Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger
Highland Meadows Golf Club
Sylvania, Ohio
July 2, 2009

First-round interviews: Laura Diaz | Morgan Pressel | Song-Hee Kim | Michelle Wie | Suzann Pettersen

First-round notes

Happy 25th Anniversary Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger! This is a special week in Sylvania, Ohio, as the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger celebrates its 25th anniversary on the LPGA Tour. In the event's 25-year history, there have been 18 different champions, and that includes LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Famer Se Ri Pak. This week's field is one of the strongest of the season with only 14th-ranked Karrie Webb absent from the top-20 on the LPGA Official Money List.

Trio of players hold lead heading into day two. Laura Diaz, Morgan Pressel and Song-Hee Kim all fired 7-under-par 64s in the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, and all will take a one-stroke advantage into round two. Diaz (33-31=64) rattled off an eagle, six birdies and a bogey to get to her 7-under-par first-round score. The 11-year LPGA Tour veteran is off to her best start since firing a career-best 63 in the opening round of the 2008 Grand China Air LPGA, where she went on to finish third. Today was also the Wake Forest University graduate's best round of the 2009 season.

Also holding down the top spot of the day-one leaderboard is two-time LPGA Tour winner Morgan Pressel (34-30=64), and her 7-under-par came via birdies on holes four, five, six, seven, 13, 16, and 18. The Floridian is coming off a nice finish of her own last week at the Wegmans LPGA event, where she tied for 15th.

Joining Diaz and Pressel in the tie for first-place is three-year LPGA Tour player Song-Hee Kim (31-33=64). Kim came within one stroke of tying her career-low, and has finished in the top-10 12 times since the 2008 season, with a handful of top-10 finishes already in 2009.

Pettersen, Wie both one stroke off opening-round lead. A pair of players, Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie, are tied for fourth place at the end of round one of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger with 6-under-par 65s by their names. Pettersen, a seven-year member of the LPGA Tour, started on the back nine, and bogeyed her first hole of the day, number 10. Then, after making birdie on holes 12, 15 and 18 to make the turn at 2-under-par, Pettersen recorded her second hole-in-one of her LPGA Tour career on the 154-yard, par-3 second hole. She then birdied five and six to finish with the 6-under-par 65 score.

Keeping Pettersen company in the fourth-place spot also at 6-under-par is 2009 LPGA Tour rookie Wie. Wie's day started with birdies on numbers12, 13 and 14, a bogey on 15, then two more birdies on 16 and 17. Making the turn at 4-under-par, the Hawaiian player settled for par up until the seventh hole, her 16th of the day, where she made birdie. Wie finished strong with another bird on her final hole of the day, number nine, to finish with a score a 65, one stroke back from the trio of leaders.

Sixty-six players have chance to qualify for RICOH Women's British Open. At the end of Friday's second round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, and once 36-holes have been played, the top-5 players who have not already qualified for the RICOH Women's British Open will gain entry into the field. Sixty-six players are playing for those five spots in the field for the LPGA Tour's final major championship of the year.

Hole-in-one. In the first round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, Suzann Pettersen recorded her second LPGA Tour-career hole-in-one on the par-3, 154-yard second hole with a 7-iron. The Norwegian finished round one 6-under-par 65 (35-30), just one stroke back from co-leaders Laura Diaz (31-33=64, -7), Morgan Pressel (34-30=64, -7) and Song-Hee Kim (31-33=64, -7).

Pettersen is a seven-year member of the LPGA Tour, and has five career victories, all of them coming in the 2007 season.

WD. Paula Creamer withdrew prior to the start of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger. Sandra Gal withdrew during round one.

First-round interviews: Laura Diaz | Morgan Pressel | Song-Hee Kim | Michelle Wie | Suzann Pettersen

Laura Diaz, 33-31=64, -7
Hole 4, 375-yard par 4: birdie, 7-iron from 150 yards to 25 feet
Hole 5, 392-yard par 4: bogey, 3-wood into trees, two-putt
Hole 8, 132-yard par 3: birdie, 9-iron to 12 feet
Hole 10, 376-yard par 4: birdie, wedge from 118 yards to one foot
Hole 13, 355-yard par 4: birdie, 56-degree from 77 yards to nine feet
Hole 14, 184-yard par 3: birdie, 5-iron to 25 feet
Hole 15, 389-yard par 4: birdie, 9-iron to 25 feet
Hole 17, 513-yard par 5: eagle, 56-degree from about 38 yards

JASON TAYLOR: Laura, welcome to the media center, here at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. You are out early leader, finishing round one at 7-under-par. Can you talk about your day?
LAURA DIAZ: It was a pretty good day. I was able to keep it in the fairway, and hit the greens. I think the key here is to always keep it in the fairway, and giving yourself as many looks at it as you can. I managed to make a couple of long putts that really helped me out.

Q. Talk about your eagle on number 17. How important was that?
LAURA DIAZ: Well, 17 is a pretty long hole, it's catchy. It's a par-5 that if you hit a really good tee shot and you can get a little draw off the tee, that you give yourself an opportunity to go for it. It's still a long ways. I had 250 to the front, but from where I was I could hit my 3-wood, hit all I had, and still stay short of the bunker on the left. So, I put myself at a really good angle to the pin, and I had the whole green to work with, with nothing in my line of sight. I put a new 56 in this week, just yesterday, and it checked up a little bit, then just dribbled into the hole.

Q. So you have had some success. What do you do the next couple of days?
LAURA DIAZ: It's just one day. You know, I'll go and practice. I've been working with my father as my coach. I've been working on some stuff with my golf swing, so I'll just go to the range and do that. Just do the same thing I do with my putting, do some drills. It's good, one of my Helen Alfredsson said, I pat myself on the back when I did something good, so I'm definitely going to let myself enjoy that because it's been a long time. It's nice to be in the red.

Q. It seems like you've had some success here. Is that true?
LAURA DIAZ: I've always enjoyed the Jamie Farr. Unfortunately, last year I had to pull out on Sunday. My son had jumped on me and hurt me. But, it's been a good tournament for me. I love the town, and I stay with a great family, and I think the support that we get from the town is unbelievable. It makes the tournament; the fairways are always lined, and that's a lot of fun.

Q. You said you pulled out last year on the last day. Where were you?
LAURA DIAZ: Yeah, I wasn't in contention. I was, I don't know, I don't even know, honestly. It could have been even par. At the time he was two-and-a-half, and he's a strong little boy. He just jumped straight on my chest, and I pulled a muscle, he pulled a muscle. Now I just brace every time.

Morgan Pressel, 34-30=64, -7
Hole 13, 355-yard par 4: birdie, sand wedge to 15 feet
Hole 16, 400-yard par 4: birdie, 7-iron tap in
Hole 18, 532-yard par 5: birdie, lob wedge to five feet
Hole 4, 375-yard par 4: birdie, 8-iron to 10 feet
Hole 5: 392-yard par 4: birdie, 5-iron to 10 feet
Hole 6, 155-yard par 3: birdie, 8-iron to two feet
Hole 7, 575-yard par 5: birdie, 9-iron to 10 feet

JASON TAYLOR: Morgan, thanks for coming in. You are tied for the lead after round one at 7-under-par. Seven birdies and no bogies for you today. Can you talk about your day?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I hit every fairway and hit every green, and gave myself birdie opportunities on every hole. You can't ask for much more than that. Quite a few of them were pretty close. I made a couple good 10-15 footers, and just kept giving myself chances. When I made the turn, I hit a couple close on one and three, and I missed both of those. I just said, just keep hitting it close, and it will go in eventually.

Q. Playing in the final round last week, are you feeling good in this tournament?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Absolutely. This is the best golf I have played in a while, between last week and this week. You just take what happened last week, especially on that back nine in terms of the weather, and move on and take what's there this week.

Q. Has it been a noticeable difference for you these last couple of weeks?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I have putted better. I have been making some putts that for instance at McDonald's I hit the ball really well, but I ended up missing the cut. This last week and this week I have been hitting the ball really good, just keeping the ball in play. And if I hit it close, I'll make plenty of birdies.

Q. There was some drop off last year in your driving distance, now back up about 10 yards or so. Has that been noticeable for you?
MORGAN PRESSEL: It's actually been great, and it's been bad. It's been both. In one sense, yes I am hitting it further, and getting more shots into the greens, but it's taking me probably about the first half of this year to figure out how far I do hit. It doesn't just affect my driver, but all of my clubs, so distance control is something I have worked hard on, and find out exactly how far my clubs do go.

Q. What are your thoughts on not having a defending champion, Paula Creamer withdrawing?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, it's very unfortunate. I saw her this morning on the driving range, and she looked upset. I know she certainly didn't want to putt out. She has a lot of good memories on this golf course, and her thumb must really be bothering her to pull out. I know she has seen a few doctors this week, and that was the last thing she wanted to do, was pull out.

Song-Hee Kim, 31-33=64, -7

Q. How do you feel after playing so well today?
SONG-HEE KIM: (via translator): After missing the cut last week I was a little nervous with my game, with my swing and everything. I am glad I played well today.

Q. Can you talk about the back nine?
SONG-HEE KIM: (via translator): You know, I played well on the front nine too, and I think it just carried over to the back nine. I was able to play much better. The whole flow of the game today, the front and back nine, was very good.

Q. Was there anything in particular that you did well?
SONG-HEE KIM: (via translator): Particularly the short game and my putting worked really well.

Q. Any idea how many putts you might have had?
SONG-HEE KIM: Not sure. Twenty something.

Q. Teeing off later in the day, do you notice the leaders you are trying to catch as the day goes on?
SONG-HEE KIM: I definitely noticed the leaders, but I didn't put any additional pressure on myself to catch those leaders.

Michelle Wie, 33-32=65, -6
Hole 12, 395-yard par 4: birdie, 3-wood to nine feet
Hole 13, 355-yard par 4: birdie, 5-wood to 40 feet
Hole 14, 184-yard par 3: birdie, 60iron to five feet
Hole 15, 389-yard par 4: bogey, driver into trees, two-putt to 30 feet
Hole 16, 400-yard par 4: birdie, pitching wedge tap in
Hole 17, 513-yard par 5: 3-wood to seven feet
Hole 7, 575-yard par 5: 5-iron to 40 feet
Hole 9, 375-yard par 4: birdie, 3-wood to 10 feet

JASON TAYLOR: Michelle, thanks for joining us in the media center here at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. You finished at 6-under-par in the opening round, so just talk a bit about your day.
MICHELLE WIE: You know, it was a lot of fun playing, especially playing with Jiyai. You know, it was a lot of fun playing with her. You know, I thought I played pretty solid. A couple of the wedge shots could have been a lot closer.

Q. I believe 65 is one of your best rounds this year. Does it feel like that?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I was just focusing on each shot. I didn't really have a score in my mind. I just thought I would give myself some good opportunities and hit some greens and make some putts.

Q. On the bogey on 15, with the risk and reward on this course, do you ever consider not hitting driver at all?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think that there are places where I can hit driver, but you know, there are places where I do hit 3-wood. On some holes, there is an advantage to hit drivers, so I am comfortable to hitting driver. It's all about what hits it.

Q. Where do you feel the best part of your game is?
MICHELLE WIE: I think the best part of today was just the rhythm and the tempo. I was just going along, you know, hitting fairways and green and making putts. I think the mental part was the best part today, really more than anything else. You know, I felt really good out there, and really confident.

Q. It seems like this year, you have one bad hole, or one bad round per tournament. Today you haven't had that. Any concept for how that happens? Is it mental, your energy, or something, when that happens?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I don't want to make such a big deal out of it. You know, everyone has bad holes. Like I said, I think the mental part was the best part today. I felt calm and confident, and just in a good rhythm. You know, it's just that you're going to have bad holes, and you're good to have good holes. I think you made a good point, you know, there was a chance for me to make a double on 15, and I didn't. You just have to play smart sometimes, determine your risk and reward, and hopefully I won't have that little streak. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. I have to get better on the wedges and just keep hitting fairways and greens.

Suzann Pettersen, 35-30=65, -6
Hole 10, 376-yard par 4: bogey, second shot missed green, two-putt to eight feet
Hole 12, 395-yard par 4: birdie, gap wedge to 10 feet
Hole 15, 389-yard par 4: birdie, 9-iron to six feet
Hole 18, 532-yard par 5: birdie, sand wedge to 10 feet
Hole 2, 162-yard par 3: hole-in-one, 7-iron to 154 yards
Hole 5, 392-yard par 4: birdie, 7-iron to 20 feet
Hole 6, 155-yard par 3: birdie, 8-iron to three feet

JASON TAYLOR: Suzann, thanks for coming in. You had a great start to the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, finished at 6-under-par in round one, including a nice ace on number two. Can you talk about your day?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, I haven't really played much golf since McDonald's when I pulled out. I played Saucon Valley, the U.S. Open course, on Tuesday, that was 18 holes. Then I played nine holes on the weekend. So, I feel a little bit rusty, and haven't felt that great with me game since I haven't been able to practice. I just had to take some time off and get healthy again. I mean, I would have taken 2-under, from what I felt warming up. The last couple of shots I kind of found something, and that's what it's all about. Everyday it's not going to feel that great, but you have to dig deep, and dig within yourself and that can kind of get you going. I found that right in time.

Q. Can you talk about the hole-in-one? When was the last time you had one?
SUZAN PETTERSEN: I think I've had three or four I can't remember. I think this is number four. I had one as a junior, then I think I had one in Europe. Then I had one on Rochester, on a very short hole, then today. I mean, it was one of the best shots I hit all day. It was on line the whole way, just landed a bit short, then dribbled in. It was perfect execution, I guess.

Q. What was so bad with your warm-up?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: It was my timing. I mean, as soon as I came back my timing has been so off. That's the hard thing. It's kind of nice taking some time off to get your body going, but at the same time it's tough when you're coming back. For me, it's always been like that. I mean, it takes me a couple of days, and some tough days. You go through some ups and downs, and it's tough. On Friday of last week, we started off working at 1:00, then at 4:00 or 5:30 I hit my first shot off the face, off the sweet spot. It's just that sometimes it takes the body a bit longer. It is what it is. You just have to try to find something.

Q. What kind of illness?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean I think I just had a bad viral infection. They thought it was a lot of other stuff, but thank God that was it.

Q. So, this is the first time in nearly a month you've played. It's got to feel good right now, after shooting 6-under-par?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, yeah, it felt great. I mean, I didn't play in Rochester this last week, which is one of my favorite courses, so that was kind of a hard one to face. I just take this as a good warm-up for next week, really. I have to have a competitive mindset and feel good about my game again.