semi-sculled it a little bit, ended up on the back fringe and I made it to par from about 20 feet, and I am standing on the 16th tee.

Q. The course conditions, Betsy, are they --

BETSY KING: They are hard, they are very tough. You know, I have played here since we started here, and this was definitely the most -- the hardest that I have seen the course set up.

You know, I have been on tour 25 years, I don't know if I have played greens quite this firm. I have played firm greens before but, you know, when you are standing there on the 11th hole, I had a sand wedge from 85 yards, and I can't spin a club any more than I can spin a full sand wedge, and it hit short of the pin, and I had a 25-footer coming back, so I had 10, 11 yards release with a sand wedge.

And when you have conditions coming out in the middle of the fairway, and there is only 7 yards from the bunker to the pin, you are just not going to see a lot of low scores.

Of course, now it rained so it's all changed, but it was set up tough. The only thing that would have made it tougher is if they lengthened the golf course where you are standing there with 3-irons and the greens and getting 25-yards release (inaudible), so it's playing tough.

Q. The leader board tends to be veteran players and older players. Is that reflective that says the course is playing tough and you guys can deal with the conditions like this?

BETSY KING: You know, I think we are just good players. No, I am just kidding, but I was looking up there, I was thinking in my head, I saw Beth up there, and we have to be the two best players ever to come out of the same college. Obviously, there has been colleges that have had one really great player, but to have two Hall of Famers come out, and we basically played together three out of the four years that we were there, and it's just very unusual.

But, yeah, I think you are going to see a true champion this week, and somebody that knows how to do everything. It's changed now, but the way it was, if you could hit the ball high, you have a little bit greater chance of holding the green. You are only getting 12 yards release, and somebody else is getting 20 yards release, it makes the play a little bit easier.

Q. How tough will this make the rough, Betsy? It was already pretty hard, right?

BETSY KING: Yeah. Actually, I have had a couple times where I was in the rough and I was able to get the ball on the green, and one time I haven't been, and, you know, it's just -- you just can't hit it in it, I mean, that's just all there is to it.

Q. Betsy, was there one aspect of your game together that was better than it had been the rest of the year?

BETSY KING: Well, I putted better today. Last week I actually felt as though I hit the ball fairly well. I think I had eight 3-putts in three days. I hit two par 5's the second round, and 3-putted them both. I putted very well today, and I felt as though I hit the ball pretty well. I missed a few fairways. I have to do a little bit better there. You have to get it in the fairway. But my irons into the green, for the most part, were pretty good.

Q. Betsy, at this point in your career are there times where you will play a tournament and you will play just as well as you played when you were at your very best?

BETSY KING: Yeah, I definitely have periods. I can't say I have had much of that this year so far, but I felt pretty good out there today. You know, maybe I am a little bit more relaxed, I think, at this point, and I still feel hopeful. I think when you see -- you know, I have been practicing and hitting the ball okay, and when you see that happening, you feel okay about things.

You know, I played with Laura Diaz today, and I thought, you know, I can play with her. She had a little bit of a slow start, and birdied, actually, two of the last three holes before we stopped and, obviously, she is one of the better players out there, so I am thinking, you know, I can compete with these kids. Maybe not Annika, but everybody -- I would have to play very well.

Q. So is that what it's been this year, maybe your putting has been --

BETSY KING: Well, I have periods where I haven't hit the ball well, but I would say the last two or three weeks it's been my putting more than anything else, I feel.

Q. When you saw Beth on the leader board did you think the Furman people could go 1, 2 at the end of the day?

BETSY KING: I was hoping that would happen. I would like nothing better than to be playing against Beth coming down the stretch, it would be really fun.

Q. Betsy, how frustrating is it when you are playing well and rain comes along when you are not done yet? Do you sit there and try and get your round done quicker and hope it opens up a little bit when you are playing well?

BETSY KING: You can't really do much about it. I thought they waited -- I thought it was going to be called a little bit sooner than what it was, and it looked bad. I didn't think we would get as far as we did, and actually, we got on the clock, they were timing us for one hole, so I was kind of going nuts about that, but you can't really do anything about it, but that's just the way it is.

I said the last couple weeks I have kind of gotten on the wrong side of the delays. I think in Augusta I was on the wrong side, and in Atlanta, and Nashville, so -- but, you know, it all evens out in the end.

Q. What's the most important thing a player has to have to succeed in her 40s?

BETSY KING: To succeed in her 40s?

Q. Because obviously some players can's maintain that.

BETSY KING: Well, I think it depends. I think for me, if I were married with children, I think I would probably -- wouldn't be out here; that's probably as much of a factor as any -- and I have been fortunate that I have stayed in fairly good health, for the most part.

You know, I don't know, I think it just depends, a love of the game, that kind of thing. Some people have found other interests that have kind of taken them off track, and even though I have done a little bit of that, I have still been able to play the golf, too.

Q. Is your desire to compete the same that it always was, or has that changed a little bit?

BETSY KING: It's a little different. If I have a bad couple of tournaments, it's a different feeling than if I were 25 thinking, you know, I got to get out of this slump because I am going to be out here for another 10 or 15 years, where at this stage of the game, you know, I am fairly well-set financially, so there is not that desperation there that, you know, I have to make a living here so let's get going.

Q. A few more questions? Are you guys -- okay. We have got Natascha out there, too. Thank you very much.

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