KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 27, 2002

Karrie Webb

LAURA NEAL: Okay. All right Karrie, thanks for coming in. I know it was a long day out there. Maybe just tell us how the course is playing and talk about being back here at Mission Hills.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, it's always good to be back at Mission Hills. Monday morning when I went out and played my practice round, you know, you just get on to the first tee, and even on Monday, there's already an atmosphere out here. I just love this golf course. It's probably my favorite course that we play every year on the LPGA schedule. The course is in great shape, as usual. The rough is probably not as long as we have seen it in the last couple of year, but it's already grown a little bit since -- since Monday. And in places, it's still hard to hit shots to the green, but there are more chances that you'll get some decent lies in the rough and be able to move it towards the green.

But the greens are probably a little firmer than they have been in the past, too. I think a lot of us are finding it hard to find our pitch marks on the green. So normally, that really has not been a problem last couple of years. Until Sunday afternoon, normally the greens are starting to get a little crusty, but they are already to that stage now.

I think it is still going to be a great test. I think the wind is going to get up for us over the weekend and that always plays a little havoc out here on the course. So I'm looking forward to it. I think my game is shaping up pretty well. I feel pretty good about things, and hopefully everything will click once I get on the first tee tomorrow.

Q. You've won here before, and by 10 shots, what is it about the course that fits your game?

KARRIE WEBB: I think I tend to drive the ball pretty well. I don't hit as many fairways as some people, but I think, you know, I hit my fair share. And I'd have to say, I was above average in distance off the tee. So for the most part, the week that I won by ten shots, I probably didn't miss too many fairways, so I didn't have to hit out of the rough too much.

Once you're on the fairway, I think it's still a bit of a ball-striker's course. There's a few places that you can sneak some pins into some of the corners and pockets of the greens. You know, you'd better be able to hit some golf shots and get back in there and hit it in there and get it to stop, as well.

I think it takes a complete game to get around here, too. Like I said, most years the wind does get up here, and you have to play -- you have to be able to play shots when there's no wind, and you add the wind to that and that's just makes that task a little bit more difficult.

Q. You were obviously successful preparing for majors last year. I was just wondering, through the years, have you learned some things about betting ready for majors that could either help you this week or help you in general?

KARRIE WEBB: I think I've learned not to panic too early in the week -- even the leader. Just try and be relaxed and take the time you need. These weeks, you pretty much, you play golf, eat and you sleep. There's not much else you do. You try and have a good meal at night as quickly as you can and get to bed as early as you can, because you've normally been at the course for eight to ten hours. That's no different this week. So you try and get your game into shape and get plenty of rest. Then.

Early on in the tournament is where I've learned a lot, and that's not to be too impatient early, even if on the day, say tomorrow someone goes out and shoots 6- or 7-under, which would be a tremendous score, that sort of pace might be kept up all week. So not to get too impatient with yourself if you shoot even or 1-under if someone shot a score like that. You've got all four rounds. As long as you keep yourself in contention in the first couple of days, the weekend is where it all happens. That's what I've learned is early on in my career -- well, I think it's still early on in my career -- but the first couple of years, I think I played my way out of majors by Friday afternoon; whereas, if I'd been more patient I would have had more of a shot on the weekend.

Q. When you talk about eating as quickly as you can and going to bed, does that apply sort of every tournament, Thursday till Sunday?

KARRIE WEBB: No. You mean -- I meant just majors normally. I couldn't quite understand your question.

Q. Wondered if that was the pattern every week, you just felt "I've got to get to bed early"?

KARRIE WEBB: Every week, depending -- you mean every tournament that we play?

Q. Yes.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think these weeks are more training. I don't think that on other tournament weeks you are out at the course as long. The courses are not as mentally draining, either. So I just feel by the end of every day during a major, that I'm pretty tired. I don't really feel like spending a couple of hours eating dinner at a restaurant. I'd like to try and do it as quickly as I can.

I think the problem -- what I'm talking about is that normally by the weekend, you've always got to wait half an hour or something to get a table at a restaurant and stuff like that. You just try and find a place where you can eat reasonably quickly and get to bed and get a good night's sleep.

Q. Ty was in earlier giving the State of the Tour, and one of the things he talked about was players who are in the Top-90, like yourself, playing in every tournament once in a four-year period. Is that a reasonable thing to ask, and particularly given that -- particularly foreign players who play or have commitments to other events might have more conflicts than, say, Americans?

KARRIE WEBB: I think when you talk about foreign players, you're talking about mostly European Tour members or someone -- even maybe some of the Asian girls that play on the Japanese Tour or down in Korea or somewhere like that. I think it is reasonable to ask.

Honestly, when I first heard of the idea, I didn't think it was a great idea because I was being asked to play on courses that I didn't particularly like to play. But, since I've had time to think about it, I think it is only fair that the tournaments -- that all tournaments get to see all the top players at least once every four years, because they are supporting the Tour. I mean, every tournament is supporting the Tour, just as equally as one another, and it's only fair that they get to see the top players once every four years.

Q. You probably talked about this in Tucson, but I wasn't in Tucson. Now that you've had a week or ten days or however long post-Summit, what do you walk away with from that, that makes really good sense to you, now that you've had time to think about it?

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think a lot that was talked about made a lot of sense. I think the "fan-friendly" idea is definitely -- you know, just things that we talked about that go along to make us more fan-friendly. I think some of them, I wondered, who doesn't do that? You know, some are very simple, but some of them were eye-openers and made you think a little bit and made you think, "Well, it's not that hard to do that."

I think it made everyone a little bit more conscious of what we do; and that, yes, Sundays is a grind and it's going to be hard to meet and greet every fan with a smile. But for the most part of the year, you should be able to be very thankful of the people that support the LPGA.

The second thing that I really -- I probably learned the most was just the different aspects of the Tour. We broke down into sessions, and I learned about different things that go on in running the LPGA, which most of us really, unless you're on the executive committee, never have a chance to really find out what actually goes on behind the scenes.

LAURA NEAL: Thanks, Karrie.

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