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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 7, 2008

Maria Hjorth

HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND

MIKE SCANLAN: Should we do your card?
MARIA HJORTH: Yep.
MIKE SCANLAN: Birdie on 4.
MARIA HJORTH: Yes, hit a good drive. Had I think 112 to the pin. Hit a gap wedge to about 10 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: Birdie 6.
MARIA HJORTH: Number 6 hit a rescue club off the tee and then an 8-iron to 15 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: 7.
MARIA HJORTH: Hit a 9-iron to about 10 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: 8.
MARIA HJORTH: Hit a really good drive. I hit a 6-iron for my second shot but I didn't hit it very good. So I came up short. And then chipped it to about 12 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: 9.
MARIA HJORTH: 9 I hit a good drive and then I hit a 9-iron to about 8 feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: 12.
MARIA HJORTH: 12, I hit an 8-iron to about 8 feet again.
MIKE SCANLAN: And 15.
MARIA HJORTH: 15, hit a good drive, hit a rescue for my second. I was just off the green about pin high and I chipped it to a foot.
MIKE SCANLAN: All right Maria, thanks for coming in. You've had top-4s in your last two Majors so obviously you're comfortable with the pressure that goes along with a Major Championship. If you would just talk a little bit about your day, about the heat and how you're playing this week.
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, I mean, obviously my day was really, really good. Shooting seven -under on a Saturday in a Major is of course what you strive to do. But, you know, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But I was very, very happy with the round today. I was hitting the ball really well off the tee and my irons have just been very, very solid. I've hit them close all day. And, you know, I actually left a few birdies out there, but I'm very happy with the 65, of course.
I mean, the heat is tough. But I think as long as you don't put your mind to it and think about it too much, I think it works out really good. I mean, I was just out there trying to hit, to play the game of golf that I know that I can. And then, you know, the heat comes with it. But just as long as you try to drink and not think about it too much it worked for me.
MIKE SCANLAN: Questions?

Q. How important was it on 18 not to drop a shot there after that drive?
MARIA HJORTH: Of course it was very important. You know, 18 is a fairly tough driving hole, you think. So I just decided to hit a driver. At least if I miss the fairway I will be a little bit closer to the green in the rough. Now I hit the car path and it kind of bounced up a little further than kind of expected and it was sitting really thick, so it was so nice to get up and down last. You know I 3-putted for a bogey on 18 yesterday so it was nice to not drop a shot there again. And, you know, get off the course with a really good memory.

Q. Do you look at the leader board? And, if the you do, when you see your name going, moving up there and moving past players like Ochoa and Sorenstam what are you thinking?
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, I always look at the leader board. I think it's really hard to avoid. I don't really know how the players do that who don't look at the leader board because they're out there everywhere. And, you know, it's nice to see that you're moving in the right direction and know where you are standing and, you know, try to put more pressure on the ones that are up there at the top and try to make more birdies. If you can finish, you know, in front of them and put a good score on the board, then it will put more pressure on them. So I look at it and I think it's -- for me anyway -- it works. And I just want to know where I stand.

Q. The way the leader board is shaping up it looks like you could be paired with Annika tomorrow in the final round. What would that -- would that be a bigger deal than to have someone else in that threesome with you?
MARIA HJORTH: You know, just being in the last group is just so much fun. And I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, it would be great to have, you know, Annika or Ochoa in the group because they're such great golfers and they achieve so much. So it will be nice to have that in the last group, and be able to go out there and, you know, see how they do. And I'll just have to try to handle myself out there and do the best that I can and, you know, being in the last group. But I would really enjoy it. I know there will be a lot of people watching, so that's even better. So it will be fun.

Q. When was the last time you were in the last group in a major, or have you been in the last group in a major?
MARIA HJORTH: I haven't been in the last group, no. I've been -- last year at the British, I think it was second to last. But I've never been in the last group. So it will be, I mean, it will be different for me but, you know, I have to go out there and see it as any kind of golf tournament. I've been in the last group in other tournaments so I have to look at it as this is no different. It's still a golf ball you are going to hit. It's still a golf course you are going to play. So as long as I don't occupy my mind with thinking Oh this is the last group in a major, hopefully I can handle it well. And I'm looking forward to it.

Q. So what are you going to do tonight? Are you going to practice, or not because it's too hot?
MARIA HJORTH: No. I try to stay away from the heat now. I've been out there and you know you drain yourself so much. I don't see much point in going out there and hitting balls or putting or anything. It's better to just go inside in the air conditioning and try to cool off and save some energy for tomorrow.

Q. I know there's an age difference with you and Annika, but how much did you guys bump up against each other growing up just playing, you know, golf as youngsters?
MARIA HJORTH: Actually we didn't too much because, you know, she's three years older than me and kind of when I got in the Swedish Junior team she moved up to the Ladies team. And then when I got into the Ladies team, she, you know, she moved away and had gone over to college in America. So I kind of was just behind her. Of course, I am the same age as her sister so we play a lot of golf together. We went to school together, so I know her really well. But I didn't really play too much with her when I was younger.
And I think Annika, you know, she just became so good when she came over here, and winning the U.S. Open and everything, I mean, it was just great success once she got over to America.

Q. The conditions on the course, are they -- is it still pretty wet, or were you surprised that they -- you are still playing with -- (inaudible)
MARIA HJORTH: I was a little surprised we still played, you know, preferred lie. But I can also understand why. Because I had a few bad lies out there with old divots and you know you have a lot of divots when the ground is so soft. So I think that's probably why they did it. Because the course itself is dried up really, really nice. And, I mean, it's playing great.
I was -- the first two days we played, I was so amazed about how good the greens were considering, you know, the rain that we had and everything. So, we'll see tomorrow what they will do. But they might still play it just because of some old spots out on the fairways and it might not be fair.

Q. When did you know about the fog delay, and did that disrupt anything for you?
MARIA HJORTH: For me it didn't really disrupt anything because I was supposed to tee off at 12:33 and now I teed off at 12:20 so it wasn't a big change for me. I just found out in the morning. I was home on the computer and I thought there would be a delay for sure but I thought they might just push everybody forward. But I guess with TV times and everything they had to do something else to fit everybody in. I think it was a good choice of them.
I can see it was a bit of a problem probably for the first few groups that were supposed to be out early then they teed off so late, it kind of interrupts their warm-up and everything. But I was lucky it didn't really change much for me.

Q. Maria, I know this isn't statistically your best round ever but under the circumstances being in a Major and the heat and all that, would you consider this one of the best rounds of your career? Yeah it's definitely one of my best ones. Because I played so well and I hit the ball really, really close all day. I was just proud of myself not getting ahead of myself and, you know, looking too far ahead. I just played every hole by itself and that's really been my goal this week. And not try to push myself too hard. So I'm very, very happy, yeah, it's probably one of the better ones I've played.

Q. Have you been doing anything differently recently because of these two top-4s in the last three Majors? I mean, have you been working on something different in the past year or so?
MARIA HJORTH: I haven't really. It's kind of weird because every time you play a Major it seems like you put so much pressure on yourself because it's a Major and you have to perform well. And I think the difference that I've made is trying to take some pressure off myself and go out there and, you know, enjoy myself playing a Major rather than trying to compete and trying to win the tournament because it's a Major.
I think that's made a very big difference. I'm kind of more -- I accept bogeys a little bit more because you know in the Majors the courses are going to play tough and everybody's going to make bogeys. I think because of that I've kind of eased up on myself and not been so tough with myself. So that's helped a lot in a Major and I just feel more relaxed by taking pressure off myself.

Q. How did Annika's great success as you put it here impact your own golfing career? Do you think you would have come over here if there had been no Annika before you? Or what role did her success play when you were carving out your future?
MARIA HJORTH: Yeah, well first of all I think Liselotte Neumann came over here and she won the U.S. Open and she's always been a great figure and role model for me to look up to since Annika's almost the same age. She was out here a few years before me. So it wasn't that -- didn't feel like it was that big of difference. But I think Liselotte Neumann was more of an impact on me anyway coming over here and just seeing her success. And of course with Annika's success throughout the years, while I have been out here has just encouraged us to, you know, work harder, to play better, and try to, you know, you can't really achieve what she's achieved but, you know, get a few wins before the career is over. And I mean she just helps you push yourself harder.

Q. When did you go to the long putter and what was the reason behind it?
MARIA HJORTH: Well I was putting pretty bad with the short putter. I felt like I was playing really well, but didn't really get the scores out of my game that I thought that I had. So about four years ago I went to belly putter I used the belly putter for two years and still felt like I didn't get as much out of my game that I should because I was hitting the ball well. So my husband told me You really need to go to a long putter because that's really going to help you. And I always said, No, no, no that's kind of like for old people, it's not for me. So I tried it because I was so frustrated not making putts. And I tried it and I haven't looked back since. It was really, really a big change for me and, you know, I feel so comfortable with it and I make so many more putts and feel I can be a little bit more aggressive with my first putts. And even if I miss it a little bit I still feel like I can make the second putt coming back. So it made a huge difference. And I've had it now for two-and-a-half years.
MIKE SCANLAN: All right, Maria, thanks for coming in. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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