U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 15, 1995

Rosie Jones

ROSIE JONES: Basically, like you said, it was pretty uneventful other than a birdie on number 2. I hit a wedge about, I guess it almost went in the hole because it swirled right around; left myself with a foot putt for birdie. Actually, I think my only birdie yesterday was about a foot putt too, so I am not burning the edges out here, so to speak. Basically, then on the 3rd hole, they played the tee back again today. Giving myself 180 into that pin; thought I hit a good shot; thought I hit it right on the numbers; just came short of the green. My chip shot didn't break the way I thought it was, so I left myself about 6, 7-foot par-putt. Missed that. But from there on, I played real steady. I had a couple of chances for birdies out there. I think on 11 and oh, somewhere else. Not a whole lot, though, under, you know, 15, 20 feet. I think a lot of putts this week are from the 20 foot range. It is difficult to get in close to these pins and it is probably why I am playing really consistent because I am not, you know, I am staying with my game and not really going after a lot of pins. I am staying right in the middle of a lot of greens and making a lot of pars.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, I missed a couple of greens. I can't think of any right now, but... I missed a few -- I had a good save on 16, par 3, I had good up-and-downs, but when I missed the green, I was only, you know, in the short stuff and first cut, I didn't have any really tough, you know, in the rough bunker, over bunker stuff, you know -- I am playing real solid golf. I am hitting a lot of greens. I am hitting -- if I am not on the green, I am right in front of the green or right next to the green leaving myself with good fairly easy chip shots and pitch shots and, basically, the premier of my game this week has been good golf management and consistency.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, Meg is a 5-under. She played real solid today. She made some good putts when she needed to; made a couple of good birdie putts. Out there on 13, I know she made one and then somewhere around there, back a few holes, made another birdie. But she made an easy birdie on 17. She hit a good shot, good little pitch shot up there, left herself about a 3-footer. She is playing solid. I think she was hitting the ball better actually as she went later in the day - she will probably tell you that - than when she started, so she is going to be, I think, a strong contender tomorrow, but as any Open plays, you never know, so... I think there is a lot of people that still have a chance to win.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, including myself, sure.

ROSIE JONES: 6-iron.

ROSIE JONES: It was about a 9-footer straight down the hill, I left it short. A lot of -- I was doing that a lot. I had another opportunity -- see, not knowing the golf course as well as others, I am really focused on the hole as I am there; when I am there; and then it is gone, when I am gone. So I am not remembering a lot of the golf holes right now and especially the way that I played them or what I left myself with putts, but I had another one somewhere out there, about the same distance, I left short straight down in the gut and I am leaving those -- putts that you want to roll by that -- I am not, so I had a couple of chances like that.

ROSIE JONES: Yeah, to close the gap a little bit for myself with Meg, it would have been really good just to go to sleep on that. And basically I have hit a lot of good putts this week and a lot of them aren't falling. You can tell by the way the greens are breaking that, you know, it is really difficult to read. Because you kind of imagine you are not -- you are not seeing these breaks. You are feeling them with your feet as you walk up. You are memorizing them. You are kind of checking out everybody else's shot; stuff like that. You see a 6-incher and, you know, it is a 3-footer. When you have one coming rolling into the roll you think it is going to go in. It hurts when it doesn't so... Yeah, I thought it was in. Thought I had a good chance.

ROSIE JONES: No, I got done first day -- almost got done the first day and then yesterday I got in.

ROSIE JONES: Well, yeah, that is what I mean. You are kind of -- you know that when you are seeing a 6-inch putt and you know that mountain is there and you just -- you can feel it, although you are not seeing it, so you are guessing. You are basically picking out a line and it is a lot of imagination and I think that is where you are seeing a lot of good putters out on that leaderboard; people that aren't afraid to, you know, play with that imagination, and make, you know, the greens work for them, because if you have a 3-foot putt and you only see a foot break, I mean -- let me say that again. When you have a putt that looks only 1-foot break and it is actually 3-foot, you play that break; what happens is, it starts to catch that speed and the 1-foot break takes the ball down to about 4, 5 feet below that hole. And so -- I am giving away all my secrets now. You better not write this. When I first got here there was a little -- you had to, like, guess. When I first got here I was seeing a 2-foot break and adding 5. That was my philosophy. Just like we are taking yardage, just because of the altitude here. We are guessing that as well. I don't hit 6-iron 180 yards, but in Colorado Springs I am trying to because I think 5-iron is going to go too far. That is the type of golf you are playing. We are not really used to this altitude and those kinds of breaks; especially off the mountain and so, yeah, you have to use a lot of imagination and guesswork.

ROSIE JONES: I would, you know -- I wouldn't want to -- I would say anyone within 5 or 6 shots of Meg has got a chance to play well and put some pressure on her. She is going to have enough pressure on her going to sleep at night. She has won a Major - you are right. She has won 2 and she is a very good steady player. I don't think it will take a lot to rock Meg. But that doesn't mean somebody can't go out and beat her and play really well on this golf course.

ROSIE JONES: Thank you very much.