DU MAURIER CLASSIC

August 10, 2000

Diana D'Alessio

DIANA D'ALESSIO: 10, I hit a 3-wood off the tee. And 125 yards in, hit an 8-iron about 15 feet, and made a putt for birdie. The next hole is par-3. It was 161, and I hit 5-iron. And I was about 40 feet below the hole, and made that coming up the hill for birdie. Next hole -- 14, sandwedge to 2 feet. 15 is that difficult par-4. I hit driver into the rough, the right rough, and had a fairly bad lie, and I hit a 6-iron out to layup, and had 85 yards on my third shot, and hit it about 15 feet and 2-putted for bogey. The first hole is a par-5. I had 103 yards in, and hit a knockdown 9-iron to about 4 feet, 4 1/2 feet, made birdie. Next hole is a par-3. I was playing 186 to the pin. I hit 7-wood over the green, and chipped in for birdie from behind the green. 5, I had 160 yards in out of the left rough. I hit a knockdown 5-iron for the back of the green. And I was on the back fringe, and made -- I think it was 36 feet for birdie.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Five. 8, it was playing 196 -- I can't remember exactly -- but I hit 5-wood in the left bunker, and it didn't get up-and-down; so I made bogey. And then 9 is a par-5. I hit driver down the left side, had 211 to the hole, and hit 5-wood, pin-high left, and had about, I think it was 39 feet for eagle, and knocked it by, but made a birdie coming back.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It was just off the back of the green. It was probably about 20, 25 feet. It was a tough chip, the wind was in the back. So I just landed it on the green, and it trickled in the hole.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I'm getting better. I really love fast greens. These are pretty fast.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yeah, I'm from New Jersey, so I grew up on bent greens, so they're pretty fast. I played a lot in New York state, so everything was pretty fast growing up.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It started out pretty strong. I finished 4th in my second event, the Cup Noodles, and it's been in a lull the last month and a half, so this is a real treat to play well, finally, because I've been hitting the ball well. It's fun to get it all to come together.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I think it's pretty mostly mental. I've been hitting it well, putting it well, but I haven't believed in myself. I missed the last four cuts, and I think it's just pretty much believing in myself. My teacher and I have been working on having confidence and walking around like you believe in yourself. So I stepped on every tee today, knowing that I could make birdie.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I never have. This is the first time. In the event, in Hawaii, ladies Cup Noodles Open, I shot 68 the first round, and it was a three-day tournament, and just came from behind, sort of, to finish 4th, when I shot 68 the last day. I've never really been in this position, ever. It feels kind of good.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I hope so. I'm going to try.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: No. Yesterday I practiced for about five hours ,then went back and relaxed, had dinner, met my mom, who drove from New Jersey to come watch, and then went back and watched Survivor, played a little solitaire on my computer, read a little, Into Thin Air, and then went to bed. Nothing out of the unusual.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yes, 67.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: No, everything went my way today. I made a lot of putts. I've never had 23 putts before in my life. That's my career low putting for the day. I can't say it's a surprise, because I've been hitting the ball well, I've been really playing well, just not scoring. And I think just today it all came together for me.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I thought it played perhaps a little easier than in the practice round. It's dried out some. The greens are quicker, which I guess doesn't make it easier. But, I don't know, it's easier for me to focus, obviously, in a tournament round versus a practice round. But it played difficult. I actually was fighting with myself this morning, thinking that it's going to be so hard for you to shoot a low score on this golf course. But yet I was trying to be confident with myself. So I guess hopefully the confidence won out. It needs to the rest of the week.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: That, for me, it was going to be tough, that it might not suit my game that well.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I don't know. I tend to think these things. But it didn't happen, so it was okay.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It was about 7 1/2 hours. And she comes when she has a chance, when they're fairly close to home. She came to -- she went to the JAL, to the Open. My dad is flying in tomorrow. It will be good to have them all here.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I think I missed one 15-footer for birdie. Other than that, I really made almost every putt that I looked at.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It was about 12 feet. Yeah, that one, too, 15. There's a couple that I missed for birdie that I could have possibly made.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It hasn't been too bad yet, because I finished so well in my second event. I don't have a sponsor, so I just -- I made $31,000 that first -- my second tournament, so I was able to just live on that. And you do some occasional Pro-Ams where they pay you. I wouldn't obviously mind playing well, so then I would have some more money.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yeah, it's good. It feels good. I know a lot of the girls out here, because I'm pretty outgoing, and pretty personable. So I talk to a lot of them. But I'm sure a lot of them didn't know my last name. It will be a topic of conversation. "Who's that?"

DIANA D'ALESSIO: No.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yes. I like Canada. I need to come back.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Actually, it was worse when I just stepped off the golf course and I didn't have a chance to gather my thoughts, and there was like six cameras right there, and I was like, "Wow, can I help you?" We had media training. Laura made me go through media training in Sacramento. So I'm all relaxed. It's just a casual setting.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I started playing golf when I was 13. I used to ride horses competitively from about 8 years old to 12 years old. So my parents and I used to go on vacation to get away from horses, and they would play golf, and I would play some golf. I sort of had a natural ability for it. Then when I was 13, I was watching the women's Kemper Open from Hawaii, and Betsy King won. I watched it every day, I even taped it, because I was just like so enamored by playing professional golf. I thought: "My gosh, I think I have to do this." So I told my father to sell my horse, and he had just became a member at a country club in New Jersey, Newton Country Club, and I started playing and practicing every day. And I think I was 14 when I joined -- I played my first event in New Jersey. I finished third. So I thought I could have a future. So I just practiced as hard as I could every day, worked on getting my handicap down, played in local events in the state then tri-state area events until I was able to get into some national events. And I got introduced to the AJGA, the American Junior Golf Association, and I played in my first event when I was 15. And I think I won my second event. That sort of opened up a lot of doors for me, because once --. Going back to when I watched that tournament when I was 13, Betsy King went to Furman University. So I thought: "I've got to go there." So that opened up scholarships to the university, and that's where I met the coach at Furman. And he offered me a scholarship. I played two years for the Futures Tour, went to qualifying school in 1999, got my conditional card, and here I am today.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: What about it?

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I don't know, she was winning the event. And actually I think Nancy finished second. But they just kept talking about Betsy. Betsy played field hockey, Betsy played basketball, and she was from Pennsylvania. It was like: "I want to be her." And she was just so good. So I don't know. I guess that was why I was drawn to her. Nancy, she's great, and I love her, and she's got a great personality and great golf game. I don't know. It could be anyone. But I guess it was Betsy.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I don't know, I'm sure someone has told her, but I haven't personally told her. I'm kind of scared to.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I'm sure you will, now.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Her name was War Melody. I call her Mel. It was tough, because she was beautiful. She's a bay thoroughbred. She was just beautiful.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: It was equitation. I did -- no show jumping for me. That would probably be the next level, but I didn't make it that far, which I think my father is kind of happy about.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I try and watch my costs, but I usually stay in private housing when it's available. But, I don't know, I've been doing pretty well financially, so -- I haven't been like freaking out about it, so it's okay.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: No, I'm staying at the Marriott.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I don't think it's going to be any different than today, just in the fact that I know my tee time already tomorrow. I know who I play with, because I played with them today, and I have a very good group; they're very nice. I guess it would be different if we reshuffled and, say, Karrie Webb shot 67, and I had to play with her, I'd probably be a little more nervous. But nothing will really change. I'm just going to go have lunch, practice, and I want to go to the Renoir and Monet exhibit at the museum. So if someone could tell me where that is, I would really appreciate it. But that's it. Nothing changed.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yeah, I might do that tomorrow, it depends. That could be good. Good idea. Because I don't play until 1:40, I think. We'll see.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: Yeah, it definitely helped my self-confidence today quite a bit, playing well today. So it's a very -- right now I have a mental battle that goes on, on the golf course, but I'm really trying to make the self-confident one win.

DIANA D'ALESSIO: I don't know. I don't think so. No, I don't think so. It's, for me, the last month and a half have been shooting myself out of the tournament the first round. So to keep myself in the tournament after the first round, that's a big relief off my mind. So tomorrow, I'll just go tomorrow and do exactly what I did today. Yeah, that should be easy (laughter.)

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