MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 1, 2003

Lorena Ochoa

PAUL ROVNAK: Lorena, thank you for joining us after your round, a good round, five birdies, no bogeys. I think you are the only person at the top of the leader board that has a bogey-free round.

What was the game plan today and how did you avoid trouble, like you usually do, just go along and just birdie after birdie?

LORENA OCHOA: Well, I hit my driver very, very good. I think it's this golf course. The fairways are narrow and the rough is high. So if you are in a position to get to the green, it's very, very hard I think. I just missed 2 fairways today. Both of the time I had a pretty good lie on the ball so that made it easier.

Q. You talked earlier about getting better in the first round, is that just part of the experience of playing each of these tournaments?

LORENA OCHOA: I think, yes, it helped me a lot very much playing with Grace and Juli. They are very good players and they have a lot of experience out there, and I think that helped my game to be better, to play good. That's my goal right now to have a first good round, because I start slow, I did today, so I'm extremely happy with my day and hopefully I will have a good week.

Q. Do you feel like this is a pretty tough course compared to the other ones that you have had this year?

LORENA OCHOA: When we played a major at Mission Hills was a tough course, California was a tough course. We have pretty hard courses out there. The wind started blowing and it was tough the last couple of holes. It is a very good challenging golf course.

Q. With the first round you said a lot of times you had to play even better during the weekend to make up those shots, does this take a lot of pressure off yourself?

LORENA OCHOA: I'm just going to try things one day at a time. Another thing, if I'm leading the tournament or close to the lead, I think for this tournament there are many holes out there, just try to be patient, you know, get in a good position for the weekend and, hopefully, you know I can play good.

Q. Is there a hole out there that even though it's just the first round that you can sort of look at it and know instinctively that this may be a hole in which the tournament is decided on Sunday of a critical hole, for example?

LORENA OCHOA: The finishing holes, 16, 17 and 18 are great holes to finish. Certainly anything can happen out there. As I say it depends a lot on your tee shot. If you have a good tee shot, you are going to be fine. So I think that's going to be something that really helps a lot of players if you hit it straight from the tee.

Q. How did the wind impact on 17, your shot selection at 17 today?

LORENA OCHOA: I started on the back nine so I have 7, 8 and 9 to finish. It was coming hard into the wind. Especially on the eighth. And I feel my second shot on the 9th, I hit a seven on the eighth and an eight on the 9. So they were short.

Q. I'm sorry, I meant the par-3, 17 hole, the one that runs by the river?

LORENA OCHOA: 17 was running a lot right to left, I hit a 5-iron and I hit it good.

Q. Did you have a tricky lie for your second shot on 9 that was on the fringe, was it below your feet, is that a tough shot?

LORENA OCHOA: My ball was in -- I took a shot and tried to hit a lob up. A little bit left-to-right and I worked it. I hit it good.

Q. An 8-iron?

LORENA OCHOA: 8-iron, yes.

Q. Annika said a little while ago she thought the key to this golf course was playing the par-5s and getting as much out of them as you could. I see you birdied 2 of them today, would you agree with that?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, for sure. I agree with that. Actually, I was really close on No. 7. I think that is one of the easiest par-5s out there. And I had probably 185 to the green. I was on the rough on the right side and I couldn't hit it in 2. I had a tough lay up. It's tricky that fairway. I didn't make birdie there. Yes, I agree with that.

PAUL ROVNAK: Anymore questions?

Q. Your tee shot at No. 3, did that leave you with no opportunity to go for that green in 2?

LORENA OCHOA: My tee shot on No. 3, the par-5. I hit the best driver, I hit 180 yards to the pin and I hit a 4-iron, but it was like sideways, and I couldn't get it to the green, maybe 5 yards before the green and just rolled down.

PAUL ROVNAK: All right. Thank you Lorena.

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