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CHICK-FIL-A CHARITY CHAMPIONSHIP


April 25, 2003


Cristie Kerr


STOCKBRIDGE, GEORGIA

Q. What do you have to do to play this course well?

CRISTIE KERR: You have to be on the top of your game here. Greens are not overly big. They can (inaudible) like 10 today, which was our first hole. They put 10 in a tough spot. You have to be precise with your iron shots, a lot of birdie opportunities, really good golf course. I've played here every year that I've been on tour.

Q. Does this course test all the facets of your game?

CRISTIE KERR: It does. You have to hit a variety of different shots. You have to work the ball off the tee left to right, right to left, you have to hit different types of shots on the greens, you know, a fairway wood maybe on number -- that's a long -- that's long, today I hit a 5-iron. I think we put our tees a little up on the hole, but you have to hit a lot of different kinds of shots.

Q. And you have to play in a lot of different weather conditions too.

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, you know, I actually got up this morning and I didn't think we were going to play. I was in the fitness room this morning trying to start my normal routine and looking at the weather channel, and I didn't think there was any way we'd get nine holes done. You ask anybody, they thought it was going to be a wash until the forecast changed.

I worked out, did 45 minutes of cardio, did my legs pretty hard, and did some ab stuff, and luckily I had about four hours before my tee time and I got a nap in, so I was able to rest, but that's a long day.

Q. Your approach shot on nine, what'd you have left there?

CRISTIE KERR: I hit it like 85 yards, we played the up tee on that because it's just (inaudible) middle of the (inaudible) everybody hit bad shots into that green, we were just rushing trying to get done. I think we all made par and we were quite happy that we were just done.

Q. What'd you leave yourself there?

CRISTIE KERR: You know, I actually hit it -- like I had 85 to the hole, and I flew it 81, which is where I wanted to fly it, I hit it a little right of the pin so it hit the ridge and another half a yard, it -- that's the kind of day it was, every fairway, every green I had 33 putts. I had a lot of fun, actually. It looked like a really nice -- turned out to be a nice day until the end. I also missed quite a few putts on my back nine.

Q. How long was your putt on nine?

CRISTIE KERR: 15 feet.

Q. So, are you saying you played better than you scored?

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I played a little better than I scored. I hit every green. I had a lot of putts from about 10 feet, right around 10, 12 feet that I missed. I think I hit one bad putt just because it was either a misread, which is going to happen, or, you know, it would hit something and just kind of dart off at the last second.

Q. At least you don't have to come back tomorrow and finish a couple of holes before starting your second round.

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, it's nice. Definitely fortunate to have been in the morning -- morning wave. I think everybody -- when we teed off we were thinking, you know, we made the turn, and we were thinking we'll get two more holes in, and it didn't seem to come and it held off long enough.

Q. Is this a grinder-type of day?

CRISTIE KERR: It's definitely -- you have to kind of just go with the flow and understand the circumstances that, you know, we definitely want to get in 54 holes for the tournament. This tournament gets hammered every year with rain and we feel so bad about it. I think next year it will be a four-day so that will be better, but we want to get in the whole tournament, and we're amazed that year after year the first round or the second round, it's like deja vu.

Q. I guess next year we'll have four days to get in 54 holes.

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I played with -- i played with Sonny, who is the vice president of Chick-fil-A yesterday, and I said that's about right, you'll change it to a four-day event and it won't rain.

Q. You'll probably have a long day on Sunday. Would you rather have it then or get it out of the way early?

CRISTIE KERR: Well, I haven't heard what the LPGA and the tournament office want to do as far as getting in the tournament by the end of Sunday. I've heard it potentially could go to Monday. I haven't really heard anything. I just got off the golf course.

Q. (Inaudible).

CRISTIE KERR: How are they going to do that?

Q. Finish second round in the morning on Monday, do the same, make the cut, and people --

CRISTIE KERR: We have to finish everybody by tomorrow evening, right, for the second -- second round, no?

Q. No.

CRISTIE KERR: It could spill over to Sunday morning, and then make the cut, but I don't know if I'm going to make my 8:00 flight out of Atlanta on Sunday.

Q. Might be shaky on that.

CRISTIE KERR: Absolutely. The economy is kind of tough right now, and I had my best year last year financially, 12th on the money list, breaking through and winning, and you have to look at what's important to you.

I'm having more fun doing what I'm doing now than I have for a long time and working harder than I ever have. I'm just having fun. I figure it will come. I'm not too worried. And if you worry about stuff like that instead of playing your game, and working hard, and trying to attain that perfection, that's not attainable, you got to play the game for the right reasons.

Q. Is your golf bag also blank?

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I actually -- Callaway was kind enough to send me a bag to make me look professional, and I'm carrying that now, and I have another bag which does not have logos which is on the way.

Q. Can you talk about what makes Sophie Gustafson so good on this golf course?

CRISTIE KERR: She's extremely long, and she's a great player, she's won a couple times, she's won here before. She has a great history on this golf course. That definitely helps. That definitely helps.

Q. (Inaudible).

CRISTIE KERR: I think Candie Kung is American, isn't she? She's got an American flag on her bag. Yeah, Candie Kung is American. I think she's Taiwanese or something like that, but she's an American citizen. She could make our Solheim Cup.

Q. Is it getting tougher to win out there now since you have so many different people winning?

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I think -- i think it is getting more difficult to win. The caliber of play is just getting better year after year, and the LPGA is working with the tournament to make the golf courses better, and you're seeing lower and lower scores, and I think that's such a good thing for the game of golf. It's tough under conditions like this but the greens (inaudible) they did a great job to even get us out there playing to make our -- to tee off at 12:00.

Q. How are the course conditions out there?

CRISTIE KERR: They are wet. Wet and some of the greens in the front nine are a little bumpy. They've had the wettest winter in a long time. I stay with friends on the golf course, and they did the best they could do. The greens are fine, just a little bit bumpy at spots.

Q. Score card real quick. Do you want to start on --

CRISTIE KERR: 10 because I --

Q. Birdie on 12.

CRISTIE KERR: I hit a 6-iron to about 4 feet, made that.

Q. Another one on 13.

CRISTIE KERR: I hit a sand wedge about probably 6 feet and made that.

Q. Bogey on 16.

CRISTIE KERR: Three putts.

Q. How far was your (inaudible) up there?

CRISTIE KERR: About 8 feet.

Q. And 18?

CRISTIE KERR: 18 I hit driver 3-wood, almost made it from the fairway, and then I didn't hit it -- not a good putt. I hit it through the breaks but I had 10, 12 foot for eagle and 2-putted.

Q. 1?

CRISTIE KERR: 1, I hit -- what did I hit on 1? I hit like a grip 7-iron about 20 feet and made that from above the hole, and then I hit, on 11, a sand wedge from -- i don't remember, 75 yards, probably (inaudible) and then I made that (inaudible).

Q. On a day like today?

CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, it is.

Q. All right. Well, thanks.

End of FastScripts....

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