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KIA CLASSICMarch 28, 2014Dori CarterCARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA Q. So Dori, you had a lot of time since Australia. Do you feel like that helped you coming into this tournament? DORI CARTER: Yes. I also played in some other events, some of the Symetra Tour events, which I think helped. I mean I always play better when I'm playing constantly, and in the time since Australia it's been fine. I've had time to work on a few things, but I think being able to play no matter what tour it is, I've been able to play in three Symetra events since Australia. So I'm still playing. I still feel fresh. Q. And what are a couple of the things that you were working on during that time? DORI CARTER: To be honest, I was working a little bit on my tempo with my driver, a couple of putting foundation stuff. Nothing really mechanical, but just trying to stick on what I've been working on all off season and kind of checklist, check base with everything, but mainly off the tee. I've been working a lot off the tee. My wedge game has improved I think in the last month or two. My putting's always been my issue, and today obviously putting was fine. So that's a big confidence boost for me, especially in the putting, because that's where I want to improve the most on. Q. Can you go through your birdies and bogeys for us? I know it was a lot, but it's a fun one to go through. DORI CARTER: Yeah. It's good to think about it now. At the time you're just kind of like what's going on. Q. You're not thinking about it. You're just thinking about the next shot, obviously? DORI CARTER: Yeah. That's how you have to play this game. I mean everybody says it, and it's the truth and it's easier said than done. I'm trying to think the first hole. I don't even know. Q. Well, we'll go through them. I'll give them to you. So 3. DORI CARTER: Oh, I made a bomb on that one. That was cool. Yeah, made a long one. Q. How far? It's a par‑3. DORI CARTER: I was at the front of the green. It was probably 35, 40 feet. But that was fun. I made that one. Q. 4. DORI CARTER: 4. Yeah. That was another one. My caddie put me in a great position. I was below the hole. I was below the hole all day, and that's where you can play a little aggressive or you can actually see the ball rolling in and downhill putts you have to be a little more tentative, but I was below the hole. I had a great 15‑footer up the hill. Q. Okay. 5. DORI CARTER: I hit it to about two feet. That helped. Made that one. Q. What iron? DORI CARTER: I hit my 52‑degree wedge. It was a par‑5. I had a short distance going in. Q. 6 you bogeyed. DORI CARTER: 6 I three‑putted. I was on the high side of the hole. Q. Okay. 7. DORI CARTER: Yep. I was below the hole, pin high left, another 12‑footer, kind of up the hill a little bit. Great position. I mean I was in a good spot, so I was able to kind of let it fall. Q. Okay. 9? DORI CARTER: 9, I hit it to about a foot. That was cool. I played with the Marines in the pro am, and that's like the Marine hole where they put the flag in. So that was fun. Q. Yeah. What did you hit into that? DORI CARTER: Hit a little 8‑iron. It was into the wind, but I had a good number, and I hit the number, and I mean one of those days. Q. What was your number? DORI CARTER: I think I had 132. A little into the wind. So it was just a soft 8‑iron for me. Q. That was 9; right? 10? DORI CARTER: 10, gosh. That was fun. 10, 11, 12, I think was the stretch. Q. 10, 11, 12, 13. DORI CARTER: 13. 10, I was in a good spot, par‑5, about just under 20 feet probably, just left below the hole, another putt I could just kind of go with and had a good read, and this is when everything starts feeling blurred, this moment. And I'm relaxed. You'd think you kind of start getting tense after the front nine, but I just had this nice calmness over me today. 11, same way, below the hole, hit a perfect iron shot for me. It was the right number for me. Had probably 11 feet up the hill. 13 I hit it to about five feet and right, which is putting up the hill. Q. 12? DORI CARTER: Or excuse me. That was 12. 13 I was below the hole, had a little bit longer‑‑ 12 was about a five‑footer. 13 was about 20 feet or so. Q. 14, you broke the streak with a par. DORI CARTER: 14 I had a par. Q. Did you have a birdie putt? DORI CARTER: I did have a birdie putt. I was below the hole there, played a little too high. Missed it on the high side. Q. 15? DORI CARTER: 15 I made this great‑‑ 15 was kind of a fluke, I guess. I had this‑‑ the pin was sitting on this little knob on the front left of the Green, and I hit it in the rough and I had to kind of roll it up to the front, and I got my putter, my caddie and I just said, why don't you just putt it. And I was probably a good 15 yards‑‑ no, probably like 10 yards short of the Green and rolled it all the way in. It bent in the hole. Q. With your putter? DORI CARTER: That was like I can't believe this. Yeah, with my putter. So it was like the longest fringe putt I think I've ever had. And that one went in and that's when I was kind of like, oh, gosh. Today was just one of those days. And the girls in our group were great. They were cheering me on, pretty supportive, too. Q. That was 16; right? DORI CARTER: That was 15. Q. 15. 16? DORI CARTER: 16 is a short par‑4. I hit it to about five feet, again, below the hole. No‑brainer putt. Q. So you mentioned a little bit, the Golf Channel thing, did you kind of‑‑ like now‑‑ when you come to the end of a round like this is when you kind of start thinking about a score maybe. What were you thinking at that point? DORI CARTER: Actually, no, because you kind of think about‑‑ all these thoughts have been coming in my head. You can't stop them sometimes. You just have these thoughts coming in your head well before the 17th tee box or 17th hole. And for some reason today I was able to control them a little bit and block them out of the way. 17, I just‑‑ I didn't have a good lie. I didn't have a good shot. I didn't keep the ball in the fairway, and that's penalizing here. But I saw the scoreboard on 17 and realized that, you know, I kind of thought people today would go pretty low. I mean I thought I was playing well, but I'm sure you'll be interviewing someone this afternoon. I just kind of had that feeling. And then I saw the scoreboard and thought, you know, I'm actually doing better than I thought, you know. And I was like, uh, um. Okay. And actually, 17 was just‑‑ I should have made a par there. There's no doubt. That's par‑5. I should have made a par. 18 is a tough hole. Q. Yeah. You got a little quick with it, the tee shot? DORI CARTER: The tee shot was a little quick. A little‑‑ yeah, it was quick pretty much, but I gave myself a putt for par and that's all I could really do at that point. And two‑putted, bogey. I'm not even going to sweat that the rest of the day. It's just kind of like I'm just so happy right now just to be here in this spot. Q. So 67 is your LPGA low, and you said this is your lifetime low? DORI CARTER: I think I shot 65 in college a few times, you know, and out with friends and stuff. But 64 is the lowest tournament round. Q. I know we haven't given you much time even for it to sink in, but what were you‑‑ or what are you feeling inside, because you're pretty calm about it obviously. DORI CARTER: I don't know. I mean I feel okay. I mean I got this afternoon off. Actually I'm going to go over to Camp Pendleton and do a clinic. So that'll be nice to kind of take my mind off of it. But you know, no matter what happens this weekend, I can't believe I'm here. This is my first time. I mean I'm not‑‑ you know, this is an experience for me. It's kind of like I can't lose. I just have to just take it for what it is and hope that I'm here talking to you a little more often kind of thing. But I'm not‑‑ I have no reason to be uptight or anything because this is my first time. I'm okay with that. I'm okay with feeling like no matter what happens, obviously I want to win. I want to lead the tournament after tomorrow and Sunday, but I can't‑‑ it can't be a bad thing for me. Q. And why do you think that this came now? Do you have any inkling as to why you would have a day like this right now? Is it what you've been building to? You know, I mean your scores don't really‑‑ I mean you've done okay, but you haven't‑‑ it's not like you've been low over the last few weeks. DORI CARTER: I've been in position to be. This is the first time the putts have all fallen. Q. It's an incredible amount of 12‑, 15‑footers, 20‑footers from off the Green. I mean just one of those days; right? DORI CARTER: Yeah. It's one of those days. THE MODERATOR: I just got a text that it's the course record that you shot today. Men was 65. Women was 66. So can't take that away from you. DORI CARTER: That's another bonus. That's pretty cool. But back to your question, that's just, you know, today just fell, you know, and I've played okay. I wouldn't say I've changed anything. I think it's just kind of been a long time coming like waiting for these putts to drop. I've had good‑‑ I hit a lot of greens on average I hit a pretty good amount of greens and I'm in position to make the putts. Some days they just don't fall. Q. Who do you call now? Who are the first people on the list? DORI CARTER: My mom and dad. Mom and dad. Coaches. I have a great swing coach, Gale Peterson. This is our twelfth year. Got my first lesson from her when I was 15. Q. I saw that. She's at Sea Island now? DORI CARTER: She's at Sea Island. She'll be one. My sports psychologist is in Birmingham, Dr.Bhrett McCabe. He is incredible. Spoke to him this morning. Q. You did? DORI CARTER: Yeah. Q. What did you say? DORI CARTER: Just text mess aged, just kind of‑‑ actually he sent me one just wishing me good luck, and we talked yesterday morning. I was a little uptight yesterday before I teed off and he kind of keeps me calm. And he and Gale, we all set up this strategy for this year of just it's a test kind of to stick with it. And I have so far, and today it paid off really well. And so it just proves that it works. Q. What's the strategy? DORI CARTER: Well, it's just kind of a thought process of trying to get into position, you know, every round, no matter how many‑‑ no matter where you are, where you stand, if you're 8‑under, if you're 2‑under, if you're eight over, like to try to get yourself in position a third of the time, you know, or half the time. You know, inside 20 feet. And trying to get in within five shots of the lead on the weekend, you know, 30, 40 percent of the tournaments. It's just like a big‑picture thing, and it's helped me not put so much pressure on myself for one round or one tournament. Q. Almost like a baby steps type thing where you're just focused on something so specific that you're not worried about necessarily the big picture? DORI CARTER: Yeah, little goals that lead to the big goal kind of thing. But yeah, it's just what works for me out here. And it probably wouldn't work for everybody, but it works for me so far and it's kept me kind of just in my own process, not what's happening around me. Q. Your scores haven't been great here or they weren't‑‑ you missed the cut last year. So did you have any ‑‑ about the course itself, did you have any strong feelings one way or another about what you might do out here? DORI CARTER: It's a difficult golf course. It's not like what I'm used to, to be honest. I'm from Georgia. I mean this is different turf. Q. Yeah. You probably don't putt poa annua very much? DORI CARTER: No, not very often. And you know, I don't have a lot of great‑‑ a great record on this type of golf course or this type of grass, but you know, doesn't matter anymore. I mean it's kind of like I came here to do something, and whatever the conditions are, that's what everybody else has to deal with, too, and I just have to adjust and try my best and go from there. I mean another goal, I'm trying to get into the Kraft next week. I'm not into the Kraft yet. So this is a great event and it's a stepping stone also. I mean I've gotta kind of think, you know, that's a goal of mine. Q. Have you played in a major? DORI CARTER: Yes. Played in a major. Never played in Kraft, though. But played in majors before. Q. What is your parents' names? DORI CARTER: Len and Melissa, L‑E‑N. Q. L‑E‑N. Are they still in Valdosta? DORI CARTER: They're in Georgia. Yeah, in Valdosta. Probably going nuts. Q. Sitting in front of the computer; right? DORI CARTER: Uh‑huh. They're probably not sure the score's right. They're probably texting me asking if the volunteers got it right or something, but my parents are so great. They have always been supportive of everything I've done, and so this is a great day for them, too. It's been a long time kind of coming. So it's great. It'll be fun. Q. Before the round, second group off, were you thinking with the smooth greens, maybe the quicker pace of play, were you thinking the course was going to be very gettable today? Did you have that mindset going in or was it just like that first putt you hit a bomb on 3 you said? DORI CARTER: Yeah. That was fun. You know, yes. The greens are always a little bit better shape being the second group out, at least for the front nine and then we make the turn the entire morning where the other half has played. But yesterday afternoon I think the spike marks started to get a little bit, you know, bigger. But that's just poa annua for sure, and that's typical for this golf course and playing late in the day. But yeah, this morning the front nine especially was nice. You could kind of see more of the read and not be distracted by those spike marks. Q. You mentioned your caddie. Is he fairly new to you? DORI CARTER: No. He caddied for me from the end of last year, for about four or five tournaments last year. This is our first LPGA event together, but he's my full‑time caddie. Q. What did you play between Australia? DORI CARTER: Played the first three Symetra Tour events, to fill in my schedule. Q. Because you have ‑‑ what's your status out here as far as how many tournaments? DORI CARTER: I'm category 16, which I get in all the full‑field events, 144. I didn't get into last week. That was a setback a little bit, because I normally would get into Phoenix, but they limit that to 132 because of the daylight, I think. So I was like third or fourth alternate for that event. So I flew from Phoenix. I did the Monday, flew from Phoenix to Florida, played in a Symetra event last week and I flew back here. Q. How did you do in that event? DORI CARTER: That's my life. Q. How did you do in that? DORI CARTER: I finished tied for 24th, but that was, you know, I'm a person that needs to play a lot, and I think that probably is why I played okay today, I played well today is just being able to constantly play instead of taking the week and practicing all week, you know. And flying cross‑country is nothing anymore. You just get on the plane. Q. When did you get here? DORI CARTER: Monday around noon. I got up real early Monday, flew from Florida, and with the time change, you know, you gain so much time coming out here. Q. Do you own a course record anywhere else besides now at Aviara? DORI CARTER: Not to my knowledge. Not to my knowledge. Q. This is a pretty cool course to do what you've done on it; right, because this is not an easy golf course. Wind conditions, poa annua, all that. I mean this is a neat place to do what you just did, don't you think? DORI CARTER: Yeah. I mean it's a great place. Any course record is great, but I mean, yeah, the course, this place is great. This is a good venue for us and for our tour and the whole setup is nice. And the golf course definitely is a tournament golf course that we're playing. You know, you gotta hit some really good shots, so I'm just glad that I was able to do that today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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