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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 1, 2004

Hilary Lunke

SOUTH HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

RHONDA GLENN: What a comeback that was. You started out with 4 over in the first four holes, bogey, double, par, bogey. And then you made five birdies coming in. What got you going there.

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, I was a little nervous at the very beginning of the round, especially the first tee shot, but I got that one off without a hitch. I just made a couple of bad swings. I got a really bad shot into number 2, probably my worse iron shot of the day. But got in a bad lie where I couldn't stand in the bunker and made a double. I kind of righted the ship on the next hole and knocked in a pretty good sized par-putt about 8 feet or so. And actually almost got the ball up-and-down on 4. I just misread about a 4 foot putt, but felt like I played that hole fairly solidly. After that I just tried to stay patient. I know the Open is just a really, really long tournament. You have to stay patient and there's going to be bogeys and doubles out there. I felt like mine came early and my birdies are yet to come. I just got that putter rolling on the back 9, hit a couple of good shots and was able to knock in some 15 and 18 footers, which was very nice.

RHONDA GLENN: Let's talk about those five birdies. Would you mind tell us what club you hit into the green, starting on No. 9 and how long the putts were.

HILARY LUNKE: I had about 95 yards on No. 9. I hit a wedge to about I suppose about 8 feet and knocked that in. And then on 10 I hit a 5-iron up to about five feet and made it. On 13 I actually was just kind of pitching to the green, and I thought I hit a good pitch shot and rolled over the back edge. So I was actually just off the green. It was probably about a 20-footer and made that one from the fringe. And the next hole I kind of actually hit a little bit thin of an iron shot and it bounced up there for me to 12 feet and knocked that in. And then 17 I hit a 5-iron to about 18 feet.

RHONDA GLENN: How do you think your game, just today, compares to last year?

HILARY LUNKE: I think it was very similar. I didn't feel like I was striking the ball perfectly today. I wasn't hitting my driver -- I was hitting my driver very straight, but not quite as solid as I was in the practice round, I had more yardage than in the practice rounds. But I was able to just again my misses were very straight. I missed them in the right spot. When I missed the green, for the most part other than No. 2 I was in a spot where I felt like I had a good chance of getting up-and-down. And again got that putter rolling. I didn't feel quite as good as I did last year. Last year I felt like I basically almost couldn't miss. But I definitely missed a few out there, but very happy with the round.

Q. How much of a struggle is it not to be negative after the fourth hole. And what was the first thing that you saw that made you start feeling positively?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, just a lot of self talk out there saying, "Patient, stay patient, stay patient, it's just golf, just you can right this ship here, you know you've been playing well, you've been making good swings." I felt fantastic on the range this morning. I knew it was nerves that got me the first couple of holes. And like I said I was just in a bad spot on No. 2. I didn't feel like I was choking or anything like that. So just talking to myself and Tylar just said, "You can do it, trust it, you can make a few birdies out here and get the job done." It was definitely a struggle but I was able to talk myself back into it.

Q. Is it a different kind of nerves than you felt before?

HILARY LUNKE: No, not really. It was very similar towards the very end of the tournament last year, just a shakiness. Especially on the first tee, putting the tee in the ground, I could feel my hands shaking. When that happens you just kind of have to go into automatic and let your body go. And I think what happens for me and sometimes I revert back to my old swing habits a little bit and maybe get a little bit sloppy with my swing. But that's the only way you can really execute the shot otherwise.

Q. What did it feel like to have that pairing back together?

HILARY LUNKE: It felt good. Again, I think that might have contributed actually to the nerves in the beginning, because it felt like we were going back into the playoff. It was kind of high stress situation the first couple of holes. But like I said, after I relaxed after the first couple of holes it was great. And I definitely enjoy playing with both of them.

RHONDA GLENN: What kind of reception did you get on the first tee when you were nervous, from the gallery.

HILARY LUNKE: I got a great reception, considering it was so early. I was surprised there was anybody out there. But a very warm reception. I've been introduced at every tournament the last year as the U.S. Open champion, but it never felt the same as it did coming back to the tournament, itself, and being introduced as the defending champion from last year, definitely got my nerves going.

Q. When was the last time you made putts like that? It's been a while, right?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, you know I, actually last week in Rochester, even though I missed the cut, I had been putting with a different putter, actually, as a side note, and I switched back to this putter the second round in Rochester. And even though I shot 75 and still missed the cut I felt like I was really rolling the ball well and just finally got comfortable again on my putts, with the pace of my putts and the rhythm of my stroke. And so I was holing out a few in Rochester, I was still missing a few, kind of like today. So it feels good to be back with the old putter.

Q. When did you last use it before last week?

HILARY LUNKE: I think I stopped using it in Portland, the Portland event last year. I think I played with it in a matchplay event I played in over in Spain -- basically -- I wasn't putting -- for the most part we don't play as fast of greens as at the U.S. Open, and so this is a very light putter, and when I would get on slow, bumpy greens -- it came to head at the British Open -- I couldn't get the ball to the hole. And my putts were bouncing everywhere and I was having all kinds of 3-putts. I felt like I needed a heavier putter. So Ping kind of fashioned me a new putter that looked exactly like mine that was heavier with the newer technology. I putted with that throughout the end of last year, off-season and the beginning of this year. And about six weeks ago I switched to another putter that Craz-E putter, which I definitely was not putting poorly at all, I felt like I was rolling it well. But again had a poor putting round that first day in Rochester, I saw Retief Goosen switch back to his putter and win the Open, I thought maybe that was a sign. I had been teetering back and forth about whether I should switch or not and was glad I did.

Q. Was the one you used today the one you used last year at the Open?

HILARY LUNKE: Yes, it was.

Q. Talk about how the course played today, do you feel the conditions are going to stay the same?

HILARY LUNKE: I think so. I think if we don't get any rain, we'll see it firm up. The course played much more U.S. Open-like today, I thought, than it did in the practice rounds. There was definitely some spots where it was firming up. There were some greens where you hit and it was rock hard, where you went right over, where you were right in your pitch mark on the practice rounds. That took some adjusting to. I much prefer it playing hard and fast. So the less rain we get and the more wind we get and the faster it plays the more I enjoy playing in those conditions. So 16 fairway is still really soft. So hopefully that one will firm up. But the course is playing very well and the greens rolled pretty true, as well.

Q. How did 16 play for you today? What did you hit today?

HILARY LUNKE: I hit driver. I didn't kill it, but I hit it decent, and basically it just hopped right out of my pitch mark and I had 220 some yards to the front of the green. So I hit a 5-iron trying to layup to about 75 yards and hit a cement spot, one of the really firm spots and almost went to the water, and just pitched on the green with an L-wedge and 2-putted for what I like to call a "par".

Q. Did you look at the score board at 16, when your name went back up on it?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, I was watching the score board all day, just seeing what everybody was doing out there. Yeah, I didn't know if they just had my name up more as a notable or if I was actually close to the lowest scores out there. So the scores were definitely higher than I had anticipated before getting out there. Like I said the course was playing more U.S. Open-like, more difficult than I had thought. I caught a glimpse of my name up there and felt good that I had righted the ship and really come back after that awful start.

Q. (Inaudible).

HILARY LUNKE: If we get wind out here it's going to be extremely difficult. Earlier in the week I was thinking that the scores were going to be fairly low. I was thinking a number like 10-under par might even be in the cards. But the way that it played today, like I said it played very much like the U.S. Opens that we're used to playing, hard and fast, don't know how the ball is going to bounce, tricky greens. You've just got to keep that ball in the fairway, no doubt about that. And it's playing very difficult. I think we'll see -- if it stays like this and firms up and gets windy, any score around par is going to be very good.

Q. The leader right now is an amateur named Brittany Lincicome. She's at 5-under, how impressive, at 5-under, does that sound?

HILARY LUNKE: I think it's very impressive I think she must be keeping the ball in the fairway, she's hitting good iron shots and she's rolling her putter well. It's definitely possible out there, if you've got your A game, you can go low. I made five birdies today, if I had just maybe not had so much trouble at the beginning, it's definitely out there. But at the same time it's extremely impressive that she hasn't matched it with another five bogeys or something. You can make a bogey out there at the drop of a hat.

Q. What is it about an Open style course that you play so well at? You played so well last year, you haven't hurt yourself yet, and yet you seem to play your best in these conditions?

HILARY LUNKE: Yeah, I think part of it is just getting excited for the U.S. Open and being here and maybe just step up to the plate a little bit. For the most part I think -- I feel like I'm playing the same I have been all year. U.S. Open courses really play into my hands. The fact that you have to hit the fairway is a huge advantage for me. I keep the ball in the fairway most of the time. The fact that it is firm and fast, so for the most part, even though we're playing long yardage, I'm hitting shorter clubs than I hit the rest of the year on the LPGA Tour. And the fact that the greens are fast and tricky definitely plays into my hands as well. I feel comfortable on quick greens, I feel like I roll the ball well. The course is in excellent condition, as well, definitely better condition than we're used to on the LPGA Tour. We're getting good lies, your ball is most likely not going to hit something on the -- imperfection on the green, and knock the ball off line, they're going to roll pretty true. Keep the ball in the fairway and roll the putter well and you're going to do well out here. And those are the two best parts of my game.

Q. (Inaudible).

HILARY LUNKE: No, no, not really. I'm trying to think if -- we -- no, we didn't really talk about the playoff at all.

End of FastScripts.

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