U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 24, 1994

Patty Sheehan

LES UNGER: Now we are proud to bring up here the United States Women's Open Champion for the second time, Patty Sheehan.

PATTY SHEEHAN: Oh, gosh.

LES UNGER: I am just 5'3" and I am too small and all this business. I have to keep with my game plan. So now that we are past those statistics, how do you feel?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I feel great. I feel wonderful. I am glad that I don't have to go into a playoff tomorrow.

LES UNGER: Was this any lighter or heavier than the last time?

PATTY SHEEHAN: You know, it was -- well, it is heavier because the top is on it.

LES UNGER: You were wearing it the last time.

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah, they wouldn't let me wear it this time.

LES UNGER: Was your game plan exactly as you said yesterday?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Well, I tried. I certainly didn't hit the ball as well as I have the last three days. The wind was a little bit stronger today, and I have problems with left to right wind, and I hit some really poor shots when I got into those left to right wind situations out there. I hit a bad drive on 6, hit a bad drive on 8, hit a bad shot on 9, and made a great par on 8, great bogey on 9. And, you know, I really hung in there. My putter saved me today. I putted very well. And it is just a great feeling to be able to have my name on there again. You know, there is names like Mickey Wright and Susie Berning and Betsy King and Hollis Stacy, you know, Patty Berg and Betsy Rawls has been on there several times. I tell you what, there are names on here that have repeated as the U. S. Open champions, and to do it at this day and age is really amazing. Betsy and I having done this most recently, and it is a great thrill. It is a wonderful feeling to be the U.S. Open champion again. Quite a different scenario, although, getting here.

LES UNGER: Before questions, do we need a hole by hole?

Q. Yes.

PATTY SHEEHAN: Boring. All right. Let us see. 3, I hit an 8-iron, it was a little bit downwind. I believe it was 142 yards. I hit an 8-iron, hit it about six inches away, made that for birdie. Number 5 I hit a 4-iron over the green; got it up and down, made about a six footer for par there. 6, I drove it left. Hit an 8-iron out to the fairway, hit a sand wedge in and lipped out my putt and made bogey there. 7, 2-putt par. 8, drove it into the heavy fescue on the right. Hit a 9-iron out. Chipped it to about 15 feet, made that for par. 9, I hit a 4-wood to a good position in the fairway. Then I tried to punch a 6-iron, came off of it, the ball was in the back furthermost part of the bunker and I couldn't swing at it very well. So tried to take it out to the right; still didn't hit it very well and just hit it in the grass just outside the bunker. I had ended up in a hole, hit a pitching wedge just a little, you know, pop, pitching wedge out to about seven feet, made that for a bogey. 2-putt pars on 10, 11 and 12. 13, I hit a 4-wood over the green, chipped it to about three feet made that for par. 15, I hit a driver, 4-wood, sand wedge short of the green, chipped that to about three feet, made that for par. 16, I hit driver in the right rough. Had 171 yards, hit a 7-iron, and the ball ended up about five feet to the right of the hole and I made that for birdie. 17, I hit a 2-iron, 2-putt par. And 18, I hit my drive in the rough; hit an 8-iron and 2-putted for par.

Q. How long was the last putt at 18?

PATTY SHEEHAN: About four feet.

Q. How long was the first one?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Longer.

Q. Any idea?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah, it was probably 30 feet.

Q. Patty, considering the course toughness of today, the wind and the fast greens, would you say if you were to assess the whole day, that saves maybe were what brought you to where you are right now as opposed to anything else you mentioned; 8, 9 being in the grass, all that?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah, it was a difficult day out there and, you know, saves were very important obviously, but, you know, the good solid pars are always important too. It is hard to single out, you know, any particular parts of the game because I think of it all as one. But it was very important to get it up-and-down for pars and particularly that bogey on 9, and then I think 16 was probably pretty key too.

Q. Does this give you the impetuous of wanting to put your name on the trophy a lot more times?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah, it kind of wets your whistle; makes you yearn for that little engraving on the side there, a little bit more.

Q. Patty, when you drove it into the right rough at 8, did you have a flash back to '89 at all or did you --

PATTY SHEEHAN: Well, I guess because people kept reminding me of that, you know, filling my head full of terrible shots. I didn't really remember much about '89 because I was so sick. But yeah, it does, you know, kind of deja vu. I did not want to hit it out of bounds like I did in '89 and, you know, I played the hole very well after that.

Q. Is this particularly gratifying and in lieu of what happened in 1989 being in contention for so long and then dropping out?

PATTY SHEEHAN: It is gratifying and I have had so many near misses in the Open and so many disappointments in the Open that you know, that not only that sticks out in my mind, but you know, 1990 has always been there. I came close in, oh gosh, in '83, '91. It is just -- it is a tournament that I have always wanted to win because it is on probably the most difficult golf course that we play all year long. So in that respect it is gratifying. It is gratifying to be able to come back from those disappointments.

Q. Where between difficult and impossible is the bunker shot at 9 and if I understand your comments earlier, the moment you see that position you are playing for bogey; you decided -- did you say earlier you were playing away from the hole?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I was playing away from the hole.

Q. How far?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Well, I was playing to the right of the hole which you know, if I were to get it on the green then I would have a very, very difficult putt for par. But I just didn't -- I hit the ball very cleanly. It was sitting down in the bunker and it was on the you know, downhill lie and side-hill and there is grass behind me. It was just really an ugly lie, and I was very, very happy with the bogey there after how I hit the shot out of the bunker and where it ended up in the hole and in the side of the face of the bunker there.

Q. Did you expect Alfredsson to maybe get back in a little bit today after yesterday's round and having gone through what you had gone through in 1990 what advice or words can you offer to her to kind of come back?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I took 1990 as a positive-- turned it into a positive and I learned so much from it. I guess all I can say to her is you know, I understand what she went through and to just take it as a learning experience and she will be a better player for having gone through that experience. I am sure you will see her in those situations next time being very strong and very confident and probably much more relaxed.

Q. Did you expect her to kind of get back in it today?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I didn't really give it much thought. I guess -- no, I just didn't think about it. I was more worried about myself than anyone else.

Q. What was going through your mind at 16 when you made the birdie going up by 1 with two holes to go?

PATTY SHEEHAN: You know, try to stick with the game plan and try to get it on the green on 17 and hopefully hit a good drive on 18. You know, those are the key shots on those holes.

Q. Patty, did you think Tammie's putt on 18 was in?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Well, I was standing to the side and it was looking pretty good. My heart started beating pretty hard when I knocked it in the rough off the tee and really didn't stop beating hard until after I made the putt on 18. So you know, she gave me a scare and she was tough all day. She played very, very well.

Q. The putt at 18 was that straight in or much break on that one?

PATTY SHEEHAN: A little left to right. I played it inside left edge.

Q. Patty, are you surprised shooting par to win?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Not really. After yesterday's experience, you know, shooting a couple under and then getting into the lead, I really am not that surprised. It was a difficult day out there and I knew that scores were not going to be very low.

Q. Were you looking for a lake to jump in on 18?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I was just so excited. I never done that before and it was a lot of fun. I didn't want to jump in a little lake, no.

Q. That is too big a green to run all the way around?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I know, it is half a mile.

Q. Kind of obscure question. You have your name on the trophy twice in three years; you mentioned three or four really, almost. At this point in your career, if somebody were to assess Patty Sheehan's golf game, how would you like to look at that in a short amount of time?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Oh, boy. How would I assess it. I don't know. It is hard for me to put it into words other than. . .

LES UNGER: Are you content?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Am I content? I don't know if I am content right yet. I think I still have more to do. I am only 37, 5" 3.

LES UNGER: 115?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I wish. You know, it has just been a wonderful career. I am in the Hall of Fame and I won the Open twice and the LPGA championship three times and it is-- and the British Open, you know, I was pretty proud of that too. It has been a great career and I don't think that I am going to be very happy with what I have done right now. I need to keep going and doing the things that make me happy and that is to play well and being in contention in tournaments.

Q. You said something earlier about your class reunion?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah.

Q. Did you miss that today?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I missed it all weekend, darn it.

Q. What were the school colors?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Red and white. Wooster Colts.

Q. The high school?

PATTY SHEEHAN: 20 years, whoa!

Q. The name of the high school?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Wooster. In Reno. And I didn't finish first in the class either. I was down the list a little bit.

LES UNGER: Are we going to see you next year here?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I am going to be at the Broadmoor, God willing. Thank you all very much. It has been great.

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