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SYBASE CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SHOPRITE


May 18, 2007


Lorena Ochoa


CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY

PAM WARNER: Thanks for coming in and joining us today. You shot a 67 out there today, great round, currently tied for the lead. Just talk about your day today.
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. It was a good day, much better than I thought, because we're prepared for bad conditions, and all of a sudden it turned out to be a beautiful day, so that really helped. I didn't start so good. I was even but I was able to just keep myself focused and made a couple birdies on 11 and 12 and really gave me good momentum and really happy with the way I finished.
It could have been a lower round today. I missed a few -- probably two short putts on the front but on the back I just made all of them. So I'm feeling good with my game and I can't wait to be here tomorrow.
PAM WARNER: Can we go over your scorecard?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes. I made birdie on the third hole. I hit 5-iron just two feet and I made it.
Made bogey on the fourth hole. I hit the driver to the right in the bunker and then I didn't put it on the green and I chipped for about six feet and missed that.
5, hit on two with 5-iron for eagle and just 2-putted for birdie.
Bogey on 6, I hit driver to the right and was on the left side of the green in the bunker. Got it out about five feet and I missed that for par.
Then birdied No. 8. I hit a 9-iron, maybe 15 feet, and I made that for birdie and I bogeyed No. 9. I hit it to the left with my driver and then just played short of the green. I chipped about four feet and I missed that for par.
Birdied No. 11. I hit on two with a 4-iron, I put it on the right side and then just chipped maybe another four feet and I made that for birdie.
Birdie No. 12. I hit the green with a 6-iron just a little bit long, maybe ten feet and I made that for birdie.
Birdied 14. I hit a 9-iron -- no, sorry. I hit a wedge like 115 yards, really close, one foot.
Then birdied 17, 4-iron maybe ten feet short and I made it for birdie.
On 18, I hit the green in three with a wedge, 110 yards, just a little bit long maybe another 12 feet and I made it.

Q. Did you hit 3-wood off the 14th tee?
LORENA OCHOA: 14 tee, I hit a hybrid.

Q. Did you play to a distance there because of the wedge? Did you play back a little bit?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes.

Q. Did you know that thing almost sucked back into the hole?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I was playing with Suzann, 50 dollars an eagle, so I really wanted to make it.

Q. It seemed that most of your misses today were right and early. How did you fight through that?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think I'm a little bit close from the ball, just a little uncomfortable there, so make sure I keep a little more room on the back and swing a little bit easier. So I want to make sure I do that more.

Q. Do you still have the Superman head cover for your driver and how long have you had it?
LORENA OCHOA: Just before college. They call me "Super Ochoa" in college, and it just kind of like stick with me. I really like it.

Q. Did you buy it or did someone give it to you?
LORENA OCHOA: Someone give it to me, yes.

Q. The No. 1 player on the men's tour, Tiger Woods, is probably famous because of some of the rounds he keeps going. Do you think you have a little bit of that in you, as well, to keep a round going maybe if the beginning when you were missing a little bit until things click in?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, as a professional, you really need to understand that it doesn't matter how you hit the ball; you need to be able to score. That's one of the things that we're trying to learn just week-by-week, and today was one of those days. Started a little bit off, but I always believe in myself. But I was very calm and very positive and it turned out to be a good day.

Q. How much did the birdie on 12 really get you going? That's a tough hole. Were you in the rough on the right it looked like off the tee; that's obviously a very tough hole. Just talk about what that hole meant to your round today?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, very much especially making a double-bogey yesterday on that hole. It was really good. In the first nine, I made birdie and a bogey; birdie and a bogey; birdie and a bogey.
So as soon as I made that birdie on No. 11, I said make sure that we just get a good rhythm and making birdie just give us you know, a better feeling for the rest of the holes.

Q. Were you aware of the round that Sarah Lee was putting up early in the day? Because by the time you teed off, she had already started to sort of get her numbers up on the leaderboard; and what's it going to be like for you to play with her tomorrow?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I was aware. I thought it was a great round for the conditions. It was just cold in the morning, a little windy, but I also thought that it was just a different day because we all thought it was going to be really tough conditions, and even par should be a great round. All of a sudden the conditions were perfect and the wind kind of like come in the afternoon, and, boy, just able to make a lot of birdies. I'm just glad it happened this way.
Tomorrow is going to be the same for both of us. We're playing the same time and I'm excited to play with her. She's playing good, last week she was playing good at Kingsmill, and I can't wait to see her game.

Q. Have you ever played with her before?
LORENA OCHOA: No, never.

Q. Are you starting to get a good feel for this golf course and picking your way around it now?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think especially knowing that, you know, that the fairways are hard to hit and you are going to miss fairways and you just need to be patient, and whenever you miss the fairway just put yourself in good position around the greens trying to make up-and-downs. That's the way should you take care of the par 5s when they are reachable and make sure you don't lose control of your swing and it's fine. That's one of the keys for the weekend; just be patient with your tee shots and hit as many fairways as we can.

Q. I've heard some players in the past, whether it's Tiger or Annika talk about the importance of being in the final group; A, it means you're playing well; but also, you can kind of react if someone makes a move up the leaderboard. Can you talk about being in the final group tomorrow?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, of course, it's very important. I love to be in the final group. It's just, you know, better to be right there in action in contention. I think it's all about being in a good position for Sunday, and I'm trying to get over there.
But tomorrow is going to be an important day. I'm going to be, how do you say -- what is the opposite of aggressive, like conservative. I'm not going to be conservative. I'm going to be aggressive like I always do and I'm going to be in the last group and try to make as many birdies as we can and hopefully we can get ahead of the other players.

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