U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 20, 2000

Karrie Webb

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, it was. The wind was pretty consistent all afternoon, blowing, I don't know how hard. It was blowing at least -- we were playing between 10- and 15-yard winds for the most of the day. And the course strayed out quite a bit. The fairways were faster than ever and the greens have hardened up. Just really makes you think. I hit a lot of good, safe shots today and took advantage of my birdie chances when I could, and I think that's the biggest key to playing the U.S. Open is not to be too aggressive or too aggressive at the wrong times, I guess. You know, I made some really good up-and-downs out there, which really kept my momentum going. I think, you know, if it goes the other way, you know, it's a bogey, and, you know, things don't look as good, but you make a great up-and-down; it's almost like making a birdie. So, you know I had a couple of those out there that really kept me going.

KARRIE WEBB: We'll just have to wait and see what happens. We could wake up tomorrow morning and it will be blowing 20 miles an hour. If I wake up and there's no wind, that will be a bonus. We'll just wait and see. I'm not thinking that far ahead just yet.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I don't think that was probably something that I needed to know. I played it from the middle of the fairway and hit a wedge on the green. I'm not even going to think about where she hit it.

KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. I think they were big saves for me, but 11, particularly because I had just playing a bogey on 10. And making that putt on 11 really kept the momentum going, kept me at 1-under par. You know, I really played solidly after that.

KARRIE WEBB: I missed the fairway left with a 3-wood. Hit a 9-iron short right of the green and chipped it to about 30 feet and 2-putted. 2, I hit, that was a long time ago. I think I hit a 6-iron, I'm not sure. 6- or 7-iron, I think it was 6-iron to about 15 feet. 3, I hit a wedge to about 30 feet and made that. 8, I hit 4-iron through the back of the green and chipped it to about two feet. 10, I hit 4-iron on the front of the green and 3-putted from about 45 feet. 16, I hit a 7-iron to about 25 feet and 18, I hit a 7-iron to about 35, 40 feet, 2-putted.

KARRIE WEBB: It's just the way the wind blows. You know, if the wind is blowing the total opposite way, we're hitting it way down, straight down at the trap and you have to lay up. I think, you know, there's just not -- for a finishing hole for the U.S. Open, there's just not a tee there that you could make it -- I don't think that anyone wants to see a three-shot par 5 finish hole, either. I think at least there's still going to be a lot of excitement around the green on 18. It's still a tough tee shot. You've got to take off as much as you can to stay on the fairway. You almost have to land it in the left rough to keep it on the fairway. So, you know, it's not necessarily a given. But if you do hit the fairway, then you are in the go-zone and you have a really, really good chance of making definitely birdie and maybe even an eagle.

KARRIE WEBB: I think that you're just going to see the fairways getting harder and the greens getting harder. I don't know how much water is going to be put on those. I imagine not very much. You're just going to see a lot of big bounces in front of the green. I saw a few today that bounced higher than the pin, and I think that's just going to, you know, become a big factor as the week goes on. You know, I think, you know, it's almost like playing a British Open golf course, as hard as the fairways are getting and as hard as they are in front of the greens. But, it's still, you know, just makes you think. I think people who have played a little bit of golf like that might have an advantage. I think it just really goes on trusting your number and trusting the wind and knowing that it's going to play that, and it's going to release. You know, I had 177 yards uphill, but downwind on the last, I hit 7-iron. So, you know, just got to trust that, and it released like 15 yards. So, you've just got to trust that.

KARRIE WEBB: Par-saving, 7 was about eight feet, I guess. 11 was probably 15 to 18 feet. 17 was about 10 feet, 12 feet there. Just trying to think where else I missed greens. That's it, I think.

KARRIE WEBB: I watched a little bit of it. I try not to, you know -- you don't really want to watch people grinding it out before you have to go out and grind it out. It's too tiring. I was flicking between channels there. I was watching a little bit of it, but not a whole lot.

KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think the toughest thing was keeping my balance and not either grounding my club in the hazard or falling in the water. But, you know, I had mud halfway up my shin. So, you know, it wasn't the most pleasant feeling, and I'm not looking forward -- well, I am looking forward to taking my shoes and socks off so I can clean my foot, but I can't imagine how nasty it's going to look when I do. That was on 7.

KARRIE WEBB: I think you've got to remember that you have 71 holes to go. And if you're going to lose your patience on the 1st hole, you might as well walk back to the clubhouse and get a flight home.

KARRIE WEBB: No. I was just glad that I teed off first so I didn't have to watch any of that. You know, I just tried to block out what they were doing and just think about my next shot.

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