U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 7, 2003

Kelly Robbins

RHONDA GLENN: Kelly Robbins gave it her best shot, and she was in the playoff in the U.S. women's Open. What does this do to your career, for it or against it?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I hope for it. I was just thrilled to be involved with the situation today. Like I said outside, if you would have told me last week that I would be in a playoff on Monday, I would have said, yeah, right, sure. It's just been a really nice week for me. I accomplished a lot this week in many different ways. I reached a few goals that I had for myself, so -- besides not actually winning, I was in a pretty good predicament today as far as win/win for me.

RHONDA GLENN: Kelly, do you like to normally play a little more aggressively than you were able to play, say on the closing holes of this golf course.

KELLY ROBBINS: Sure. You know, I was hitting 5-woods and 3-woods today, I think I only hit one driver. And it's just that kind of course. You just have to hit it in the fairway. And fortunately playing as firm as it did, I was able to hit those clubs and keep the ball in play and still have pretty decent mid-irons, short irons into the green. But as far as a demanding golf course, I'm glad I don't have to play it again.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the irons you had into No. 11 and No. 13, what club did you have and what went on with the shots?

KELLY ROBBINS: Into 11 I had about 119 yards, and I tried to grip a wedge. I thought -- I actually thought the breeze was coming at me a little bit, but the wind out there is so -- you can go down the hole and feel it from three or four different directions. I really should have gotten up-and-down for the most part, but I did hit the ball -- I hit a good shot in there, I hit it too far, obviously the greens, goes right over the back. Being too greedy, I don't know, because the next club down I didn't know if I could get it over the carry that I was trying to get it over, this and that, so that's what caused the decision there.

Into 13, I think I had -- like 129 or something, I don't even know for sure, on the front. And a little downwind, just trying to hit a wedge, and bounced it right into it. And obviously missed it left -- or excuse me, right. It wasn't that difficult of a bunker shot, I just had no sand -- it was hardpan where my feet were, and my ball had about 10 inches of sand underneath it. You don't know, you can only work -- you only know where your feet are. So I really needed to swing harder at that. And then not to get up-and-down was -- you can't make a double bogey at that point in time.

Q. Do you feel like after 13, that you were out of it or did you still you had a chance?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I actually did think I still had a chance, just seeing where the pin placements were. I thought they were very fair today. I knew that if I could, again, keep the ball in the fairway I would maybe have some short irons into the holes and possibly have some opportunities. And with what I did yesterday, and just how good I've been playing, I had snuck a few birdies in, and you never know what's going to happen in under these conditions. I can only do what I can do. But let me tell you, Angela and Hilary were very impressive and it was really two, two and a half good rounds of golf, we'll say.

Q. On the 18th, obviously you went for the green, on the No. 2 shot. And if you had made an eagle on 18, I think it might have been a different story. Your thoughts on that?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I had like 248 on the front or 260 to the hole or something like that, so I really had nothing to lose. I figured after they laid up and had decent shots into the green, that I probably, if not make it, would have had to make eagle. But the par-5, that's a perfect example of how good this golf course, how difficult this golf course is. You hit a pretty decent shot in there and catches the hill and rolls down to that collection area. Yes, of course I was thinking eagle, but I knew that might have been a long shot. And so --.

RHONDA GLENN: That was the best shot all week out of the collection area all week.

Q. It's been a while since you've been in this situation. What's this week, what's this experience do for your feelings about the future?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I have been feeling pretty good, I just haven't been able to put anything together. I went through a time a couple of years ago where I didn't want to play. Now this year I've been excited to play. It's been frustrating at times. To have a week like this and have it be at a U.S. Open where one week can change your life. And this is probably one of the biggest weeks that can do that for somebody, and Hilary will experience that. So as far as confidence, it sure can't hurt anything. I've got a few things I still need to work on that I saw this week, which is fine, but I did a lot of really good things, looking forward to hopefully -- I don't have a real tough schedule for the rest of the year, and I'm probably going to keep it that way -- tough as far as playing a lot, I mean. And so I'm probably going to keep it that way and see if I can fine tune a few things.

Q. Kelly, at the beginning of this week there was a lot of talk in the press about a bunch of teenagers and Annika Sorenstam. And at the end it was three players who at least to the general public weren't widely known, but three players who put on a really exciting playoff round. Is there any significance to that? Does that say anything about the LPGA?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I think there is a significance to that. Obviously we have a lot of really, really good players on the Tour. And any week someone can play like you saw this week on a very difficult golf course, and right now without -- if our courses will continue to get longer, I think you might see things spread out a little bit as far as being able to play, but with equipment these days and the courses staying the same length, it's allowing so many people to be able to play the game very well. It's just the way it is. And they have good short games. But you don't see anybody hitting 4-irons anymore or 5-irons, which is fine, but unless you change the courses now a little bit to adjust with the equipment I think we're going to see at any point in time the talent of the Tour has just risen because of what equipment has allowed -- the abilities of people to come out.

Q. Having been on this Tour for a while and played with Angela Stanford a little bit, what qualities did you see in her through this tournament that may allow her to become a real consistent, high level performer on this Tour for years to come?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I think not only this week, but Angela winning last week, you know, once you win, you get a little confidence, and the momentum is on your side. It can take you a long way. Angela is by far one of the top players, I think, coming up on Tour. I like how she's quiet about things. She goes about her business. She doesn't need a lot of attention, shall we say. She's just a very nice girl, carries herself very well. Seems very confident and not cocky. And I think she'll be a good example, and I'm glad to have her on the Tour.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Hilary's short game today and how impressed you were with that and her overall demeanor out there under this kind of pressure?

KELLY ROBBINS: Hilary was very impressive today. Like you said, her short game, it spoke for itself. She got up-and-down from places that -- hit the chip where she need to do and then would still make the 6 to 10-footer type of thing for her save. And that's what it takes. When things are off a little bit, those are the things that you need to have happen to stay in contention, to get to contention, to win. And Hilary did it all today.

Q. Just wondering back on her short game, it looked like you had a chance to be tied on 10, when she was coming out of the bunker. If you reached a point where you just expected her to make that, and even toward the end when you're kind of out of it, for someone being in this position for the first time, if you're wondering if they were ever going to break down?

KELLY ROBBINS: If she was ever going to, I would never have known. Getting up-and-down out of 10, just the putt -- she rolled one by on 11, and then made the come back. And I think that was Hilary, wasn't it? She rolled it by on 11 and made the comeback. Again, those are the things for not having the experience to be under the pressure at an event like this, she was into her game and she knew what she needed to do. And she did what we all hope to do, pull it off when we need to.

Q. You kind of touched on it, but you think this course kind of negated some of the length advantage you may have had because you have to be so precise off the tees, and you didn't feel like you could free wheel?

KELLY ROBBINS: As far as this playing so firm?

Q. Yes.

KELLY ROBBINS: You know, it's kind of a double-edged sword a little bit. If we come out here and if it's rained a lot and the greens are soft, someone who obviously hits the ball farther is able to get it out there farther and able to stop it on the greens, and the pin placements that we have. This is probably as difficult for me as it can play, just because I have to make sure that I hit it -- people -- I played with so many people that had no decisions to make this week. They just hit driver, which is great. But on every tee, I'm 3-wood, 5-wood, well, how are you going to hit it, hit it low, hit it high, cut it a little bit, which is -- I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it does make the course that much more difficult. You see the undulations out there on the greens. Okay, now you're in the fairway, can you stop it, do you have to hit it up on this mound, that type of thing. Playing the way it does, yes, does take away from -- someone who hits it far has no advantage.

RHONDA GLENN: Kelly, you said you hit driver only once today, which hole was that.

KELLY ROBBINS: I poked it left on 3 -- 4.

Q. Were you surprised how long Angela was today to kind of almost go for the ball -- seemed like the balls were together in the fairway a lot?

KELLY ROBBINS: Well, I was hitting 5-wood or 3-wood. So -- but Angela hits it very well, don't get me wrong. And it depends what it hits in the fairway, what type of bounce you get and that type of thing. So I think this would not be a good week to compare how far people hit it by any means at all. And I do know that Angela -- I knew is a very good ball striker. And I knew today -- she missed a couple, she knew it, and got some good bounces, and that's just the way it is. But Angela is a good, strong player.

RHONDA GLENN: Were you a Public Links player, did you play in Women's Amateur Public Links.

KELLY ROBBINS: No.

RHONDA GLENN: I know the other two were.

What a great week for you, congratulations, we hope this is momentum for the weeks to come.

KELLY ROBBINS: Thank you.

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