BANK OF MONTREAL CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN

August 18, 2002

Michelle Ellis

LAURA NEAL: Michelle, thanks for coming in. I know it was a tough day. But maybe just talk a little bit about having another good finish back to back. What it does for your confidence.

MICHELLE ELLIS: I think it was another good learning experience out there today. I learned a lot last week in the British. And it helped me out there and helped me stay strong coming home on the last few holes. It's a tough conditions I've ever, ever played in. And the golf course is really a big bear today. And to, for Meg and them to be holding tough like they are, we were out there looking at the score board and thinking that Meg's playing a different golf course. I had fun and enjoyed it.

LAURA NEAL: When you got 3-under was there a point when you thought that hey, I could take this?

MICHELLE ELLIS: Not with Meg playing so strong. It was just a par sort of a day. If you made pars it was pretty exciting. I made a couple of good birdies out there. I had a double on five. I hit a bad tee shot and that really cost me, I think, it stopped the momentum a little bit and I tried to pick myself up in these sort of conditions has been tough.

Q. You said it was the toughest conditions you ever played in. Give me an idea how tough it was.

MICHELLE ELLIS: I reckon I had more chance getting to Everest. It was tough out there today. Wind, honestly, I never seen wind like it before. I never played in a golf tournament anywhere that's been like that. And it was -- it was down breeze it's like three or four clubs down breeze.

LAURA NEAL: Is there a certain hole maybe you could give us an example where you hit one club yesterday and another today.

MICHELLE ELLIS: For example on 16 I had 153 to the front. And you're hitting 9-iron. Which I usually hit like 130. Same on 18. It's just no way of stopping the ball. You hit -- you're trying to hit the ball where you want it to go but after it leaves the club face it's up to Mother Nature, I'm afraid.

LAURA NEAL: Let's just run over your scorecard real quick for the round if we could. Double on five that was a bad tee shot.

MICHELLE ELLIS: Yeah. I hit a bad tee shot. I chipped out and missed the green. From the bunker I didn't get up up-and-down.

8, was an 8-iron in to about, I would have to say 25, 30 feet and holed it.

LAURA NEAL: Bogey on 10.

MICHELLE ELLIS: 10, another bad tee shot. Hit down to the front of the green, and didn't get up-and-down. 11, not too bad of a drive. It was in the bunker but I hit an 11-wood out. Down to about a hundred yards and it come up short. And then holed like a 20 footer for birdie.

LAURA NEAL: Then on 14.

MICHELLE ELLIS: 14, driver 8-iron. That's how strong that wind is.

LAURA NEAL: Then bogey on 15.

MICHELLE ELLIS: 15, hit it right off the tee. Hit it out and then missed like a four-footer for par.

LAURA NEAL: Last bogey was 18.

MICHELLE ELLIS: 18, that was a bogey.

LAURA NEAL: All right. Thank you.

MICHELLE ELLIS: No worries.

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