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HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 20, 2007Meaghan FrancellaNEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK MIKE SCANLAN: A Meaghan, congratulations. A nice victory over world No. 1, Lorena Ochoa. Can you talk about the reception that you got after you won on the 18th green, really a great hometown crowd for you. MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, the whole day was pretty stressful to be honest with you, and I just tried to stay patient and hit one shot at a time. Tara and I just talked about random stuff on the course and just worked very hard to stay in the moment. Q. Can you compare the nerves between México, that playoff, and this? Were you more nervous during this? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I have to say my hands were probably shaking more against Annika, because I think that was just for my first win. You know, I've been putting fine. I hit some bad putts coming in from about six feet. Yeah, I just felt pretty confident all day. I know obviously drawing on the experience I had in March, I knew that, you know, I could definitely do it. And in match play, anything happens, as we saw today. Q. What does it mean, what you have accomplished, beating those two No. 1s? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, like I said in the beginning when I first came out here, I didn't think I would beat Annika in my third event. And standing up on the tee with Lorena today, still, it's a little intimidating. I know I've been working hard and practicing and you know, working on the right things mentally and I knew that if I did all of those things that I was going to be okay today. Q. Can you talk about the challenges of possibly playing 36 holes, and does your injury become a factor in that? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I was okay. I felt better today than I did yesterday actually. Just one thing on 16 kind of stung a little bit. But other than that, I felt pretty good. I just talked to my coach on the phone and he told me my posture is awful. I said: I can't stand up taller than that, so I'm just going to have to play like that." I think I'll be okay. If I have to play 36 tomorrow, I'll play in pain, it doesn't matter. Q. By stressful, do you mean playing the No. 1, being down like you were early, exactly what? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I mean, any time I'm down two after eight, I'm like -- you know I made a great birdie on 7 and lose it on the next hole. I thought I hit a great drive and got blocked out by the tree and took too much off of it. And then I lose -- I lose No. 8 and now I'm 2-down and then, yeah, I was feeling a little pressure; like I cannot be 2-down at the turn. I was fortunate to get one back at nine. Any time you're in the situation where my adrenaline is going, my heart is beating fast, my hands were shaking a little bit, I think I drank like five bottles of water on the last three holes. In that respect, it wasn't necessarily playing the No. 1, because in my mind, seeds don't matter in this. It's just how you're seeded in the beginning. But, you know, I just went out there and played golf. Q. And the playing at home? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Stressful? Q. Why. MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I think like I said yesterday, I think there's a little bit of added pressure, just because they all come out here, they give up their day, and I want to play well. So I think in that respect, yeah, a little bit more stressful. Q. Can you talk about 18, the shot you hit? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I had 216 to the front, and my caddie says, "Well, what do you want to do"? And I'm standing there like, "I don't want to go for it, but I have to go for it." It's hard because you can't see where you're going. So I just picked out a cloud and just hit 3-wood as good as I could hit it. I didn't know where it went and then I heard the claps and I figured, okay, we're at the front. And then I got up there and I'm like, unbelievable, 30 feet for eagle. I just was not going extra holes. That was my mind-set. Q. Do you think part of that was adrenaline, hitting it that far? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, that's about perfect yardage for my 3-wood, but in that situation, uphill lie, I could lose it right; the last thing I want to do is be in that bunker on the right. But my caddie just said, "You know, just trust it, you've got enough club and just hit it," and I did. I hit the best shot I've probably hit in my career. Q. When you chipped in on 11 for birdie, where would that ball have ended up? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Actually it probably would have been pretty close. I hit it perfect. Just tried to land it about halfway there, and you know, growing up on this rough, you've got to open up the face and use a weak grip and that's what I did to kind of kill some spin. So just kind of rolled out for me. Q. Was there a shot, I don't know if that was the shot in this entire match, where you felt like, either settled you or spurred you on? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I think the putt I made on 10, that downhill par putt I made. I mean, when I hit the tee shot, I thought it was in the hole, and it just went over and I had to kind of blade a wedge. I was like, well, if you hit this on the green, it's going to go off the front if I get it too far past the pin. So I was a little conservative, left it short and just made an unbelievable put. And then Lorena made one right on top. I kind of got the momentum going, and then the chip-in definitely got me going. Q. The other question is, do you allow yourself, there's four rounds of golf left, how do you prepare yourself for tomorrow after what I would imagine is a fairly emotional high today. MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, you know, it's over with. I go onto tomorrow and I just play the same way I did today. Except I'm going to play better on the front nine tomorrow because I played terrible on the front nine terrible. I think I picked up her ball like three times for her. You know, Pat Hurst is tough. We've played golf together a couple of times, and she's a great putter. Yeah, I'm just going to go work on some putting after this, and yeah, Tom's about to kill me because I can't keep my head still. Q. A word that Lorena used, she said you're not afraid; is fearlessness, is that part of your makeup and do you think that's what carries you sometimes? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: Yeah, I think so. I think I've said this a couple of times, but you know, you have to respect the people you play with, but you can't think -- not that you can't think they are better than you, but you have to respect them as opposed to be intimidated by them. I respect Lorena. Lorena has done unbelievable things, and she's had a great year so far and a great year, and she's only two years older than me I think. So what she's done and what she's accomplished is unbelievable. You can't go out there thinking somebody is better than you. I turned to Tara at one point and I said, "We're going to win this thing. We can win this thing." Q. When did you say that, what hole? MEAGHAN FRANCELLA: I think on number -- I would say it was after my chip-in. (Smiling). MIKE SCANLAN: Meaghan, thanks a lot and good luck tomorrow. End of FastScripts |
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