KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 30, 2002

Lisolette Neumann

LAURA NEAL: Maybe just start with some comments on how things went out there today.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Oh, my God. (Laughs) I'm done. It was a struggle today, especially off the tee. I think I was spending more time with the crowd than I was inside the ropes today. So being very fan friendly today.

Finally figured it out in the end and actually started playing some good golf coming in. I'm just not good off the tee at all. Struggled with a driver. Struggled a little with the 4-wood and down. Just trying to keep the ball in play, so that was a struggle, too. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with a plus one, and just knowing that I'm still tied for the lead after a day like today.

Q. When you struggled on the front nine and turned on the back, how happy are you that you did, because you really -- it could have been a lot worse, could it not?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Yeah, I could have gone anywhere, I think. I mean, it was going everywhere. (Laughs).

You know, it was one of those days. I made some putts when I had to. I hit some great shots out the of the rough, actually, just to sort of save the round and keep myself in it. Even when I birdied on 16, I was in the rough and actually hit a great shot off there.

So just one of those days. I'm just lucky that the rough was not too thick, because if the rough would have been really thick here today, I would probably be sitting here with about on 80 right now.

So, you know, I was fortunate just to be able to hit some shots out of there.

Q. Why was it such a struggle?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: I don't know. It was just -- I just couldn't get it going. And it wasn't like it was going one way. It was going left and right and left and right. I just couldn't figure out what was going on. Just never really got in the groove all day.

Q. What do you think was the one hole or shot that sort of turned you around in the right direction?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: It was sort of just hanging in there the whole time. I hit a great shot on 12 out of the left rough that I rolled up there. Didn't make the putt, but at least I was on the green. And then on the next hole, I finally hit a good tee shot and then I missed green. But I made a great bunker shot and made the putt.

So I would say those two holes definitely kept me in it. And then being able to come back and birdie 16 and 18, that was a huge finish. Those two shots are going to be so important for me for tomorrow.

Q. You get to be in the final group with Annika and Karrie tomorrow.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Yeah. Exciting.

Q. How do you feel about that? Are you excited? Hope that everybody looks at them and kind of forgets about you?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: No. I think I will be very excited. I think today just coming in this last hole, I felt like I got great support from the crowd. I just hope I can get the crowd on my side tomorrow, because I think that would mean a lot, just get people to cheer me on.

Obviously, I haven't been in this position for a while, and then to get paired with Karrie and Annika, it's going to be -- I mean, I know I'm going to be nervous, that's for sure. Just try to stay focused, and obviously, I'm going to have to try to play the golf course tomorrow and try to forget who I'm playing with, and hope the crowd is on my side and keeps me in there and cheering me on.

Q. It's not like you have not won before, but it has been a while; what do you think you'll have to do to battle the nerves? Do you have any little tricks up your sleeve?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: For me, it's going to be a lot of breathing going on tomorrow. Just trying to do some deep breaths and try to really say calm.

I know I'm going to be nervous. I was nervous today, so I can only imagine how I'm going to feel coming in. But I think the key right now for me is just to go out and try to find my driving. I will definitely be much happier going only home and going to sleep tomorrow knowing that I'm driving the ball well. Just if I can come off to a good start, too, would obviously help a lot, just for the confidence, the first couple of holes, and that was a struggle today. Like on the first I left it way out right, the second hole I left it way out right, and the same on the third hole I left it way out right. So I never really got it going all day.

So, some good tee shots tomorrow, come off to a good start and hopefully I'll be able to calm down a little bit.

Q. How often did you play here over the winter? Was it three times a week?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: No. I came out for the weekends most of the time. I think I probably got a good -- close to ten rounds in or so. I mean, at least I got -- I think during those ten rounds was good, because all of the -- the greens was always different and I got to do a lot of putting and I feel like I'm quite comfortable on the greens, sort of learning the breaks. I would say the speed has been pretty much the same, which is unusual. Most courses you go and play in advance, the greens are not quite that fast, but these greens, they are always nice like this. So that was good.

LAURA NEAL: Let's go over your scorecard card, please.

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: Okay. I had a bogey on No. 3. I had a 5-iron just short of the green and I chipped it up to nine feet and missed that putt.

Then I bogeyed 8 which I was just on the back left of the green and it was a weird lie. Actually had to putt it -- putted off the front of the green because I could not really go for the hole. I was trying to just putt it, so I was going to have like a pin-high put coming back and had to putt it off the green and I had to chip it back to five feet and made that putt for bogey. So that was a big save there.

No. 10, I missed my tee shot right. Chipped it out to the middle of the fairway. I had about 100 yards in and hit it up to 20 feet. 2-putted for bogey.

And then finally some birdies coming in here. Birdie on 16. That was an 8-iron to about 18 feet.

Birdied 18, where I hit the perfect shot, it was a sand wedge to about five inches just short of the hole.

Q. What did you hit off the tee at 18?

LISELOTTE NEUMANN: 7-wood. I had 7-wood, 7-wood, sand wedge.

LAURA NEAL: Thank you very much.

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