LORENA OCHOA

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Lorena, thanks for coming in and joining us today. You are off to a great season, and now back here at Rochester to defend your title. Can you talk about playing here at Wegmans again this year?
LORENA OCHOA: Hello, everybody. I'm excited to be here. I love this course. I love Rochester, it has been great to me. So hopefully we are going to do it one more year.

I got here yesterday and got a good practice. I feel comfortable with the course and the way I'm hitting the ball, and I just wanted to be ready for everything.

We don't know how the weather is going to be. I'm prepared for that. Either way, I need to be positive and excited and get ready for Thursday morning and tee off and give myself a chance to win the tournament on Sunday.

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Last week you had an off week, and I'm sure you went home to Mexico to visit and spend some time with you family and your coach. How did you spend the off week?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I was there for the whole week. I rest the first couple of days. I went and practiced on Wednesday with my coach. We practiced very intensive for Wednesday and Thursday. And on the weekend, just a couple of hours, in between spending time with the family and friends and relaxing.

It's been kind of weird the last few weeks. I've been on and off playing one tournament then having a week off, another tournament, and a week off. I feel good now that I'm going to have two weeks in a row. These two weeks are really big, and I am going to make sure I get a good rhythm and feel comfortable with my game.

I practiced a lot of my short game last week to get comfortable with that and improve a little with my coach, so I feel better now and I can't wait to start playing.

Q. Lorena, you've finished in the Top 10, 9 out of 10 events this year. Do you approach each week like you are the player to beat?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I just play every week to win. I cannot think how the other players think. I only do my game, and I'm in a cycle where I can win every tournament I play. I always try to be aggressive and give myself a good chance. It's been a great year. I'm enjoying it a lot but I want to keep the pace, and I want to win more tournaments and break a few more records. I need to continue that.

Q. How much has the success changed your life? Did you expect so much success so quickly in your career?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, it didn't happen quickly. This is already my sixth year. I think everything is a process. I think you first are have to set some high goals and just give yourself a chance and really be patient. It doesn't happen in one year, a few months. You need to struggle a lot, learn and get better. This is already my sixth year.

We have some goals when I first turned professional, we knew it would take four or five years to get to the top and be the No. 1 player. So this is where we are right now, and I would like to stay there for a few years.

About my life changing, it's changing a little bit. But like I said, it's been a process, everything. So I am learning that. Sometimes it's tough because I don't have the time off, or the free time I used to have before. But it's part of the package, so you have to do it and you have to be happy.

Q. What suits your game with this course, you have had success here that course? What maybe is the thing that this course suits your game for? What is it about this course that you've had so much success?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I like just the way it's set up. I love all of the golf courses, just traditionally which a lot of tree lines and tight fairways. I like poa annua greens. I play poa annua greens in Mexico, so that helped a lot. I think everything, just the atmosphere, they cheer so much. I am close with Colleen Wegman. We appreciate the support from the Wegman's family, and just feeling comfortable here.

Q. Lorena, you have had two deaths in your family in the last month, that would be hard on anyone, what has that been like for you and just how have you kept it from being a distraction on the course?
LORENA OCHOA: It's been tough. It's been really tough. I was just happy I was able to go home. I think with my family, what is more important, my priority. I think especially my uncle, was a surprise, and it was hard to understand, but that's the way it is.

I think it makes me realize how lucky and fortunate I am to do what I do and the love I feel and the support I feel, not only from my family, but from everybody even in Mexico and here in the states.

I guess now they have a good place in heaven to watch me play, front row. It's a great motivation for me. I'm going to take it the best way just to play really with a lot of heart.

And like I say I want to continue this year with a good result and keep winning tournaments, so that's going to motivate me.

Q. People out here talk about how you are always happy. People can be rude, it doesn't affect you, you can have bad things happen, you just never seem to have a down day. When you are angry or sad, what do you do? Where to you go? What can you do to let it out?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I'm a person, of course I get a lot of downs and tears and sometimes just feel not very motivated. It's just the way life is. To me it's easy to enjoy when I'm out here because it's what I love to do. I just wake up every day. Even yesterday I spent a week at home, even yesterday I was hitting balls on the range with Dave, my caddy, and I say I love to play golf.

It's so nice to be with a person you enjoy being around, with Dave, my caddy, being in a beautiful place. It can't get better. And I think it's a blessing to do this for a living. That's why I enjoy it so much.

Don't believe that I'm always happy. I have that for sure always in my head, you always try to be nice with others and get respect that way. I just love to play golf.

Q. Lorena, you said how much this tournament in Rochester means to you. Nancy Lopez and Patty Sheehan are the only ones to win it three or more times. If you are able to do that this week, what would that mean for you to join that company here in Rochester?
LORENA OCHOA: It is very much for sure one of my goals. And I would love to do it. I'm not going to go too far ahead and just take one day at a time, and we will see on Sunday. Hopefully it will happen. It's all about breaking records and being next to those big names is very special.

Q. Lorena, can you tell us about the exchange you had with Nancy before she teed off this morning? I saw you gave her a hug and you talked a little bit.
LORENA OCHOA: She wrote an article in Sports Illustrated.

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Time.
LORENA OCHOA: For Time magazine, I was wrong. And it was a great article. I love it. She said some nice things about me. It just means a lot, because I admire her a lot and follow her career, and it's the first time I saw her today for the first time after the article so I had to go say hi and thank her for the nice comments that she had.

Q. Has it been a difficult adjustment for you to get used to all of the things outside golf; these interview requests, appearances, all of the things you have to do around the tour as the No. 1 player?
LORENA OCHOA: Very difficult for sure. Nothing is easy. The same as winning tournaments, and the same as trying to do the things I have to do with the sponsors and the media. It's hard sometimes. But I always try to do it with the best attitude. I'm always trying to help in any way I can.

And like I said, if you want to win, a lot of things I can with a win, so you do them with a smile on your face. It's been good. It's been learning experience but it's been good.

Q. You probably have a selfish answer for this, is it a good thing for The Tour to have one player who dominates as much as you do?
LORENA OCHOA: I can't answer that. I like to be that player that dominates. I think it's always excited. I think it's always fun. It's goods it's good for the media and the sponsors.

We are in a stage right now where there are so many good players, it's not only me, but there are so many good players behind.

I'm still not in that stage. I still need to do a lot more things to really dominate and I am working go on it.

Q. What did the Pope give you after your victory at St. Andrew's? I heard he gave you a gift.
LORENA OCHOA: The Pope?

Q. Is that true?
LORENA OCHOA: No, that's not true. I didn't hear directly from the Pope, but I got a few things like a rosary. I have a picture from the Pope with a blessing. It actually happened before the British. So, yes, I'm Catholic and I am very close and I always try to be involved with the religion and I feel a lot of support, but not after the British, no.

Q. How old were you or when did you realize that golf is what you were put on earth to do?
LORENA OCHOA: I think when I was 13, 14. I first played a lot of different sports and then when I was about 13 I had a problem with my wrist and I was playing a lot of basketball. Then I played a few golf tournaments that I didn't play good, and I didn't like the feeling of losing, and I thought I really wanted to win. I want to be the best, and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Just pick a sport, it doesn't have to be golf. Just spend all of your time and effort practicing golf.

So then I choose golf, and I stick with that, and I am happy that I made the right decision. I think it's been easy in a way because I always knew that I wanted to be a professional golfer.

I keep asking, what is the next step? I first play Junior Golf; then I go to the states to play college, then turned professional. So I knew it was easy. I was lucky.

Q. You say it was easy and yet it wasn't like there was a lot of people that had come before you to have taken that path; so there were no people who really had done what you're doing, so what made you think it was easy?
LORENA OCHOA: I mean easy in a way of I never doubt it. There is people, they finish, they are 18 or 20 and they have no idea where they want to study, or where they want to live. And I always knew. It was just simple. I didn't struggle doubting or spending time debating on what should I do.

It was clear to me that I wanted to be a golfer, and I wanted to be the best.

And in the path it's been very tough with many different up and downs and good and bad times but it helps a lot to have a clear goal and just go for it.

Q. You talked about this being a record breaking year for you. What would you like to achieve this year? At least 8 wins? Maybe 9 wins?
LORENA OCHOA: Maybe more. It will be a surprise, you will see at the end of the year.

Q. Any other things that you are targeting?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, of course, scoring average, I would like to stay and break the record under 70. For sure win more tournaments. We have a couple of Majors coming. I don't want to put numbers in. How about if I just win all of them.

I just take want to take one week at a time. That's where I am going to concentrate and we will see. Hopefully I will achieve what I want to achieve at the end of the year.

Q. You talk about your ups and downs in your career, is there anything that you regretted or you would have done differently up to this point?
LORENA OCHOA: No, that's a good question. Sometimes when you struggle, and you have a bad tournament, or you made a bad decision at the moment, at that time, you are like, oh my God, why did this happen to me and why did I make this decision? And it's hard to understand at that time. But a few years later, where I am today, you really understand that everything happen for a reason. That's the way it needed to be done. That's who I am today. And I understand that.

I think, like I said, I think it's been a blessing to play golf and what I'm doing right now, I'm too lucky, and I am very thankful and I wants to continue it.

Q. Lorena, Annika Sorenstam set the bar so high in women's golf and then you elevated that even further, what's it going to be like without Annika on Tour and kind of push everybody next year as well?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, we don't know. I admire so much Annika. And I think I'm going to miss her a lot. I feel the loss inside an and outside the golf course. We are missing a really big name. I'm sure it's going to have an impact on the Tour.

But at the same time there is always new names that are coming. I always said when Annika moves on I want to stay there. I want my name to be up there. I'm working for that. I think right now what we can do is just enjoy her as much as we can, every week, just try to spend time with her and watch her play.

I'm going to try to give her a hard time on the golf course, have a good competition, and I would like to win. I would like to stay at the top. So it's going to be a fun year.

Q. So since you are at the top and you try to keep yourself dedicated, what do you do to push yourself to get to the next level?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, just like I've been doing every year, always try to stay one step ahead, just working extra hard. There is not any other way to do it. You have to make sure that you get your practice in and that's my priority.

I always try, even if I have a lot of activities, always get my rest and my practice because that's the most important thing and always stay motivated.

I have goals for this week and next week, and I am going to do it like that all the time, because if you lose your goals, the motivation, it is hard to improve.

Q. As you become more famous is it getting harder for you to spend time with family and friends and practice at home? Is that perhaps your biggest concern that this would be how your life changes?
LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think for sure that's the one thing that I have the hardest time just making that sacrifice because my family, they've been they are the most important thing. So you need to learn how to do it. Instead of like going home and staying there, maybe we all go three or four days to the beach and have some quality time and maybe go to a lake and spend time in the boat.

So we are all learning on how is the best way to do it. I think they think the same thing. So they are always trying to, you are coming in for a couple of weeks, what do you want to do, should we go out a couple of days, or do you want to stay in?

It's been hard, but I think because it's my priority, I will always find a way to do it. I will never give up that.

Q. Many people desire to be to the top, to get to the top, but it seems few enjoy it once they do get there. Do you still enjoy it?
LORENA OCHOA: I think I will play golf as long as I enjoy it. It's impossible to be here if you don't enjoy it. Everything will go down quick. That's why I always try to be myself and try to be happy and if I need to rest, I rest. If I need to go home, I go home. And I always try to give back a balance. If you do that, that's the best way to do it. To make sure you are happy and motivated and continue that.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM

MIKE SCANLAN: Annika, thanks for coming in and welcome back to Rochester. You are having a great season with three wins, second on the Money List, and you announced earlier this year that you will be stepping away from competitive golf. Just talk about being back at Locust Hill.
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I will be happy to. I am glad to be here. I always enjoyed coming here. It's a great golf course. It's good to be back because I haven't been back in a while. I didn't want to leave this tournament out my last year.

Like I said, I'm happy to be here and I played the golf course, just walked off the 18th hole. It's playing quite tough, I think, with all of the rain. It is playing a little longer. I think the greens are smaller than they used to be. I'm not really sure why. But it's playing really well.

Q. In the past, it's usually been a schedule that's kept you away, correct?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Correct.

Q. How did you fit it in this year? You said you wanted to come back before you left the Tour, but is that the sole reason, or was it schedule wise where it sits between the Majors and it just fit better this year?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: A lot of reasons. I've always liked it here. In the past it's been tough to get it to work in my schedule. It's always in June, it's in between big tournaments, and now when I am hosting the tournament in Charleston, add another big event. What I think would help it, like I said it's my last year, but having the week off last week. I'm preparing for the (U.S. Women's) Open. It just fit in perfectly. It was one of the first tournaments I put on my schedule. Like I said, I'm happy to be here.

Q. The field this week, too, I mean, I guess every week is a good field on the LPGA now, but in particular this week, I know the officials are very happy with the players that are here this week, the Top 4 in the world, for instance. Are those the kind of tournaments that you play in, and you feel a little more stoked because you know all of the best players are here on a good golf course like this?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I would say that the support that, you know, Wegmans have given throughout the years is another way we get a lot of players here. It's a tough golf course. It's a big purse in preparation for the Open. All of these things add up as to why the good players are here. All of the top players. You have to play some good golf to perform well here.

When you come to a tournament, and you see a good field, it's always fun because you want to play where the top players are playing. It is for competition. That's why I enjoy the game. Like I said, this is really going to be a good week for many reasons.

Q. Annika, can you just talk about the emotional outpouring of people since you made the announcement? And what is it like each tournament you go to; is it another wave of people talking about your legacy and so forth?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think so. First of all, my announcement has been received very well, very positive. Not that they want me to leave, I guess. But in a way that they wish me good luck, and they thank me for what I've done. I felt a lot of support the last month or so and coming here.
I remember the crowds being big. But today's Pro Am, it's early, it was chilly, and I thought we had a ton of people out there. So it's a good feeling when you feel they come out and watch you and support you. It feels good.

Q. We talked to Nancy Lopez just before and she is a little skeptical if you are going to be able to retire forever, because you are such a great competitor, and you are still at the top of your game. Do you think you are going to get that to come back?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: There is a reason why I didn't use the R word, I'm stepping away for now. I am definitely not going to play the next few years, I can tell you that. I have a lot of other things in my life I want to achieve, other priorities, getting married and wanting to start a family. That's where my priorities are right now.

Who knows five or six years from now, if I get the urge to play, I know with my status, being (an LPGA Tour and World Golf) Hall of Fame, I can come back. That's a good thing. We will see. For now, this is what I am going to do.

Q. How do you want people to remember your career?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well somebody who enjoyed the game. Somebody who had sportsmanship. Somebody who enjoyed a challenge and wasn't afraid to face it. I would say the most important thing is I'm living a dream and I hope that comes out because that's really what I feel like I'm doing.

Q. You are here playing against obviously Lorena Ochoa, do you see any comparisons or parallels in her career thus far and how yours has transcended over the years?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say I'm a few years older than her. She went to the University of Arizona. She came out here and won a few tournaments, Player of the Year, I think there are a lot of similarities.

She comes from a country that is different from Sweden with the support they she has. Right now there are three tournaments in Mexico already. She has a great impact on the game. There is no doubt about it. I see a lot of similarities.

Game wise I would say we are a little bit different. I would say I'm more of a thinker on the course, and she plays a lot more with her heart, a lot more feel.

I guess I'm the stoic Swede and she is the emotional Mexican player. But still we get it done.

Q. Was it important for you to step away healthy as opposed to, you know, I'm hurt and I should probably take this opportunity to step away? You are healthy again, you are on top again, to step away now, on your own terms so to speak?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Absolutely. I mean I want to walk away with good memories. I want to walk out with good feelings about the game and what I achieved.

When you can do it, when you're ready, it's a lot better when you are forced to step away. Last year and part of the year before I wasn't ready to step away. I felt like I still had a lot in me.

Now, on the other hand, I've come back from an injury, I know I can do it. That's just very rewarding and satisfying for me. So to walk away what I feel is a good season, and when I am at the top, that makes it all worth it.

Q. Annika, I know communities get paranoid about things like this. But the perception has long been that you didn't like coming here for whatever reason or another, was that ever true that you didn't want to come here to play?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No. If you don't know the reason, I guess that's why it's not true. I have played well here in the past. I like the golf course. It just never fit my schedule. So those perceptions are very wrong.

Q. As you make your fairwell Tour, do you find yourself paying attention to some of the smaller things off to the side that you didn't see before because it's sort of like your lasting around?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I'm here to play the best I can. I am here to win. I am a still competitive. There are certain things I see differently. You have to remember, I am as competitive as it gets. I try to focus on what I need to do and stay inside the ropes and get the job done. I mean that's how you perform out here. I have never been a player that has an eye for everything around it. I'm very, very focused and that continues to be the way I am.

Q. Nancy was talking about this earlier when they asked whether The Tour needed a player to dominate like you have dominated, and she has dominated, and Lorena has dominated, too, part of her answer is, it depends how that player is, whether the crowd embraces the player. She said she remembered a comment you made a couple of years ago, I vaguely remember it too ,That you were asked if anything could be better, and you said, "If I was American." That is the way The Tour would be perceived with you dominating it. Does that have anything to do with it all, do you think?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I think it does. I mean this Tour was started here in the U.S. The founders are American. I'm an American now so I can talk about this as our Tour, and it is great to have international flavor, there is no doubt about it. This is a global Tour, and this is where all of the talent in the world wants to come and perform at the highest level. This is where you play against the best in the world.

I do think it's very, very important to have local, if you know what I mean. It is very important. And I think The Tour is in really good shape.

You have Lorena playing great. But you also have players like Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis; those are just a few upcoming stars that I think a lot of people over here connect to and it's wonderful. You need the flavor of the different people.

Lorena has support in her country and I have support in mine. That's what gets this Tour to become so global recognized. Asian players, they add certain things to our Tour as well.

Q. Annika, I know you are friends with Tiger, can you just talk about what he is going through? He is going to be out for the rest of the year now that they found stress fractures and so forth. Have you had a chance to talk to him?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I heard about it just today. Obviously, I feel bad for him, what he is going through. Just looking at his career, it's obviously amazing, and the performance that we all saw at The Open was just incredible how he just grinded it out. He was literally walking on one leg. It was just a very impressive win. When you are an athlete like that, and you push yourself to these extreme levels, it takes a toll on your body. It takes a toll mentally.

You know, obviously, I'm sure he is bummed about this. But I think it's a good decision. He has so many years ahead of him and so many records to break, that this is obviously the right reason for him, and he will get a chance to recover and come back and be strong again. Because I mean the pain that it looked like he had, who wants to live with that? Hopefully he clears this up.

Q. You obviously feel more comfortable at some courses than others, how would you describe your comfort level here at Locust Hill?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I love this golf course. I always have. I like old traditional courses, narrow fairways, small greens. This is what you get here. This is a combination of long par 4's, short par 4's, reachable par 5s. It's just a great golf course in so many ways where you hit all of the clubs in your bag.
I have had a chance to get into golf course design, and these are some of the courses that I look for. I look for these courses and say, hey, what are they doing that is so great? I have played well here. I have had a few good chances in the past but never really been able to finish.

Q. This is one of the few courses that you haven't beaten so to speak, so does that increase your competitiveness to beat this course?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would love to win here. There is no doubt about it. You just have to play very well to do good here. You have to drive it well, good iron shots. You know, some of these greens being quite severe, you have to be in the right places and have a good feel around the greens. So everything needs to click here. So hopefully this will be the year when it clicks for me.

Q. Have you, do you, or want to go back to Colonial and play that round one more time and get the last laugh on that course?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know, I don't know if I got the last laugh but I did laugh all the way around. It was a great moment in my life and my career, and I learned so much from that, and I will never forget it. I do not have any plans to go back and play it. I was there this year because it was five years ago since I played it. I got a little different feel of the atmosphere, because when I was there, I was just so focused on what I had to do. I saw the course in a different way. But, no, I'm not going to go back there. I wasn't really there to prove anything other than for myself to learn and get better and I thought I achieved that.

Q. You are not using the word retirement, can you see your business ventures, along with starting a family, but all of the different business ventures and branding now of your name, stoking that competitive fire and that becoming something that can keep you passionate outside of playing competitive golf?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Absolutely, I mean, that's the plan. You don't just lose your competitiveness. It just doesn't go away. I think that's one of the reasons why I am stepping away, because I'm so competitive, and knowing when you don't put in the time to practice, and then you go out and play, and you don't perform to the highest level, that's what's killing me.

But I am going to use my fire for other things. I am as competitive as it gets. I am determined to build Annika brand to a huge enterprise and be part of golf in so many ways through my academy, or golf course design, or foundation or hosting events.

Now that I'm going to be part of USGA family, I'm excited about that, just growing the game. So you will see me. That's for sure. Maybe not inside the ropes but I will be around in different ways.

Q. Annika, since your announcement this year there has been a passing of the baton theme, was it harder for you to attain No. 1 or to give it up?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, it's just so different. When I joined the Tour I didn't even know what kind of career I would have. And I got off to a good start and just kept winning and became No. 1 and I was enjoying it very much. It took a lot to maintain it. All I did was sleep and eat golf. That's what it takes.
Now I'm in a different position. I've come back from an injury where you realize that, you know, how precious the body is, and how important it is that everything is working for you to perform on this level.
And now, when I am not No. 1, I appreciate it because it was fun to be up there and being the dominate player. But then also now I'm in a place where I can see certain things in a different way. I was so focused on golf. Now I embrace the whole thing a little bit because I've stepped away from it. And it's just different time in your life when you see things differently. I enjoyed it then, and I am enjoying it now, and I hope I will he continue to enjoy it.

Q. On the pain aspect, and we asked Nancy about this, too, what percentage of players do you think play hurt out there each week?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: You know what, I have no idea. Some players are more vocal about it than others. It's tough to tell.

Q. Was your level of pain last year to the point of maybe what Tiger's was, even though it was in the back?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, my injury, I wasn't really in pain in the beginning. I had a very stiff neck. I was tight in my back. There were symptoms for an injury, but I just didn't know it. I lost my strength. I didn't have the muscle control that I used to have. But it didn't register with me because I never had an injury before. So it took a doctor for me to tell me that I was hurt and I couldn't play.
And when he told me, all of a sudden I was hurting a lot. And then all of a sudden I couldn't do anything for two months and then I started rehab, and then I noticed how weak I was and how I had to start from basics.
You know, Tiger seemed like he was in extreme pain. I never played in pain like that.

Q. Nancy mentioned that she sees a bright future in the LPGA, in the near future because of this next generation. You were on top for a while, you understand what it is to be pretty much the poster child, so to speak, of the LPGA; what do you see as far as the future?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would agree with Nancy, I think the Tour is as good as I've seen it in all of the 15 years here. We talked a little bit about the type of players out here when it comes to international flavor and American talent. You know, it's a great time in the sense that there is a lot of buzz. The golf is good. We are getting more media coverage, thanks to you guys. We are playing better golf courses. Just where it is in general. It's a good time.

I think that's another reason why I feel very comfortable stepping away. The Tour is in great hands and it's going to continue to grow. I care about that. That's why I am going to continue to be part of the game because this game has been so great to me. I want to be a part of it and to leave it when The Tour is in good hands, it's just easier.

Q. In your career you stepped outside the lines and played in the men's game, how important is it for future generations to transcend the game of golf on both levels, women and men?
ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, I think it's important to continue to grow on both levels, men and women. I like to see a few tournaments where we play on the same course, the same venue. I've always enjoyed playing with the guys. I learn a lot. It's not about hitting the ball further. Just because I see somebody hit the ball further doesn't mean I will do it. You learn to see how do they prepare, how do they focus, what kind of shots do they hit around the greens.

And I think guys can learn from the women as well. It is about a course management, and I think everybody can learn from that.

Like I said, I want this game to grow. I want women to grow within sports. I would be very much for tournaments where we are together a little bit more. I think fans would enjoy that. Corporate America would enjoy that. I think it's a win, win situation.

PAULA CREAMER

MIKE SCANLAN: Paula, thanks for coming in. You're having a great season so far with two wins. I know you like coming to Rochester. You have a lot of fan support here. If you would, just talk about being back at Locust Hill.
PAULA CREAMER: Well, I love coming back here. Every year I have had such a wonderful time. Not only my family gets to come out and watch me play, but the fans here are phenomenal. We get such great crowds, no matter what the weather is like. It's just so nice to come to a place where you feel so welcomed.

Q. Most weeks the fields are strong out here, because the competition is getting better and better, but I know the tournament officials are happy this year because Annika is here for one, and all of the big names, Wie, throw her into the mix, talk about the field this week. This is a big event now, a $2 million purse. It's sort of a big deal. Talk about that if you can.
PAULA CREAMER: No, it is. It is a huge event for us. It's right before a Major, so you come out. It's in great shape. The rough is really thick, the greens are rolling really pure. But it is. I think the history behind this event is something more than a lot of tournaments have. To come back and to play here every year, it means a lot to me. But like I said, the field here is great. That's what you want to go to. You want to play against the best players in the world, and they are here.

Q. Do you get a little more stoked when you look down and see all of the top players are here this week as opposed to some weeks girls take weeks off; does that get you more stoked to go out there and play?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, I mean every week you are playing the golf course. You are not necessarily playing a person until maybe the back nine of whatever is happening on the leaderboard. But it is, it's nice. It's brings a lot of attention to the event as well.

Q. Paula, with Annika's looming retirement, everybody has sort of conceded the No. 1 spot to Lorena, how does that strike you? Are you resigned to being No. 2 to her No. 1?
PAULA CREAMER: No. 2 to who?

MIKE SCANLAN: Behind Lorena.

Q. We have seem to made the judgment that she is No. 1 for as long as she wants it.
PAULA CREAMER: Well, I mean it was huge, to overcome Annika because she was No. 1 for so long was something incredibly impressive to do. However, there are so many players out here playing so good right now. They are giving Lorena a run for her money out here. She has definitely helped, kind of change and make people believe that they can compete against everybody week in and week out.
The depth of our Tour is getting deeper. We never used to have that before. It was always a couple players here and there. But I really feel that it's any person's tournament. There are so many players that come out and play well.

Q. How far are you away, or have you reached the peak of your game?
PAULA CREAMER: The peak? This is my fourth year, I hope I am not peaking too soon.

Q. In terms of progress to reaching where you would like to be?
PAULA CREAMER: There is a lot that I need to do. I'm 21 years old, so I am still learning how to deal with certain things out in life on the board. Being a professional athlete, there is a lot that goes on. I'm not just hitting the golf ball around. There is so many more things that you have to be aware of and you have to try and do. There are, I need to get stronger. I need to make more putts. I think I can play with her from tee to green, I just need to make more putts than she does. It's just a matter of timing. It's all about timing when you play out here.

Q. I talked to you down at the Ginn OPEN, and at that time it was looking like Locust Hill was done for this tournament, they were this close to not doing it here. Now they re upped for 10 years. I would imagine you are happy about that. Just share your thoughts knowing you will be here for 10 years.
PAULA CREAMER: That's the first I have heard that they're going to go back for 10 years. That's awesome. That's great. That's really exciting. I would hate to see this tournament go away. It's something, like I said, that's kind of helped my career. I came here as an amateur and to see it not being here would be sad. But that's wonderful. I'm really happy for Locust Hill and the City of Rochester for sure.

Q. You have played the practice round, I talked to a couple of girls yesterday, they say it's usual, narrow, the rough is long, it's playing soft?
PAULA CREAMER: Very soft.

Q. Does that help because the balls won't roll in the rough as much?
PAULA CREAMER: It's just playing longer. A lot of mud on the balls. It's very soft. But you know, I really realized how small the greens are. The past couple of weeks we've played huge greens. We stood on No. 3 green yesterday, it's like 12 yards wide and things like that. That's what makes this golf course so difficult. Being softer, you are going to have to hit a little bit longer club into greens. Par 5s may not all be reachable. We use to get the roll. But it is, it's playing difficult. Who knows what's going to win this event if the weather stays like this.

Q. Has it been a difficult adjustment getting used to all of the stuff you have to do outside of the golf course, coming in to do this, sponsors, clinics and all of that other stuff?
PAULA CREAMER: Time management. You really have to be aware of your days. You think you just come out in your Pro Am, but you have to practice, you have to do your media, things like that. You know, finding what works best for me. People have their own little routines and trying to figure out what I like to do is something that is trial and error. It's hard, but it's definitely well worth it. I play golf for a living, and I think I can manage to work in a couple of things here and there.

Q. So playing in the Pro Am today is going to help you for the rest of the tournament you think?
PAULA CREAMER: Without a doubt. The more I get to play this golf course, the better you feel on it. It's different than the past several years. It's nice to get out there and play when it's wet. But it is, I always like playing the Pro Am, you get to meet so many nice people and play kind of a competitive round before the tournament starts.

NANCY LOPEZ

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Nancy, thanks for coming in and joining us today. I know that Wegmans and Rochester has a special place in your heart. Can you talk about choosing to come back out here and play this week?
NANCY LOPEZ: Well, Wegmans is just a great sponsor, first of all, and I want to thank the Wegman family for staying with us. I know Bob Wegman was just such a great man, and he loved the LPGA Tour. And I know he is with us in spirit, but I wish he was still with us. They've done a great job at the event.

Rochester has been a super event to have a golf tournament. Since I can remember, there has always been such great fan support. The community just really backs this tournament, as they love the LPGA, and I want to just thank them for staying with us and keeping a great event going and just making it better and better year.

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: I know you only come out and play a couple of times a year now since you retired a few years ago, can you just talk about coming back out and the excitement that you do have when you get to the golf course here?
NANCY LOPEZ: Well, I know when the new schedule comes out at the end of the year in November, I always check to see when the Rochester National is to make sure there is not anything conflicting with it. I even feel when I stop playing golf all the time, or trying to just not really work on my game anymore, I will probably come back any way just to see people and to feel the excitement that's always been here. It is just a great tournament. I always love being here. It's a great golf course. I love Locust Hill. I was happy to hear we will be back here for 10 more years, is that correct?

I think it's awesome. It's a golf course that the players really, really love. Through the years it's gotten tougher. They brought the fairways in, the greens are smaller, some of them, the rough is high, it's just a really good golf course.

Q. Nancy, I wonder if you can talk a little bit about Annika Sorenstam's impact to the game and maybe if you can expand upon your comments after she announced she was going to retire. You were skeptical that she was going to retire completely, do you still feel that way?
NANCY LOPEZ: Well, she has made a great impact to the game. I think Annika kept the LPGA afloat for a few years when we didn't really have any one that was tearing up The Tour. She did a great job and I think her setting goals of winning all Majors was a great year because I was rooting for her.

I really wanted to see that happen because that takes a lot of guts to say I can win all of the Majors. I truly believe she felt she could. She was that kind of player and still is. She is a great player. I think has done a great job on the LPGA Tour.

And I think after she played at Colonial she really became even a better player after Colonial. And I always said that maybe Annika didn't realize she could have a really good time between shots and still be serious when she got over the ball, because I think Colonial brought a lot of her personality out. I think people really started to get to know Annika a little bit more after that event.

And now that she said she is going to retire I was hoping she would say she is taking off for a year or so and coming back. I don't know. She is like I am, I just don't believe she can stay away from the game. She is just too competitive.

And I think she will realize, as I didn't realize maybe at age 26 when I was carrying my first child Ashley, that after she got into school I was going to quit playing because that's what I felt like I was going to do. I was going to have Ashley and when she started school I wasn't going to play anymore. Well that didn't happen.

I think with Annika, once she gets married or plans to have a child, I think she realizes that she is going to be able to still play for a while very competitively.

I think her lifestyle of staying physically fit will always be there because she has always done that. I don't think she will get away from that too much. I still think she can stay very competitive.

I would love to see her stay out there because she really represents the older generation. She is not old, but she really is the older generation of players because there is so many young players on our Tour. They want to beat Annika still. She is really the person to beat still.

So, you know, I would really still like to see her playing on the LPGA Tour because we are going to have a great loss when she really truly walks away.

Q. If I'm not mistaken you won 21 more times after your first child was born. She is 37. She is having a child later, going to have a child later in life, could it be different in that way. That's where the paths part so to speak.
NANCY LOPEZ: I don't know. Back when I had Ashley I was not even close to being in the shape she is in. Annika, I think after she has a child, she can still pretty much bounce back. I think she would be able to do that. It was tougher for me because we didn't work out a lot back then.

When I was carrying Ashley I was probably the thinnest I've ever been. Then I got to be heavy again because I'm eating for two, and I am just going to really enjoy this and I did. So I'm up and down all the time, skinny, fat, skinny, fat. I think she can stay the same because she has lived that lifestyle. I didn't have that lifestyle starting out. It was just play a lot of golf, practice pretty much kept me in shape.

Once the girls started working out, and I think Annika set a standard for everybody, they realize if you're not in good shape like Annika, you are not going to play like Annika, and you are not going to beat her. That set a standard that was great, I think, for the LPGA Tour because now there is so many players that work out and really think about that, and I think it's really good for our Tour that they do.

Q. You referenced they are back here for 10 years now. It was real close that they weren't going to come back, they were going to try to find some other course to host this tournament. Can you imagine this tournament being anywhere else but Locust Hill?
NANCY LOPEZ: No, absolutely not. It would have been very, very sad to go somewhere else. It's just a spectacular place. I think The Tour really, really loves Rochester right here at Locust Hill. It's comfortable, it's familiar. I know when we do change venues it's tough on the players. They really, when they are comfortable, and they like where they are, they really hate moving, they don't like it.

Q. Lorena went up to you before you teed off and thanked you for the nice words you wrote about her in time, does that perfectly personify what she is all about in your mind?
NANCY LOPEZ: She is just a wonderful person. She is very considerate which is a very important word to me in life. When people are considerate of each other, life is just better for everybody, and she is like that.

She has just got a genuine way about her. I think that comes from her Mexican heritage. I know with my mom and my dad and her family, they are very supportive but there is just a special background that she comes from that makes her that way. She has got a great father. I have not met her mother. But they are just good loving people. Hispanics seem to be that way. I think that is why she plays so well. And I know that she plays with a happy heart, and I think that's why she plays so well. She has nothing to really worry her except whatever she is worrying about herself, because you know once you start winning, you expect it. And when you don't play and hit every shot perfect, you hate it.

And so, I think, she is like that because you can see when she is not playing well, she, herself is disappointed in herself and she has the support of her family when it's all over.

Then sometimes you see kids that struggle with their golf game and parents will be there on the 18th hole ready to let them know that they didn't play well, and that's not good.

I think she has a great life, and she has been such a great competitor and a great ambassador for the LPGA Tour. I'm just real proud of her. I think she is just wonderful.

Q. If I can ask a follow up. Can she do for this Tour what Tiger has done for The Men's Tour? There are people who say the only thing she is lacking is the U.S. citizenship, that Tiger is American. In the end that makes all the difference in this country, what's your take on that?
NANCY LOPEZ: Well, I think that she could definitely be that. Everybody kind of steps into those shoes as they play like Annika did. She was definitely the best player, and still is one of the best players. And you can say she was the Tiger of her time. But she is not American.

I remember her being in an interview, and listening to her, probably someone had asked her what could be better? And she said if I was American.

So I know that she realizes that maybe she does have a great fan base now. It's not that she doesn't. I think eventually the Americans do adopt a player, even though she is not from the U.S., as I think they have Lorena.

Sure, I mean every time I look at the leaderboard and turn the television on, I am like American, (pointing), American (pointing). I'm American. I root for the Americans.

I root for Lorena, too, but when I am looking at that, I am a U.S. American citizen. I love being an American, and I love my country and I am going to root for an American player.

So it's tough when you have like a Juli Inkster, if she is playing against Lorena. I love Lorena, but for some reason I really have to root for Juli. But I want them to play the best they can. I never root against anybody. The better the golf, the more excitement the game is no matter who wins.

I mean Laura Davies, for example, I love Laura Davies, when she was playing against an American, it was really hard for me to root for an American because I love Laura Davies. But it's tough. It's like blood.

When you have kids, you love your kids more than your stepchild, but you still love them. It's fun.

I think The Tour is very exciting to watch because we have a mixture of different countries and different personalities and beautiful languages and it does make it very interesting.

The Korean players, they are tremendous. They play some great golf in there, and they beat the heck out of us quite a bit. I don't have an answer for that. They are just coming out and playing great. So it's a very interesting Tour right now for sure.

Q. Is it a good thing, a bad thing or a mixed blessing to have one person dominate a Tour so much like a Tiger Woods or a Nancy Lopez or a Lorena?
NANCY LOPEZ: I think it's kind of good for a person, one player, to dominate only if they like that person that's dominating. Then it's okay.

On the LPGA Tour we have so many great players on our Tour. You have Paula Creamer, and you have Lorena, and you have Natalie. Natalie has won very much, but she is very appealing. She hits the ball well and she is a good player. I would like to see her win a few more tournaments.

There is a lot of beauty on our Tour, not just physical beauty, but good hearted players that really give back to the Tour. And I think that's really important.

Unfortunately though, we are still finding the women issue. We are a Women's Tour, and to me we should be making the money the men are making which kind of disappoints me because I think we have just as great a Tour as the men do. But it's always just been that way.

I know growing up playing amateur golf and trying to get a scholarship when the guys all had scholarships, there weren't any until Title IX for the women. So it's been tough. We've been fighting for the No. 1 spot. And I think television is going to put us there one day if they go ahead and show us every weekend on some of the biggest with some of the bigger television golf we need someone to cover us week in and week out. And I think the excuses have been our ratings have never been that good. But I just don't believe that anymore.

We have a Tour that everybody needs to see now. A Tour that's interesting for a lot of people, young, old, Korean, Mexican. We have a great Tour of interest for everybody, but we also have great players and good people.

Q. If I can ask a follow up, one person like Lorena, or earlier you referenced Annika who really did a good job, I think you said, helping to keep The Tour alive for a couple of years there, one person can do that effectively? Like if people want to tune in every Saturday and watch Lorena win again as we watch Tiger win.
NANCY LOPEZ: Yes, and I think that definitely she could be that player. But then you are going to have those other players that are competing against her that are very appealing; that people want to see play golf. Incredible golf.

They hit the ball a long way. Lorena probably weights 120 pounds and hits it 280. That's incredible golf, and I think people should see that. It's very, very exciting to see somebody like her do that. I am sure they would follow her if she was on television all the time and wonder when she is playing also.

The thing with Tiger, a lot of times ratings are really low when Tiger is not there. So I think when Lorena is not there, there is still players that can keep those ratings going because we have so much talent when she is not there and appealing talent.

Q. Nancy, I apologize if you have already been asked this. I wanted to get your thoughts about the news today regarding Tiger Woods.
NANCY LOPEZ: Yes, I heard that just a while ago, I did an interview in the trailer. You know, things like that happen. Maybe he wasn't really ready to play after knee surgery because obviously it's on the same leg. You know, when you favor something sometimes, as strong as he is, as much as he uses his legs, as much as he pushes off, you know, I think he hurt it because of that. When he was trying to protect that knee, you end up messing something else up. I mean for him to win the U.S. Open, through all of that pain that he was really in, that was tremendous. That's not easy. And in golf, pain really does affect you a lot.

So for him to win, that was even, you know multiply that by a few.

And I just hate that he is not going to be able to play the rest of the season because that's going to be a tough, tough thing for him to get over.

He is smart. He will do what he needs to do. I think he will come back just as hungry as he has ever been when he is able to play again.

Q. In that same vein there is a misconception that golf is an easy sport, there is no contact. The fact of the matter is everybody is banged up here if you are a pro golfer, hitting balls all day, can you address that? Does somebody play in some degree whether it's a finger, elbow or knee?
NANCY LOPEZ: I think so, definitely. I mean it can be a wrist. It could be a pulled tendon in your hand which I fought that my rookie year on Tour. I hit a shot in England, a full tilt 8 iron, and the club stuck on a stump, and my hands went forward and it just ripped up the back of my hand. I won that tournament in England, the Colgate European.

But when I walked away the doctor said you need to take off three weeks, don't hit any kind of shot so that when you get older, and you are playing, that hand is not going to bother you. Well, I listened and it doesn't bother me.

Players rip their shoulders, their backs. It's really an unusual way to use your body when you swing a golf club. A lot of players have trouble with their backs. My feet kill me all the time trying to get through, you know, wearing orthotics, wider shoes. Everybody tries to do something different to get through it.

And you never want to complain. A golfer is never going to want to complain because they don't want excuses. They're going to go out there and play whether they are hurting or not. Once it's all over, they might mention it. I just never wanted to say, well, I'm not going to play well today because my back is hurting.

Like my husband always said, if you are hurting and you're going to play, you just got to deal with it. And that's really the truth. Definitely, there is a lot of injuries that players have to deal with all the time. If they're going to play, they just have to deal with it.

Q. What percentage of the field each week do you think plays hurt?
NANCY LOPEZ: I mean like really hurting, or just something is always there. I would say at least half. Maybe now The Tour is younger maybe not that much. There is a lot of young players out there.

Q. You mention this being a younger generation coming in, a younger generation, what do you see the future of the LPGA?
NANCY LOPEZ: It's a long future. I think we have the players that are going to be head to head for many, many years. I think The Tour is as strong as it's ever been, and that we will have competitive golf for years to come. It's not just going to be for a few years it's going to be for a while.

Q. You are one of the few people that can appreciate or understand what Lorena's life is outside the ropes, just the craziness of it, do you sort of marvel, to this point she doesn't seem to have had any signs of being overwhelmed by it, or it hasn't gotten here down or changed her personality, what do you make of that?
NANCY LOPEZ: Well, I think first of all she is very patient which does help because everybody is wanting you and grabbing ahold of you and taking you here and taking you there.

I think she understands her roll and that is to not promote Lorena Ochoa but to promote the LPGA Tour. And I think she really does do that. That's what makes our Tour great. Our players do that.

You know, when I was my best, there were a lot of things I did that I didn't want to do. But I knew that if I didn't it was something I needed to do for the LPGA when I would have rather gone home and be with my kids or with my husband.

But, you know, it's our obligation, I feel like, to our Tour because The Tour has been good to me. It's been my other family, my other life. And I think Lorena realizes that she is going to carry the torch right now and that she needs to give back and do what she does. It does make her a greater player and a greater person, but she knows that she is doing it for the LPGA Tour and not just for herself.

And I think all of our players need to do that, is to always be unselfish and do things for our Tour to make it better.

Because when you look at the players, like I played in an outing on Monday for Betsy Rawls, who was one of the founders that brought me the opportunity to play the game and gave me the opportunity to make a lot of money.

And so, you know, everybody carries that torch and we need players to always do that and not think about, well, what am I going to get out of it? But what are we, as a Tour, going to get out of it.

Q. Tell me over the years what have you enjoyed about Rochester and being in Rochester outside of the golf?
NANCY LOPEZ: The white hots.

Q. That's great.
NANCY LOPEZ: I don't know what it is. I just have a special feeling in my heart. I take that back. I think the year I won 5 in a row which was in '78, my first full year on Tour, it was very exciting. The crowds were tremendous. They were huge. And it was all of that combined that made it just such an exciting week for me.

But, you know, learning what a white hot is all about and just the people were just so friendly. I was comfortable. And I think that's why Rochester is special to me, because I feel that every time I come.

I think a lot of players feel that. I think that's why they come because they love the fans. They are great fans. They really enjoy great golf. It's fun to play in front of them.

So, I think, it's a special, special place for a lot of players on our Tour, not just myself.

And I have many friends here now that I have grown to know over the years. You know, it's fun to be here with them. In the evenings you are not by yourself, and you are enjoying friendship and fellowship with people and that's why it's very special, too.

YANI TSENG

MIKE SCANLAN: Yani, thanks for coming in. First of all, congratulations on winning the McDonald's LPGA Championship two weeks ago. Second of all, tell us a little bit about being at the U.S. Open last week following the group of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.
YANI TSENG: I was very excited to follow the big group. I was so nervous when I go inside the ropes. I'm not use to it. I enjoy watching them play golf.

Q. What exactly were you doing there?
YANI TSENG: Check the lies and the fairway yardage.

Q. If you would, can you just talk a little bit about after your win at McDonald, what's the feeling, has it sunk in yet?
YANI TSENG: I'm so busy last week, and I get a lot of calls from Taiwan and a lot of friends just calling me. Everything is kind of changing around, but I hope I still be myself.

Q. Congratulations on the win, it was great to watch on TV. Tell me, I didn't know about this, how did you hook up with Dottie Pepper? How did you get involved with the television coverage of that?
YANI TSENG: Before I won the McDonald's, NBC media, they just invited me to go inside the ropes with Dottie (Pepper), so that's how I can get in.

Q. Was that unexpected? Did you know that was coming? Were you surprised why they picked you to do it?
YANI TSENG: I know I can go inside the rope. I just don't know I can follow Tiger and that group.

Q. What did you do for them?
YANI TSENG: I was so nervous, I really don't know what I was going to do. And Dottie just told me go check the lies. I say, yes, that's a pretty good lie or a great lie. I can hear what they say, when they show the line, it's not bad or they say something worse, and I just tell Dottie.

Q. You would just tell Dottie (Pepper) and she would tell Johnny Miller, or whoever was up there?
YANI TSENG: Yes.

Q. You played in a women's major, what was it like to be in that atmosphere with all of those people and those great players; just kind of share what you were thinking when you were out there watching them play?
YANI TSENG: You mean at the U.S. Men's Open?

Q. Watching Tiger and Phil and all of those people there, what was it like being right there?
YANI TSENG: It's really a lot of people. You couldn't see them playing golf from outside the ropes. It was very exciting, and I am looking forward to playing in the U.S. Open.

Q. Talk about your victory, over here, we know you played real well down in Florida, you finished second I think?
YANI TSENG: Yes, at the Ginn Open.

Q. So you've been having a real good rookie year, did you feel when you got to McDonald's, and you get into that last day, do you feel like you're 19, you're a rookie, you were ready to win that golf tournament?
YANI TSENG: Not really. I didn't think I was going to win. I just play my golf and just enjoy my day and play my golf. I didn't watch the leaderboard until the last three holes. So it was kind of a lot of fun to play my golf and enjoy.

Q. Were you surprised when you saw the leaderboard where you we are?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I was surprised. I didn't know I was on top of the leaderboard or second. I really don't know. So I was really surprised.

Q. When you got into the playoff just tell us what it was like to play a 4 hole playoff one on one with Maria Hjorth there?
YANI TSENG: The first couple, I cannot do anything with that. I make the putt, and the two holes she is just ready to birdie to win the tournament. And I just tell myself be relaxed, and I never lose a playoff. So I was very confident with the playoff.

Q. What does a win like that do for your confidence now being a rookie on this Tour, what does that do for your confidence looking forward to the rest of the year?
YANI TSENG: The last two days at McDonald's I just feel very relaxed. I'm in very good shape. I keep going with that thinking, with a mental game. I feel very, very confident and just play like it's Saturday and Sunday.

MIKE SCANLAN: How does it help you for the rest of the year, for this tournament, the next tournament, all the way down?
YANI TSENG: I didn't feel any change with that. I just really think I just played like Saturday and Sunday when I play in the McDonald's, it's all kinds of things like mental games. I feel like I improved a lot with my mental game.

Q. Have you had a chance to go around here yet? Have you seen all 18 holes here?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I played nine holes this morning and I am going to play the back 9 this afternoon.

Q. You haven't seen the back nine yet?
YANI TSENG: I hear the back nine is more tough than the front nine.

Q. They say this is a narrow course with rough and trees, do you feel like that's going to be okay with you? Do you play that style of golf course?
YANI TSENG: Yes, it's really straight and very narrow. They kind of set up like U.S. Open rough. It's very long.

Q. You feel pretty confident you can give it a round?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I just need practice because I have been very busy the last week.

Q. This is your first year over here, did you turn professional a couple of years ago or just this year?
YANI TSENG: I turned professional last year because I was trying to go Q School the last two years, but they say I am to young, so I wait for a year and go to Q School.

Q. Did you win anything over in Taiwan or somewhere else in the world before you won McDonald's?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I won twice in Taiwan, and I won one Asian game and one Canadian Tour. And I played CN Canadian Women's Open.

Q. For 19 years old, you have got the feeling of winning already?
YANI TSENG: Yes.

Q. So you felt pretty confident at McDonald's because you knew what to do, right, because you done it before?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I knew what I was gonna do.

Q. If you had to pick something, what do you do best out there, is it driving, putting, approach game? What do you think is your best strength?
YANI TSENG: My short game. My coach was there. My coach helping me a lot with my short game, so I feel a lot of confidence playing the McDonald's with the short game because that's a pretty tough course around the greens. I make a lot of up and downs that week.

Q. How has your life changed since winning a Major like that? You said you seem busier now, more people recognize you more now that you won that Major?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I feel so much different with everything change. I have just been very overwhelmed with that.

Q. It looks like you will be doing a lot more of these type interviews as the year goes on?
YANI TSENG: Yes, sure.

Q. You played in the last round of the McDonald's with Lorena, right?
YANI TSENG: Yes.

Q. And seeing what happened at the U.S. Open with Rocco Mediate playing with Tiger, and how he was just kind of being himself and just, you know, being relaxed out there, did you feel like you had to do the same thing playing against Lorena, a player who is as good as anybody on the Tour right now?
YANI TSENG: Yes, she is the best player in the world. I feel more relaxed. Because the first time I play with her was in the Ginn Open. I was very nervous. I try so hard to beat her. But this time I played my golf, just played my game, just like Rocco, just hang in there playing good.

Q. So playing with her at the Ginn Open, you were just relaxed a little more playing with her?
YANI TSENG: Yes, it was a very good experience playing in the Ginn Open and then last week.

Q. Right. Are you still able to be a teenager and do some things that teenagers do, or do you feel you had to give that all up?
YANI TSENG: I'm still a teenager. I need to do something, a lot of fun.

Q. What would you like to do while you're here?
YANI TSENG: I like playing pool. I like to go shopping and do anything.

Q. Are you going to try to do some shopping?
YANI TSENG: Yes, I already did a little bit of shopping yesterday.

MICHELLE WIE

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Michelle, thanks for coming in and joining us today. You have had a couple of great weeks, a great finish at the LET event in Germany. You played the 36 hole qualifier for the U.S. Women's Open and qualified for next week. Can you talk about your golf game right now and being here in Rochester?
MICHELLE WIE: I feel a lot more confident with my game. I had a good two weeks. I felt like my game came along a lot better in Germany as well. After the 36 hole qualifier, it was a long grueling day, but it was definitely worth it. I feel like I'm getting back on track. I see my improvements coming, so I'm very happy about that.

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Playing here in Rochester this week, it's kind of a start of a busy stretch for you, I know you are playing here, The Open, Jamie Farr, State Farm, anything key you are looking for in your game this week to start this stretch off right?
MICHELLE WIE: I think it's all about confidence and confidence in my shots and my putting and my irons and my short game, just to get things going. I feel like I've improved a lot over the last couple of weeks. I just want to keep that going and I want to get better every week.

Q. Michelle, can you talk a little bit about your health. Do you have to do anything special with the wrists, ice them afterwards or are you completely healthy again?
MICHELLE WIE: Yes, I don't have to ice it anymore which is great, because it's kind of cold, so icing wouldn't be great. I don't really have to do anything right now. It's all about strengthening and just keeping up with it. I have a really strict warm up routine that I stick to. I feel if I don't warm up right then it starts hurting again. So I feel like I have to warm it up really well, and I don't have to ice it anymore which is really great.

Q. Can you talk about the frustrations of 2007, up until to that point, your career was really seeming to take off and then grinding to a halt, what got you through that mentally, that difficult year?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, it was very tough. It was very tough for me, because, obviously, it was my wrist that was broken, not my mind. I felt like I could do better than that. I felt like other than my wrist, everything else is like, okay, I'm still the same player, why can't I perform? This is like really getting ridiculous.

I think what got me through it is the belief it was just my wrist. I just broke my wrist. I was not going to let my wrist break me.

I have to say it, that really hard to do. I really struggled through last year. It was really hard for me to stay confident with myself and stay positive, but I felt with the help of David, and my parents rents, and my trainers, they had belief in me. They felt like once my wrist was back in condition, I was going to be the same, or even a better player.

So it was that belief that got me through. I feel like I put in a lot of hard work, and I am going to keep putting in a lot of more hard work. I hope I keep improving and become a better player than I was before.

Q. Michelle, you got to get out there and play here, your impressions of the course, what are the challenges going to be here at Locust Hill this week?
MICHELLE WIE: It's pretty narrow, pretty cute fairways and pretty cute greens basically. They are quite tiny. It's going to be a challenge for me. I never really played a golf course like this. It's a new type of golf course for me. The conditions are really well kept. The greens are in really prime conditions along with the rough and the fairways as well. It's been a really fun tournament so far, so hopefully the next couple of days will even be better.

Q. I know this tournament has offered you sponsor's exemptions before, and you turned them down, what made you decide to come here this year and how much of a good tune up will it for The Open next week?
MICHELLE WIE: I thought it worked well in the schedule with the U.S. Open next week, and I thought it would be a great tournament to come to. Everyone has been really nice to me so far. I've been having a really great time here.

Q. Can you just talk about handling enormous expectations? You burst on the scene at such a young age. You were the first to do this, first to do that, youngest to do this, youngest to do that; how difficult has that been to deal with that? Everybody is expecting you to be Tiger Woods or beyond; how tough has that been?
MICHELLE WIE: I don't think it's tough at all. I mean I take it as a privilege whereas, you know, I think it was an honor to be the first to do this, the first to do that, the youngest to do this. Someone who has big dreams, I think is a privilege, I think it's an honor to have that opportunity. And to also have the opportunity to be compared to the greatest golfers in this game.

So I take that as a privilege. When that stops happening, that's when the trouble begins.

But up until now, you know, I felt like I've had greater expectations for myself than everyone else for myself.

I don't really feel a lot of added pressure from the people because I know that inside I'm the person who pushes myself the hardest.

Q. Annika Sorenstam is going to be playing here this year, and the first time in the past five years that she has been here, what's it like for you to have to play against her here this week? Is it going to make you step up your competition a little bit?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I feel like with the challenging golf course, the challenging field, I'm going to just try my hardest and play my best.

Q. Michelle, you have taken your time, I guess you could say, getting around to playing LPGA events on a regular basis any way. Do you see that as maybe becoming more of your goal now in the future, becoming a full member of the LPGA?
MICHELLE WIE: I feel like my goals haven't really changed a lot. It's always been my goal to compete with the ladies out here, but I still have the goals to compete with the men as well. I'm just taking it step by step. I want to be a healthy person and a happy person. I just want to just keep pushing myself and see how good I get.

Q. Michelle, what do you consider would be a good week for you here; to make the cut, to win the tournament, to finish third, what would it take for to you leave here this weekend and feel like you really accomplished something?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I feel like if I left the week knowing that I tried my hardest, knowing that I played without pain, that I had a lot of fun playing, obviously winning the tournament would be really great. But all I can do is just try my hardest, and if I leave the week knowing that I did, and obviously, if I win that would be awesome, too.

Q. Is there a single event or something ongoing that you feel the press and media have been especially unfair in the coverage of your career?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, the media is the media. They bring you up just to drag you down. So I feel like it's all part of the circus. I don't really take part in that. I don't really read anything. I don't listen to anything.

People have their opinions of me and I respect that. Not everyone is going to believe in the same things that I do. Not everyone is going to think I do the things correctly or what not. They have their own opinions. They make the twists of their own stories. I'm just me. I'm just going to live the way I want to and whatever happens, happens.

Q. Maybe you got to this before, how do you approach a tournament like this that you never played before, do you rely on your caddy, or your practice rounds, or do you have some overall something in the back of your mind?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I try to learn a lot when I go out and play in practice rounds. Obviously, a couple more players will have a lot more experience on these golf courses than I do.

But I feel like, you know, having really fresh eyes might help as well so hopefully that might work to my advantage.

Q. Some of the players on the LPGA have been kind of upset with you because you didn't go full board with the LPGA joining The Tour and so forth, can you comment about that, and there has been some comments made about first you should dominate the women's tour as Annika did before trying out on the men's tour, trying men's events?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, it would be kind of funny petitioning the LPGA when I was 13, 14. I don't think that would have been right. I wanted to finish high school. I wasn't home schooled so I couldn't play full time. I only had time to play a couple of events.

And, you know, I feel like golf is my life, but it's not my whole life. I have college as well. There is other things I want to do. I feel like, you know, I feel like I'm just playing as much as I want to and I'm just working my hardest to play as well as I can and that's all that matters to me.

Q. I wonder if you take advice from your peers more seriously than some of the older folks like us; are some of your friends maybe giving you some advice that you've utilized out here and what might that be?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, my best friend since fifth grade, she always tells me to smile, do whatever makes you happy. That's all my friends really care about for me. They don't care if I played great or not, how much money I make, or how many sponsors I get. Whatever happens. All they care about is how much I smile every day. That's the only advice that they give. If this is really what I want, try as hard as I can, and I think that's the best advice.

Q. Golfing, legacy wise, what do you have in mind, we were talking with Lorena Ochoa a few weeks ago when she was here, and she was talking about that she wanted to set herself above everyone else by the time she is done. But she also, as you were talking about, has other things she wants to do with her life, but for this five or six year period she really wants to establish herself as the best ever female golfer.

What do you have golfing wise when you look down the road, how do you want to leave the game
MICHELLE WIE: I want to see how far I can push myself. I want to see how good of a player I can get. I want to see how many tournaments I can win. How many more first times to do this, first times to do that. I think that's really exciting to me. It just brings more thrill into the game.

But I just want to see how far I can push myself, how good I can get, that's what I want to know. I want to push my limits, push my golfing potential and see where I can get to.

Q. If I can just follow on that. Would that be to, you know, win a women's Grand Slam or you talked about participating in The Masters? What are some of those concrete goals?
MICHELLE WIE: Definitely playing in the Masters, that's been my goal since I started playing golf, I'm never going to give up on that. Like I said, the sky is the limit. I don't know what my potential is. I want to see how good I can get. And whether that's winning a Grand Slam, or winning 50 tournaments, I don't know what that is.

I just want to have fun along the way and just see how really good I can get and be the best player I can be.