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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 26, 2005

Lorena Ochoa

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, COLORADO

Q. (NBC) You made four birdies, got yourself in position. What went wrong with the tee shot on 18?

LORENA OCHOA: Poor club selection. I hit a 3-wood. It was all the pressure to try to make an easy swing. I get too quick with my hands and make a hook to the water.

Q. (NBC) You have been hitting your 3-wood really well and your driver all day. Did you just get a little ahead of yourself maybe?

LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think it was downwind, the fairways are getting harder and yesterday we hit 3-wood and we were close to go down to the water.

Just like you said I was hitting it good, so we didn't hesitate, just grab the 3-wood trying to make a good swing. But at the same time I knew I need to hit easy one. If much downwind, make easy swing and my hands got me.

Q. (NBC) Johnny Miller said, if you could have parred 18 you had a 75% of winning the championship, how devastating is it for you?

LORENA OCHOA: It is hard to realize right now. I just gave it away, the tournament. I fought so hard for 71 holes and just the last one, you know, I feel really sad and that's the way golf is.

Q. 3 under for the day, 3 over for the tournament. You look up at the scoreboard. What were you thinking at that point?

LORENA OCHOA: That I was going to win the tournament. I just kept myself very positive all day. I knew I need to go low and make a lot of birdies to give myself a chance. I had in my mind about 2 over to have a chance to go in the playoff and after I make three birdies at the beginning on the back nine, I just keep it going, you are in a good position, and when I walk on the 17 green, and I saw that the players were already 3 over, just give myself a big opportunity to win this tournament.

Q. A lot of people are making a lot of bogeys out there. What is different about the course today that might make it more difficult for the other players?

LORENA OCHOA: Just Sunday at the Open, it's amazing, what it can do for you, all the pressure out there and the gallery expectations, you have to -- you want to try to make birdies but at the end it is about pars. You have to make as many pars as you can, and this is a great experience.

Q. Can you walk us through what you were trying on the tee at 18?

LORENA OCHOA: Nothing. I just stepped out there put my tee, grab my 3-wood, I was hitting really good my 3-wood. I hit 16, 17 just straight 3-wood, and now that I think, of course, I should have hit a 5-wood or a rescue just to put the ball in play and give myself a chance to make a par.

Just I learned from myself when I get under pressure, I get too quick with my hands and I knew 3-wood it could be a little bit too much. So I just tried to make an easy swing and my hands got me in that swing.

Q. Did you hit it a little bit fat?

LORENA OCHOA: I did, a little bit behind and kind of drop kick.

Q. Your emotions right now? Obviously a difficult time.

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, very difficult. Just trying to win the Women's U.S. Open is the best thing for a golfer. I just gave the tournament away. I had a pretty good chance and I was feeling really good.

Q. Is this the moist disappointed you felt leaving a golf course?

LORENA OCHOA: From a tournament?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes.

Q. How strange is it to have played so well all day and then have it all fall apart in one shot?

LORENA OCHOA: This is the way golf is. I tried really hard and tried to do my best and I was fighting a lot for 71 holes, and all of a sudden just in the last one, you know, you give everything away, so it is a humble game, you have to learn from it.

Q. Up until 18 what started really working for you on the back nine?

LORENA OCHOA: I think I just decided to win the tournament, just give yourself a little bit window, opening, make birdies and put yourself in good position. It is a great feeling to be out there and having a chance to win the tournament.

Q. Did you gain strength on that back nine thinking about last week? You were kind of in that same mode, six, seven birdies?

LORENA OCHOA: Yeah. What happened last week it helped me a lot, and especially today we were five shots behind from the lead and when you are in an Open those five -- are three because it's a difficult course and the circumstances, last week five behind from 12 holes to play, you just keep me going and got me motivated. I knew I had play good the back nine and get the tournament. I was very positive out there.

Q. Are the greens faster today or about the same?

LORENA OCHOA: I think about the same. I keep leaving my putts short. I don't know if just I thought they would be really, really fast, just trying to hit really soft, and I left maybe two putts short on line and little frustrated. These greens are hard, especially the ball kind of jumps a little bit.

Q. When Annika was going for her third straight Open, she didn't get it, but she said that appearance helped her at a later point of her career. Do you think today's experience is going to help you somewhere down the road?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes. I am sure, hopefully. Yes, just the way I am pretty new up here and trying to win a tournament, just the way you feel your body and how you are under pressure, the adrenaline, all those things, you know, it's going to happen again for sure.

End of FastScripts.

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