LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 24, 2001

Jane Crafter

JANE CRAFTER: I like having eagles. I don't make very many eagles. Let's see, I started on No. 10. So we will start there. Birdie on No. 12, hit a nice little sand wedge up there to about ten feet below the hole, made that. 13, was a good par obviously. That hole is tough. I chipped -- I was just short of the green chipped up and tapped it in. Let's see, then a birdie on 18, I was just in the left fringe, about 15 feet, little curler left-to-right rolled that one in. And then No. 2, on in two with a 3-wood, was playing a little bit into the wind. I had about 208 to the front so I hit that on the front part of the green and 2-putted there. Then No. 3 I hit a really nice 7-wood up to about two feet, made that. No. 5, 7-wood in there about 190 yards to about 30 feet, 2-putted -- I 1-putted that one. About 30 feet downhill, little bit right-to-left, and was nice to make that one and then solid -- pretty solid pars all the way the rest of the way in. A couple of tricky putts there on 6 and 7, I was above the hole and made two very good two putts, so my next play there will not be above the pin hopefully. Generally I was very happy with the way I hit the ball today; played steadily, hit 15 greens, had about 29 putts so that was very consistent. I only missed one fairway and that was on 13. I was just in the first cut of rough. So I was pretty happy about that.

JANE CRAFTER: Doesn't really help my game. I am not one of the longest hitters. I don't even know what my ranking is driving distance. But I am not very long. I have got a new driver and I am hitting it well, but on soft fairways, you know, obviously, I don't carry the ball so far as some of the other longer hitters, but I am pretty straight. And I know this course very well. I have played here many, many years. I think my first year playing it was 1982, I missed a few years there in between but not that many. I have very fond memories of this course. I like playing here. I know the greens well. I have a good sense of -- kind of an instinct on them. I kind of know where you should hit it and where you shouldn't hit it, but whether you can do it or not is another thing but at least knowing it is a start. So yeah, it would be lovely if it could stay like this. I would feel a lot better if I could play in drier weather but we don't always get what we want. We just have to go out there and do the best I can and I know I can be straight. I have enough years out here. I have a little wisdom hopefully, maybe we will see what happens.

JANE CRAFTER: I don't know if your approach really changes. It is just sort of a gradual learning curve. You just start to get a better feel for the course and you don't real -- when you are on a new course you have to play more practice rounds and really plot out where you need to go. Here, I could probably play it in my sleep. I could probably lay in bed and dream about it and know exactly where I should be and where I shouldn't be. So that's probably the only real difference. As I said, I do have good memories here. I finished second one year to Patti Rizzo, I think that was 1985. I had some really good scores that year. So I am hopeful I can kind of rekindle that. Obviously I am a whole lot older, 15 more years, gosh, that's old. But I feel like I have been playing very solidly so far this year and I just haven't quite put all the rounds together and haven't made as much out of my rounds as I could have. So I am feeling fairly confident coming in here, thought I was due to have some really good scores. So was pretty happy out there today with my play.

JANE CRAFTER: It's not really a matter of easy. I think a lot of times you will get a misconception that it's easy. It just means that it is in really good shape because you have got the best golfers in the world here playing this golf course. If the scores were bad probably be a reflection on the golf course or the conditions. Now the conditions are great. The fairways are in really good shape. The greens are as good and smooth as I have seen them. They are a little firmer than they usually are so a little -- maybe a little rain will help that to hold the greens. Really good shape. The standard of play out here since I joined the Tour has escalated so much I can't even tell you. So I would take this as a compliment to the Corning Country Club and this tournament that people are playing so well.

JANE CRAFTER: No, I don't think so. I think it is fun. It is fun for everybody when the scores are low. I don't really think that any of the general public or the media really wants to see people out there scraping around for pars. Everyone wants to see the best players play their best and make birdies and eagles. That's what people pay for. If they wanted to see bogeys, you know, they'd probably go play themselves. Not being derogatory to anybody's game but that's what people want to see. That's why they pay there 15 dollars or whatever it is to get them in hopefully we can put on a good show and make some birdies. And it is fun. It is fun for us players to play a course like this because you know if you hit it in the right spots you can make birdies and eagles. But it can jump up and get you if you hit it in the wrong spot. So you can never take it for granted, I don't think.

JANE CRAFTER: Not well at all. She is a rookie this year and I have seen her play over in Europe a couple of times. I know she has a very solid golf game, seen her on TV a couple of times as well. But I have never played with her. I don't really know her game at all. As far as playing with her just what I have seen on television.

JANE CRAFTER: It is nice. Like I said, there's a definite learning curve to this course. I think it helps if you played it a little bit although Kelly Kuehne won it her second year on Tour, but you find this course has produced some pretty good champions and I think it's a compliment to this golf course. It does take some thinking to get around it. Yes, you have got to be able to hit it long and straight but you have got to know where to hit it. So yeah, it is great to see the OldieGoldies playing, playing well. With Betsy winning last year too, that was great. I think with the technology getting a little bit better, it is making -- increasing our longevity. I have been using a new Titleist driver and Precept golf ball, I am hitting it further. Obviously everybody else is too which is a bummer. If they could not have new equipment and I could that would be fine. But I think it is helping because we are able to keep up with the youngsters a little bit more. And of course we have got our fitness trailer and there is no excuse now with all the knowledge about the golf player not to be out and keep playing until you are well into your 50sor 60s. I don't know if I want to be playing out there that long but as long as I am having fun, I will keep playing.

JANE CRAFTER: No, this is really what you work for. This is why you get out there in the morning and practice in South Florida in the heat and sweat and work hard. So it is fun. That's the way I look at it. I feel fairly confident about my game. The last month or two I have really been playing well. I had a good finish in Australia, finished third in the Australia Open, so I know I feel a lot more confident about my golf swing. I don't feel like all of a sudden I am going to hit a patch where I have no idea where it is going. So that helps. If you feel confident in your swing and it is just a matter of starting to make a few putts and the more putts you make the more you are going to make. It was nice to make a few today because it has been a little bit probably not as good as I would like to see it, or as good as I feel I can putt. Today it was nice to get in a few of those putts, a little bit longer than just tap-ins, you go, okay, now I start to see a line and start to get a feel for making them. When you see them go in you can make more. Thanks.