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JTBC FOUNDERS CUPMarch 19, 2014Karrie WebbPHOENIX, ARIZONA THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. We would like to welcome a very special guest into the interview room, Rolex Rankings No. 6 Karrie Webb and Hall of Famer; I can't not say that every time that you're in the interview room. First off, this event is pretty special for you in the fact that you won the inaugural event back here in 2011. We have all seen what this event has grown and become honoring the history of the 13 Founders and celebrating the future of women's golf with girls golf. But what does it mean for you when you come back here each year? KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think it's a very special event. I think when Mike first talked about the idea of this event, I think it was definitely needed. I think it was needed for the current players, because I feel fortunate enough that when I was a rookie on Tour, the Founders were young enough still to travel a little bit more and they were out four or five, six times a year. So you got to see them more. You got to sit down and hear their stories, and really truly appreciate where we were, and where the Tour had come from its beginnings. So I felt like that was lacking, because the girls didn't get to see the Founders very much, I think just to see them come out, in one week, hear all their stories, I think it was great for the girls to not feel perhaps as entitled and know that we've got to work probably not as hard as our Founders did, but we still have to have the goal that we are going to leave the Tour in a better place than what we found it. THE MODERATOR:  When you see players like Stacy Lewis now when are kind of on the top of the game, but also honoring those former players and honoring the pioneers and everyone that helped make this, does it give you a little bit of satisfaction to see that other younger players are really embracing that and understanding the importance of those who came before them? KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, definitely. I think that in itself is the success of the event, let alone the amount of money that's been donated to girls golf and how much that's grown in the few years that the Founders Cup has been around. But yeah, I think it's great for especially our top players who are in here speaking to you to have that appreciation. THE MODERATOR: For you, it's been a great start to the year, captured your 40th career LPGA victory in Australia, was that number, 40, significant for you? We know the fact of winning at home I'm sure was pretty special. KARRIE WEBB: I don't think it meant anything until I did it until someone actually said it was 40. You know, you're always just trying to get the next one, and I knew I was on 39, but until someone said 40, I was like, you know, whenever I had gotten to 32, 33, that was the next goal that I had not really been thinking about it as a goal; that the short‑term goal was to actually win. So to do that in Australia, too, was very special, and on a great golf course, and my parents were there. THE MODERATOR:  When you hit milestones like that, do you ever take the time to reflect on all that you've been able to do so far in your career, out do you kind of wait until later onto really reflect back on all of that? KARRIE WEBB: No, I think I've‑‑ the last‑‑ every year you get older, you appreciate more the things that you did when you were younger. I think at the time, I was playing really well and winning six or seven times a year. That person, that kid, would have said that they were appreciating what was going on, but I can tell you that I didn't. You know, recently, Stacy Lewis had 13 Top 10s in a row, and I didn't even know that at the time that I had 16 Top 10s in a row. And then someone asked me about it and I said, well, I didn't know I had 16 Top 10s in a row, and at the time I probably would have been pissed off that I didn't win more in that period. So I didn't care that I had had 16 Top 10s. And now, if I can string two or three together, I'm ecstatic and I'm on a roll. That's the things that you learn as you get older. Q. Victories, 19 years apart now from No. 1 to number 40. Does the fire still burn in you the same way as it did 19 years ago? And two, do you now see yourself as being in a position almost like Louise and some of those other players were where you're a role model for the younger players out here? KARRIE WEBB: First question, definitely the fire still burns. I think you can probably go and ask Ian Triggs right now if it still burns. I'm still just as hard on myself and still suspect the people around me to have the high standards that I set myself. I'm probably not the same as‑‑ I think I have a lot more perspective than I did from the first win and appreciate the good golf a lot more than I did. Then as far as comparing myself to Louise, I don't know if I'm quite there yet but I guess I tried to set an example just by how I conduct myself. I don't really feel like‑‑ I feel like when I first came on Tour, there was a group of senior players that would‑‑ if you stepped out of line, they would tell you that you stepped out of line, and I don't feel like I'm one of those people. I feel like if I just lead by example, hopefully people will notice. Q. Have you had a chance to play with Cheyenne Woods, competitively or a practice round? KARRIE WEBB: No, I haven't. Q. Have you seen her? KARRIE WEBB: I've seen her at tournaments and stuff but I haven't‑‑ I mean, it's a great win of hers at the Australian Masters at the beginning of the year, and probably a breakout thing for her, maybe gets her to the next step in her career. Q. Back when Mike Whan first proposed this tournament, it seemed like maybe a good idea but was it the wrong time? Because if you remember back, the Tour schedule had really shrunk to where there were just 23 events and limited opportunities, and then here is Mike asking players to play for free. I was just wondering back then, how bold and risky of an idea was it of Mike and what does it say about him? KARRIE WEBB: I think that was my first year on the board‑‑ yeah, probably was my first year on the board, and it was definitely‑‑ or it was my second‑‑ he talked about it during my first year on the board and then we started it. It was definitely bold and risky. I love the concept of what the Founders Cup was standing for but I, one, didn't know if a title sponsor would not want to have a purse, because, you know, that's a big thing at the end of a tournament that the champion holds up a big trophy and a big check. You know, I think if you look at where we were then and where we are now, it's hard to equate a value to it. But could have been the reason why we had such a quick turnaround and are now playing 32 or 33 events. It's a short time for the schedule to have grown as strongly as it has. I think one of those factors could be that for one event and one year, we played, again, like you said, at a time where he was asking us to play for no purse when opportunities were limited, especially in the United States; that, you know, people maybe took notice that we were prepared to do that in a time where, you know, maybe we shouldn't have been prepared to do that; and just the positive feedback that we have gotten from this event over the four‑‑ well, this is the fourth year; I think has helped us grow to where we are. Q. How important is it to come in this short time? KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think just touching on the same things that I spoke about, I think the importance of this event‑‑ the Junior girls golf program and now we have 30,000 already in March. So eventually, that's what's going to pay off from this event is that hopefully 20 or 30 or 40 of the girls out here are a part of that growth. Q. Coming off your 40th win, you joked a minute ago about being happy with three Top 10s now. Is that because your body is changing? Is your skill‑set eroding? Where are you in the spectrum? KARRIE WEBB: Well, without being too sarcastic, I'm No. 6 in the world, so I don't know if it's my skill‑set eroding. It's just harder to do than I thought back then, and I think youth has its place in the game of golf, and you see that every week. And ask those same girls, ten years from now, is the game different; do you play the game differently now than you did then. I think even though I was achieving the things I was achieving at a young age, now I know‑‑ at the time I thought I knew everything and that I knew what was going on and I knew how to play the game of golf, and I was playing that on pure talent and not a lot of understanding of what was going on. It's just a lot harder to do. I think when you play without fear or without knowing, you sometimes can achieve things that you don't achieve as easily when you get older. Q. How do you see the competition base these days compared to back when you were starting really on your run? KARRIE WEBB: I think the fields are certainly deeper. I think, you know‑‑ obviously we have 16 and 17‑year‑olds out here now. When I was a rookie on Tour, I was the youngest on Tour and I was 21. Now those girls have been on Tour for five years. And you're calling me a veteran at 28, 29, so those girls are going to be a veteran at 22, 23 now. The fields are certainly deeper. I think when I first came on Tour, you'd say 20 or 30 players had a realistic chance of winning every week. People outside of that group would win but that was the group and I think that's definitely expanded to 50 or 60 definitely. Again you still have the surprise winners ‑‑ and to me, it never surprises me because I feel anyone is capable of winning out here. That's why they have an LPGA Tour card. THE MODERATOR:  As you were talking about how you've seen the Tour evolve, with the state it is now, with the new Race to the CME Globe, 23 official events,32 total events, seeing the Tour elevate again, what does it mean for the LPGA Tour reach back to this level? KARRIE WEBB: Well, I can tell you that I didn't think that we would be back to this level so soon. I think it's definitely a credit to Mike Whan and his staff for the job that they have done. I have sat on the board during that whole time and I've seen the inner workings of what the job that Mike does and the motivation he gives to his staff. I think it's great that we are in this position. I don't see it necessary to be back to playing 38 and 39 events like we did‑‑ I think we even had 40 events when I first came on Tour. I think I don't see that necessary. I think we can build a strong schedule with a max of maybe one or two more events, but even if we stayed at 32 or 34, make those events stronger, make the purses higher, and you probably heard Mike say this, but get on network TV, those sort of things. That's going to grow our tour, not the number of events that we have, but making those events better. Q. After 40 wins and a Hall of Fame career, what's the best part about playing on the LPGA Tour to this day? KARRIE WEBB: Well, I get to do what I love and it's what I dreamed about doing as a little girl. I don't think that that ever is going to diminish. Sure, you can wake up one day and say you don't want to go and do that, because some days it is a grind. I love to compete, and I think the day that I don't play out here won't be because I don't have that love or desire to compete. It will just be that I've had enough of the grind on the range or on the putting green and trying to make an imperfect sport perfect, you know, make me perfect. So that will be when I retire. THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for coming in, best of luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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