J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery
Papago Golf Course
Phoenix, Ariz.
March 29, 2009

Final-round interviews: Karrie Webb | Jiyai Shin

Final-round notes

Webb wins J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery
Outlasts Shin, Kim to capture 36th career LPGA Tour victory

PHOENIX, Ariz., March 29, 2009 - LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb captured her 36th career LPGA Tour victory on Sunday at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery. The 34-year-old Aussie carded a 5-under-par 67 - her best tally of the week - to earn her first victory of the season. Webb's four-day total of 14-under-par (70-68-69-67=274) was two shots better than LPGA Tour rookie and four-time winner Jiyai Shin (69-71-66-70=276) who finished at 12-under-par.

"It's very important. It means a lot to me," Webb said after accepting the Barbara Gordon Trophy, named after the former Phoenix tournament director. "I have won in Australia in those two years (since last winning on the LPGA Tour), but winning on the LPGA against the best players in the world is obviously very important to me."

The last time Karrie Webb and Jiyai Shin were paired together on the LPGA Tour was the final round of the 2008 ADT Championship, where Shin walked away with the $1 million first-place check and her third victory as a non-member. The tables were turned on Sunday in Phoenix, with Webb capturing the $225,000 first-place check, but more importantly, her first victory in 44 starts since winning the 2006 Mizuno Classic.

"You just sometimes wonder if -- you know you have still got the ability to do it, but you are just not putting the scores on the board that indicate that you can still do it," said Webb. "Even less than a month ago I was still questioning that. It really isn't as far away as you think."

Shin led Webb and In-Kyung Kim by one shot entering the final round, but the Final Round Queen as she is dubbed in Korea was unable to hold off a surge by Webb on the front nine. Shin finished the day at 2-under-par 70 - her fourth under-par round of the week - and increased her LPGA Official Money List total to $448,517, nearly $50,000 more than Lorena Ochoa.

First and second-round leader Kim found the water on the par-5 10th hole and went on to make double bogey, effectively dropping herself out of the race. Kim finished alone in third and earned $101,258, her biggest paycheck since winning the 2008 Longs Drugs Challenge.

World numbers one and two in top-20. World number one Lorena Ochoa struggled on the greens this week, but managed to tie for 15th at 4-under-par (72-72-70-70=284). Ochoa, who won earlier this season at the Honda LPGA Thailand, will look to successfully defend next week's Kraft Nabisco Championship. World number two Yani Tseng carded her second consecutive 5-under-par 67 on Sunday to finish tied for fourth with Suzann Pettersen. Tseng, the 2008 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, missed an eagle putt on 18 that would have put her in tie for third. She had four birdies, one bogey and an eagle on the par-5 10th hole to finish the week at 10-under-par 278.

Webb earns stay at Canyon Ranch. With her victory at the 2009 J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery, Karrie Webb earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner of an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch's two destination resorts.

Hole-in-one. Kris Tamulis carded her first-career LPGA hole-in-one during the first round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery. Tamulis used an 8-iron from 154 yards to record the ace on the par-3 second hole. Tamulis finished the week tied for 39th at 3-over-par 291.

WD/DQ. Paula Creamer withdrew prior to the first round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery. Grace Park withdrew during the first round. Prior to the second round, Natalie Gulbis withdrew. Michelle Ellis, Soo-Yun Kang and Young Jo all withdrew during the second round. Jin Young Pak was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after the first round of play.

Final-round interviews: Karrie Webb | Jiyai Shin

Karrie Webb, 70-68-69-67=274 (-14)
Hole 3, 326-yard par 4: birdie - wedge to 2 feet
Hole 4, 409-yard par 4: bogey - drive right, punch out, iron to left greenside bunker, made 20-foot bogey putt
Hole 5, 398-yard par 4: birdie - wedge to 12 feet
Hole 6, 513-yard par 5: eagle - 3-wood to 20 feet
Hole 10, 544-yard par 5: birdie - chip to 10 feet
Hole 11, 355-yard par 4: birdie - sand wedge to 15 feet
Hole 15, 403-yard par 4: bogey - drive in fairway bunker, blast out to 40 yards, wedge over, chip to 8 feet
Hole 18, 475-yard par 5: birdie - wedge to 10 feet, 2-putt

MIKE SCANLAN: Karrie, thanks a lot and congratulations on your 36th career victory here at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery. What I want to know is were you more happy about the win or more mad about missing the eagle putt on 18?
KARRIE WEBB: I actually want -- Well, I even made a comment to Mikey (Patterson) here that when I walked up, I was so kind of oblivious that I thought if Jiyai could still make a shot for eagle, but that would have meant I would have had to three putt from there. So I don't know why I was worried about it if it went in, but, yeah. So I was a little sort of in the clouds, so I wasn't disappointed, I just didn't want to have to work on the next one.

Q. What does this mean to you to get back in into the winner's circle after a couple years?
KARRIE WEBB: It's very important. It means a lot to me. You know, you go through -- I mean, I have won in Australia in those two years, but winning on the LPGA against the best players in the world is obviously very important to me. And you just sometimes wonder if -- you know you have got the ability to do it, but you are just not putting the scores on the board that indicate that you can still do it. And, you know, even less than a month ago I was still questioning that. And I think watching certain players -- you know, not that Phil Mickelson has gone a long time without winning, but he started off pretty rough this year, and then last week Pat Hurst. It really isn't as far away as you think.

Q. The second shot on 15, it looked like you were looking left all the way. Was the lip a problem if putted straight to the green?
KARRIE WEBB: Actually, I ended up clearing it by so much, I could have tried to hit that a little bit flatter out of there. Yeah, it just went much higher off the upside than I thought it was going to. But the wind was a little off to the left and I was going to hit a bit high, high shot in there, also. And then my miss would have been better because it was left anyway, really.

Q. When you have the lead, though, do you have -- does it change your aggressiveness? Some people get defensive and just want to protect?
KARRIE WEBB: Not playing along Jiyai. I knew that she - she hits the ball very well. She never misses a fairway, so I knew that she was going to have, you know, probably from 11 onwards eight birdie chances come in. So, you know, it wasn't about playing defensively. One, two shots was really nothing. And, you know, 15, I mean that could have been tied for the lead there, really. She made her par putt and I missed mine and fortunately for me I still had a two shot lead going to the next tee.

Q. This course is obviously different than Superstition (Mountain). Did it grow on you as the week went along and were you happy to miss some of the wind?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, actually, I missed the cut three times at Superstition Mountain. So for whatever reason -- I have no idea why I played poorly there, because I really like the golf course. But I was probably one of the only players that wasn't disappointed to not be going there this year. But it did, the course really did grow on me. And actually, from Monday to the weekend the greens -- they did such a good job of getting the greens in tournament shape. They really -- I didn't think that I was going to putt as good as I did on Monday as well as I did Thursday through Sunday.

Jiyai Shin, 69-71-66-70=276, -12
Hole 7, 421-yard par 4: birdie, 7-iron to 30 feet
Hole 10, 544-yard par 5: birdie, 3-wood from 20 yards to eight feet
Hole 15, 403-yard par 4: bogey, driver right into rough, second shot into bunker, two-putt to 12 feet
Hole 18, 475-yard par 5: birdie, 7-iron to 10 feet

JASON TAYLOR: Jiyai, congratulations on a great tournament. You are the runner-up here in Phoenix after finishing at 12-under-par, good for your second top-10 finish this year. What do you think about the week you have had?
JIYAI SHIN: Hello, everyone. Thanks for coming. I played very enjoy today. I still shot pretty well but my putting sometimes a little pull, so I missed couple times putter. But I'm enjoy this week.

Q. You had a lot of good birdie chances coming down the stretch. Did you feel like you were still in it all the way to the last hole?
JIYAI SHIN: Of course, of course. This green is, nobody knows, because sometimes it suddenly turn left or right. So I'm waiting for the chance or Karrie's mistake, but she played very well today. Yes, she did very good.

Q. What do you like most about Karrie's (Webb) game?
JIYAI SHIN: Just everything is great today, yeah. So she, yeah, she's sometimes a mistake two shots but she plays very well, so just recovered very good and the putter was good, too.

Q. Are you able to have such a good attitude, even though you finished second, because you have won so many times? You seem to be pretty chipper.
JIYAI SHIN: Actually, last night I'm really comfortable with my feel. In British Open, really I very nervous and get pressure. But this week, last night is very calm I feel. So I'm thinking, well, I don't know, this morning and then last night my feel, because feels like really nothing, so. Well, but I try this tournament to enjoy and then I make, so I did very well today, I think.

Q. Karrie (Webb) now has 36 victories. Will you get to 36, do you think?
JIYAI SHIN: Well, she played over 10 years, right? A long time she played. A long time she played in LPGA and then me, it is my first year and I have already won tournament. So, maybe I have a lot of time so I try to break the record.