U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 1995

Jill Briles-Hinton

JILL BRILES-HINTON: I felt like the ball, felt like I hit the ball a lot better today tee to fairway. It was about the same fairway to green. I did better. It says I have hit 10 greens in regulations both days and that surprised me. I only hit 10 today. I thought I hit a lot more. I didn't think I had chipped as much. I could have been just putting from the fringe, you know, where you are close to the pin on the right side and the pin is tucked right that could have been -- I putted a lot more than I chipped, so... But I had a couple of birdie opportunities and I missed my first birdie on 9, hit driver, I think 7-iron and I 2-putted, knocked in about -- I hit a bad first putt, actually, was just a bad read and I didn't quite know the grain. The grain was real heavy. I sunk the second putt from about 4 feet, 5 feet. And then I bogeyed 10. I hit a good 3-wood and it pretty much only rolled out 2 feet, so I have a 5-iron left and when you hit 5-iron on that green, when you think it is going to get over, you get a little tentative. I probably was a little tentative. Was in the bunker, didn't get up-and-down. My next bogey was on 12. I hit a good 6-iron. It kicked the side of the hill and just went to the back of the green. I had about a 60-foot putt off from the fringe and I hit a bad first putt and I hit a good second putt, but I misread it so I made 4. And 14, I felt I should have made birdie, but made par. 15 and 16, made great second putts for par. That is pretty much -- other than the bogey on the 1st hole, that's pretty much my round today.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: No, they were -- I hit it like 3 or 4 feet by the hole. Coming back after the delay; I had an uphill putt on 16 and I left it 4 feet short, so that was a tester for par and I made it.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: Just sat around and talked to my husband and it started raining so I made him stay outside and I went inside and just talked to Louise Suggs and Pam Kirk Bell. They filled me in on Babe DiDrickson. Just sat in the locker room and talked.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: I was surprised. I thought I was really going to hit a good drive off the first tee. I felt confident and I hooked it. I had an open shot to the green. At least I felt I did. Whenever I have a backswing to wind do I feel like I have -- and I am in the trees, I feel like I am lucky. I hit a bad -- hit 6-iron. Hit it pretty good; hooked it left; so it was going up in the mountain, hit a bad chip shot and missed the putt from about 15 feet.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: It doesn't numberwise. Yesterday, I missed the first 3 greens, I was one over. Today, I hit -- I was one over after 3 -- I hit 2 out of 3 greens, so -- then there were holes on -- 7 and 8, I felt I should have made birdie. I hit it close enough to make birdie. I hit it within 6 or 7 feet going right into the mountain. I misread the break or I didn't hit it hard enough. So I was hitting -- I felt I was hitting it better and then there was 14. I felt I should have made birdie on 14 and maybe even 11. I mean, it is not that I felt I should have made them. I should have -- they should have been better efforts. They didn't even come close. I mean, they were close, but they weren't a good solid effort. I was misreading them a lot today.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: I didn't think about that today. When I was 2 under yesterday, I thought about it and then when I was 4 under for sure and I thought about it last night, but no, I usually -- I have been known to spot the field a few strokes on the first or second hole, so -- and I am not a quitter. For me to bogey the 1st hole, it is -- get the jitters out of the way and keep playing.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: It is going to play harder all week. 2 under is a great score. I don't think the field is backing up. I think by the time Sunday comes, though, they will be a little bit more familiar with the greens and they will probably -- when they understand -- when everyone understands the greens a little bit better, there will probably be lower scores.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: First thing we do, we go over yardage. We want to make sure we have the same yardage; then we have to subtract the 10%, so if I have 150 and I subtract 15, I got 135; now I am hitting 9-iron. I went from 8 to 9-iron. We are just talking first to get -- so I am confident on what I am going to do. And then he lines me up with my club head and when -- I tell him where I want to go and we both agree on it. When I am lined up he I say, good, he says, good, if it's good; then I square my feet up if it's good, I say, good, he says, good. If not, we adjust. But since he is my husband, I have to include him, so... I don't want to make him feel left out.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: Yes, I would -- someone asked me earlier, ask Jack? Jack asked me if I am -- about -- if I learned anything today. And I learned that I can come back with a good solid round after shooting 66 and knowing that it could have been better if I made some putts.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: No, everyone is into their own game. They were trying just as hard as I was. And I think as long as everyone tries hard, there is not going to be any distractions. I mean, they were trying just as hard to make their birdie and par putts just as much as I was, so, no, it wasn't distracting. I have been there where I have been the one 15 over and I am just hoping I am not messing up the one that is 2 or 3 under, so it is not a distraction at all.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: Few more people watched and a friend from -- couple of friends came out. My husband's family has -- they are from the area -- well, within five hours, from the west coast around here, and a lot of my husband's family is coming out that I never met. I am getting little bit more support which is nice. I just hope they are there long-term, all the way through.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: No jelly beans today. I gave them away during the delay to the different areas in the clubhouse.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: I have a pager and that is how my husband and I can keep track when he is driving and I am flying somewhere, and it definitely ran off the hook yesterday which was nice and the most important page I got was from my little sister, Jodi, because she has been having some problems. She turned on the TV. She saw that I was leading the U.S. Open and she just started crying, so that was the most important page. I said those are the only two I still have on there; I will keep them on there for the rest of the week.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: I don't know. I think she is 28. She could be 29.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: No. My other two sisters, they do the girly stuff. They are not the athletes. They were swimmers though. We were all competitive swimmers.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: They just hit and giggle. They are not very competitive. That is what they do. They hit when -- I say "girly", they hit and giggle; that is what I mean by that.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: Yeah, I normally aim too far right. I have got alignment problems. When you can eliminate one error and your husband or caddie can fix it for you; then you should do it because I don't have to worry about not being aimed up right, and it is done. It is done before I swing.

JILL BRILES-HINTON: Okay, thank you.