NEW ALBANY GOLF CLASSIC

September 28, 2000

Susie Redman

SUSIE REDMAN: On No. 5, I birdied and I hit 8-iron, and I had -- I had probably about 18 feet and that was a good putt. Then I went to No. 6 and I hit driver, 3-wood and had probably about 21 feet and I knocked it in for eagle. It was just off the green. So that got me started. And then No. 9, I hit a good shot. I hit it up there -- I hit 6-iron and had probably about five feet and knocked that one in. On 14, I hit 8-iron. I had probably about -- probably about 15 to 18 feet and made that one, just barely. It just hit the back right door. Then on 15, I hit 6-iron in and I probably had 18, 20 feet. I made that one. And then 17, I 3-putted. And 18, I hit a really good shot and made par.

SUSIE REDMAN: Yeah, I just picked it up. I didn't really struggle on my putting. I don't know what I am in stats, but it's not very good, I can guarantee you. It's got to be over 100 on the stats. But really struggled on -- yeah, I think it was Wednesday -- maybe it was Tuesday afternoon, but I just went over to the bag and said, "Okay, I'll just try this one." And I just decided it just looked good. It's just an Odyssey. I've been putting with an Odyssey, just a mallet. And I've been having a lot of putts that I've been stroking it well, but it didn't seem like I was making any and I went to this TriForce III, (phonetic) I think it is; more of a blade look. So it was a good switch. But that's kind of like me; I seem to switch. I think I've switched tons of putters this year, but this was a good switch. It was kind of cold this morning when we got started. I made, like on 1 and 2 -- oh, I made two really good saves on 1 and 2. And so it was colder this morning, and, you know, the ball was just hitting and sticking. So, you know, I was just kind of hoping -- I did. I just stayed real patient and kind of waited until it got a little bit warmer and the wind kind of picked up, and I was happy it was a little bit warmer and the wind didn't seem to bother me because it seemed like we've been playing in a lot of windy conditions, really the last several weeks.

SUSIE REDMAN: Yeah, well, this is kind of a -- this is like my 15th year on TOUR. I've been playing forever. We're having the big Tournament of Champions in my hometown. So I don't know . Hopefully, I'll keep doing what I'm doing, and, you know, that would be like a dream come true, because I could go, "Okay, mom, I'll be up here." That is my hometown. I'll be playing in both the Pro-Ams there on Monday and Wednesday. And I told them that, boy, I'd sure like to play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They asked me to do the dinner on Tuesday night. So I'm going to be there Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It would be nice if I could just kind of finish off the week. I guess that's about it. Just try and do what I do every day: Get up, have breakfast, iron my clothes, come out and warm up and hopefully it will be a good day and make some putts. But that was my key today. When I got started, I think I told several of the people that came out to watch me play, I feel pretty good. I'd just like to see that ball roll in the cup.

SUSIE REDMAN: It did. It was just off the fringe. Like I said it was probably about 21 feet, up the little hill. I knew it was right-to-left. Actually I played more break than I thought, and I actually thought I missed it on the high side and just kept turning more than I thought. So, it really got my started, because that jumped me to 3-under, and I think kind of that's golf, isn't it? I've noticed in some of my rounds that momentum seems to be the difference of kind of settling in and just staying a little bit more calmer and a little more focused, and so that kind of helped build a little momentum; and then 9. So it was a good start. Felt really good when I got to that par 5. You said that you saw it and it almost went in for eagle. And I just missed that putt, I thought, well, I could go to 7-under there. I mean, it could have gone either way. But I thought overall -- I hit 13 greens, and that's been kind of standard for me lately. Pretty average. I think out here, the wind was swirling a few times. And you'll see a lot of players who will take a club and maybe doubt themselves at the last minute because the wind just turned. Into the wind on 17 off that drive, it was dead in. And I had 138 to the flag, and I figured it was going to play 150, so I tried knocking down a 6-iron. And I knocked it down, but the wind took it a little bit and I probably had -- that was really -- I had about 30 feet just pin-high left. But that's when it got tough because we haven't really had that kind of wind. It's been kind of swirly, but that's been dead on. If it keeps up today like it is, I think it's really going to play hard, just because of -- the holes going into the wind, there's some really good tough par 4s out here, and I think the last thing you want is 190 into them or 180. You want to be able to not work so hard on them.

SUSIE REDMAN: Yes. I went to high school there and grew up there.

SUSIE REDMAN: Well, actually my dad was race raised in Salem and so was my mother. I actually never lived in Ohio. I was raised in Mobile.

SUSIE REDMAN: I was. Born in Salem. But both my parents are from Ohio and I was raised in Mobile. I have three children that we live across the bay.

SUSIE REDMAN: I actually had a very good amateur career and junior career. I'm glad that I did what I did now, because I think that at the time, you know, it's very demanding and challenging now for an 18 -, 19- or 20-year-old. But I think because of all of the Junior tournaments and whatever -- well, I had a lot of junior tournaments. I think the mindset is a little bit different. More television. They are just coming out mentally stronger or tougher. I came -- the day I came out here, Pat Bradley, JoAnne Carner, Nancy Lopez, Kathy Whitworth, all of the legends were playing, and they were playing great. You know, I had this fear. I mean, this is legendary to me, and I remember that if they got on the tee and I was on the tee: "Just go ahead and play through." I had a lot of respect, and so, you know, I think in that respect, you know, I had to, you know, it's taken me a longer time to grow up -- everybody grows up at a different pace, but do you understand, I was 18 and I was an 18-year-old. And I think a lot of these 18-year-olds now -- I mean, looking at the 14-year-olds now, looking at their manners and confidence and the way they handle themselves, they surpass me when I was 18 because they really have the ability to trust themselves. Just different mindsets.

SUSIE REDMAN: I don't think so. Because I always looked at: I was never going to choose between motherhood and playing professional golf. I say that I'm already a winner. I can do both. And I think that shows a lot of -- it's a wonderful game and a wonderful sport that, you know, a woman can not have to choose one career or the other. And that's evident in Juli Inkster and Nancy Lopez being winners and raising a family. So I think that's pretty great in itself for a woman, in my standpoint and my feeling. No, you know, I don't know, I've gained 30 pounds sometimes; and being pregnant your balance isn't -- but I never look at it that way, no. I always think that I'm winning already. I mean, my last son had cancer. To me, I think -- and Garrett (phonetic) will tell you, I kind of have this renewed sense of happiness in terms of being very fortunate and very lucky to be completing and playing. And he's doing great. He's going to be six. He's wonderful.

SUSIE REDMAN: He was four months old. He had neuroblastoma.

SUSIE REDMAN: I did. Right after that. That year I played and don't know of that for sure, but I finished second in the Dinah Shore and then was just a couple weeks -- I think I made like 10 out of 13 cuts and was up to 128,000 after 10 tournaments. And once they discovered cancer, I had to quit to take care of him. I felt like that year I was just on the brink of feeling like I was ready, maybe. It's hard to say, but that's by far the best start I had ever had in my career at that point.

SUSIE REDMAN: And that's a big thing. Garrett said that like now, like this whole year, I carry a St. Jude's Children Research Hospital bag, and I do it out of my heart, just because they saved my son's life. It's really a wonderful story. I think that playing in all of the LPGA tournaments I do, I have a lot of people -- I recently just had my caddy say that his daughter went to St. Jude. I get a lot of people that come up to me saying that they have friend or family that have gone to St. Jude. When you ask me that question, do I think I'd win, I do think that having children and my experience with St. Jude, I really did -- I've been able to share my testimony with a lot of families or people that I don't know, and to me, that seems more important, I mean for me, until I can win. That's just very positive and doing what I'm doing and so -- I mean, winning would be like icing on the cake.

SUSIE REDMAN: It's hard to say. Garrett followed me through the years, and we just, you know, we keep going forward. I don't know, destiny, gee, we have three more days, and believe me, I've been out here long enough to know how difficult 54 more holes are. But, you know, I'll dream about it. That's all I can do.

SUSIE REDMAN: No. They are in school. But they will be watching Golf Channel.

SUSIE REDMAN: We'll see.