U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 3, 1999

Kathryn Marshall

KATHRYN MARSHALL: I've also got Lisa Walters' tee times. I think if I had gotten a second alternative, I would have been out at 3:00 or something. Definitely really good draw to be out at 7:30. It got really hot by about half past 8:00. I'd not like to be going, that's for sure. I assume there's no wind out there. There's a little bit of breeze, actually. But I think it's dying down now.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Absolutely. The course was really wet, though, and there was obviously a little rain overnight; made it a little soft, quite soft in front of the greens. Maybe this afternoon it's going to warm up a bit more, but I'm happy.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Yeah, they were a great pace. Great to play. They were sticking. I think they probably will firm up a bit, but as I say, good conditions.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Yes. Also, I'd like to have broken 70, but I think any time you shoot 2-under in a major tournament, it's a pretty good start; so, I'm happy.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Well, I think a guy named Ian MacLeod is sitting back in his pro shop in Monafee (phonetic) Scotland. I went to see him in August last year. He was my original coach. And I just went back to Dundee and basically just started to work with him again. And it just feels great to be back to basics, and to be with someone that knows my swing, literally since I was six years old.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: When I got my card that year, that was '92, '93, and then I moved to Edinburgh; so, it's been a big while. Too long, obviously.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: There's actually another really good story to that, because being a first alternate, I didn't get a package or anything. No one told me that I had to sign in by Tuesday at 10:00. I just happened to come up to the golf course at five minutes to 10:00. They were saying, "We were worried about you." I was like, What are you worried about. It was definitely divine intervention supporting me this week. I just about had a heart attack. I don't think I spoke for about 10 minutes after that.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: I was playing up in Corning, and it was Kay Cockerill that was doing a live interview with me, and she said, "I've got two pieces of good news for you: The leader just bogeyed; so you're only two shots behind now, and the other is that Lisa Walters have just withdrawn from the U.S. Open. Let's talk."

KATHRYN MARSHALL: I got one practice round in on Tuesday.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Yeah.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Loved it from the minute you drive in the driveway, it's so impressive and the golf course is, I think, one of the best we've ever played.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Well, obviously any golf course -- in any major you've got to be hitting the middle of the fairways and hopefully get some decent length off your tee shots, and that is one of my strongest points in my driving. So I was pretty confident that you can get a decent drive out there you can get some good shots. And I got off to a good start, and that settled me down.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: I don't think I was in the rough today. No, actually I was in the rough once, and it was -- it was covering the ball, so it was pretty thick. The speed of the greens for me are perfect. I love them. And obviously I think some other players might want it a little speedier, because that's the kind of pace I was brought up on.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Absolutely. I think everything is just sort of fitting into my game at the moment, yeah, definitely. You know, the Scottish connection is funny, because, Toledo, the tournament I won, that was Scottish connections as well. So you never know.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Highland Meadows.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: It's the 8th, whatever that is. Tuesday.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: 32. 4-under par for the front nine.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: No. 1, perfect start. Great drive, little 9-iron to about six feet below the pin. Par birdie. No. 6, good drive. Again 9-iron under the stick. Holed about 25-foot putt. No. 9 is probably the easiest hole on the course. I just hit a really bad drive and was lucky to catch the bunker. Just lack of concentration, I think, and made a bogey there. 10, 9-iron to about five feet behind the pin; birdied it. 11 is probably the hardest hole on the golf course. Hit a great drive and just came up short. I didn't really hit it that well, and chose to putt it just off the front of the green. Just a natural Scottish shot for me, and unfortunately, 3-putted it from the front. 13, was the hole I was in the rough. And again, I had a pretty decent shot, but hits the front edge of the green. Again chose to putt it, and again 3-putted; so maybe that's not a good choice. 16, I hit a good drive. Great 5-iron to about 15 feet right at the hole. Holed that for birdie. 17, the wind was kind of swirling, and I had a 4-iron behind, and luckily changed it to 5-iron. Hit it really, really well to about six feet left of the hole and holed that for birdie. And then got a good up-and-down on the last for par. So there's a couple of three putts in there. I could have chipped. Maybe would have shot a couple of shots lower.

KATHRYN MARSHALL: Basically I've been in America for the last 14 years now, but maybe not that kind of humidity. I didn't really feel it that bad. I had a little sun umbrella which I use, which was perfect.