LPGA Tour Championship Presented by Rolex
The Houstonian Golf and Country Club
Richmond, Texas
Nov. 18, 2009

Pre-tournament interviews: Jiyai Shin | Lorena Ochoa | Paula Creamer | Ai Miyazato | Cristie Kerr | Michelle Wie

Jiyai Shin, Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year

Q. You have a shot to be the Rolex Player of the Year this week.  How are you feeling about that?
JIYAI SHIN:  Now that we have just one tournament and I'm still on top.  Now I really want it.  Before, in the last few months, I said I wanted Player of the Year, but I had already made Rookie of the Year.  It feels really close and I really want it.

Q. Will you be watching what Lorena does this week or will you focus on your own golf?
JIYAI SHIN:  Just focus on my golf and do my best.  If I do my best and I miss the Player of the Year, it will just be unlucky.  Lorena could have a good tournament this week and she has a chance so I will just focus on my game and other things will follow.

Q.  Do you like how you're playing?
JIYAI SHIN:  Last week, I was really close to a win.  I was really happy because I enjoyed it and did my best too.  The last few tournaments, I've made top 10's, so I have confidence.

Q. Is this your first time playing in Texas?
JIYAI SHIN:  Yes, it's very flat (laughter).  Flat and calm.  I got here Monday and it was windy and cold.  I was surprised.  I heard it's really warm and hot here, but today was beautiful weather.

Lorena Ochoa

Q.  Houston has a very large Hispanic population. Why do you think there aren't as many Hispanic players on the LPGA Tour?
LORENA OCHOA:  Well, I think it is just happening, you know, women's golf just started.  There are about 30 players playing college golf, and about seven Mexicans playing on the FUTURES Tour, so I think it will happen eventually.  We just have to be patient, and hopefully in a few years we will have a few more professionals. 

Q.  Next year there will be three tournaments in Mexico.  Do you think that has a lot to do with your impact?
LORENA OCHOA:  Well, you know, for the last two years we have had three tournaments.  So I think it's really changing the way people see golf in Mexico, so I am happy to see that.  It's helping a lot with our junior programs, and I think now we have better teachers and that's always important.  So, I'm just trying to do as much as I can to help the game, and hopefully we can have more tournaments in the future. 

Q.  Do you think the Olympics will help also?
LORENA OCHOA:  The Olympics will help.  Yes.

Q.  What are your first impressions of this golf course?
LORENA OCHOA:  I think the greens are small.  I think you can be too aggressive on the greens because some of them are up-and-down.  You just have to be patient out there and try to hit as many greens as you can.  I think it is going to be important to get comfortable with the chip-ins around the greens.  It's almost very dry, so you'll get different reactions when chipping around the green.  So, get used to that.  Tomorrow I think it is important to get off to a good start.

Paula Creamer

Q.  How are you feeling?
PAULA CREAMER:  I feel good.  It was a good week last week and my confidence is up.  Hopefully the wind blows pretty strong out here because without the wind this golf course is defenseless.  You can go out and make as many birdies as you possibly can.  It's nice to have this event in Texas.

Q. Talk about the 2010 schedule.
PAULA CREAMER:  I was happy to see some good tournaments in the States.  Some purses raised, some lowered.  We have some off weeks, which is not the best of things, but we're heading in the right direction.  The biggest news was Wegmans and the LPGA Championship.  I like that golf course so maybe it will be my year for my first major.

Q. What impression did Mike Whan make on you?
PAULA CREAMER:  He seemed like a great guy.  He's doing an open forum for us tonight.  I feel like we're headed in the right direction.  He seems like a good guy who understands golf, understands business. 

Q. Are you going to grill him?
PAULA CREAMER:  I'm going to listen.  There is a lot to hear from him.  I'll have some questions.  I'm not much of a griller. 

Q. What's your take on tournaments being spread out over the world?
PAULA CREAMER:  The LPGA Tour is based in America.  I feel that we need to have a lot of events here.  I feel it's important for women's golf.  However, I'm very global with my sponsors and I think it's important to get out in the world.  Golf is growing.  Golf is in the Olympics.  We do have to go overseas.

Q. Do you consider yourself a veteran?
PAULA CREAMER:  I'm 23 now and a couple days ago I was told I was old.  I'm not a veteran yet.  I'm still learning so many new things out here.  Everyday is a new day.  I learn how to plan, time management.  It is constantly going on and I think it will be several more years until I'm a veteran.  Five just isn't enough.

Ai Miyazato

Q.  It's been a great year for you.  Can you talk about how you're feeling here at the final event of the season?
AI MIYAZATO:  Well, it was really quick this year, so far.  I'm glad I have the chance to play in Houston and this tournament, and my feeling is really good.  Including the weather, I am happy to be here. 

Q.  Have you ever been to Texas?
AI MIYAZATO:  No, this is my first time.  All I have seen is the hotel and golf course, so not really the town.  I haven't been to downtown.  But, it's been really nice and seems to be really flat.  So, it's beautiful. 

Q.  The schedule was released this morning.  What do you think about having about half of the events overseas and half in America? 
AI MIYAZATO:  Well, I'm just really happy that we have tournaments, 23 for next year.  I mean, in July, it was down to like 10 or 15 events I thought, so I'm happy that I can play more tournaments next year.  And it doesn't really matter where it is for me, if it's in Asia or in America, I am just happy to play. 

Q.  It's been reported that having 23 or 24 tournaments as a bad thing, but that could have been a lot worse. 
AI MIYAZATO:  Oh yeah, I think absolutely.  It's so much better than having nine tournaments.  And also I will be playing a few more Japan tournaments, I think, so I'm still going to be busy next year.

Cristie Kerr

Q.  Do you sort of feel like a rock to win the Rolex Player of the Year?  You have to win here, and Jiyai Shin and Lorena Ochoa have to finish outside of the top-10.  Can you talk about your chances this week going in to get the award. 
CRISTIE KERR:  I don't think it's rocky, I think it's definitely challenging.  I think the statistic is probably against me, but this is sport.  I tell you that if it were to happen it would be a pretty great storyline.  Having everything fall into place, I just have to go out there and take care of my job and win the golf tournament.  If I shoot three rounds in the 60s on this golf course, I think that can get it done.  The conditions I think are not going to be like today.  This is Texas, so I think it's going to be windy.  The course played super long yesterday because it was colder and windier, and today it played a lot shorter.  So, I played great today, so I'm just going to try to go out, and if the stars align, it could be pretty interesting.  I mean, I had my chance last week.  My caddie and I picked a terrible club on 15, I could have swung a lot better, and that kind of set the wrong momentum for the next few holes.  I had my chance there.  I have my chance this week, but everything now has to be a perfect scenario.  I just have to be hopeful that that's still out there. 

Q.  If you win the Rolex Player of the Year, you would be the first American to do that since Nancy Lopez in 1978.  Is that something that motivates you?
CRISTIE KERR:  You know, I grew up watching LPGA golf, and you know, the Juli Inkster's of the world, the Nancy Lopez's of the world, Betsy King, Beth Daniel, Meg Mallon.  You know, contending for player of the year and winning player of the year, that's how I grew up watching TV.  You know, inspiration to say, hey, I can do this.  So, I think it's definitely motivating to me to do that, and fortunately, I have a chance.  I don't think it's a long shot, but again, everything has to fall into place.  It's a source of irritation not seeing an American winning player of the year or on top of the money list, so there are also a lot of other things that played into this week, you know, which could be Vare Trophy.  Especially to have four rounds in the 60s could be good enough, who knows. There are a lot of storylines that are kind of happening this week.  If I can take care of my job and shoot three, four rounds in the 60s, I'll have a chance maybe at one of those.

Q.  Having played with Michelle Wie before, how would you assess her game?
CRISTIE KERR:  I think, you know, having played with her a lot up to this point, we were Solheim Cup partners.  We thought we were almost going to play every match together, and we ended up playing one match together.  You know, I've developed a great friendship since then, and I've seen her really mature.  I think that was maybe the first, besides from the fact of being at Stanford, you know, the first real team competition she has been a part of.  It's playing for a country, playing for a team.  I think she really matured a lot.  We got to know her for that.  You know, I played with her on Sunday, and that's better than I have seen her play.  She hit it way right off the tee on 12, and I think it ended up getting a good bounce, and she ended up making bogey anyway, but it could have been in another fairway.  She's 20, you know, I've known her since she was 12, so that's eight years of being in this environment and maturing.  And her parents have come a long ways that you can see.  They work really hard, but I think they are more positive now, and I think that's had a big impact on her.

Q.  What do you think her winning can do for the LPGA Tour?
CRISTIE KERR:  I think it's huge.  I was sitting on the 18th-green and was thinking, if it wasn't going to be me, I wanted her to win because I really, truly believe that she can help elevate this Tour.  With a personality like her, she's a great kid and an amazing golf talent.  I said it on the 18th-green, it's the win heard around the world. 

Michelle Wie

Q. I heard you got picked first in the pro-am by someone in an auction?
MICHELLE WIE:  Last night was a unique experience. I was so thankful to my pro-am partners for that. It was a lot higher than I expected. $26,000. I thought like $50."

Q. I'm curious about the globalization of the LPGA tour. From your point of view, what would be the right proportion of events played in the US vs. Overseas?
MICHELLE WIE: If logistically it works, I would love to play all over the place. I think it's great having tournaments overseas. I love having tournaments in our homeland. And I just think it's great for the game of golf to play in places where maybe golf isn't so well known.

Q. What do you think of this course?
MICHELLE WIE: It's a great golf course. There's a lot of water. The weather was perfect today, so if it stays like this, it looks like it's in really good shape.

Q. Do you have a sense of where the tour will be in five years?
MICHELLE WIE: I think it's just going to keep growing and growing and going in the right direction with new leadership. We are heading in the right direction. In five years, hopefully we will have a lot more tournaments and hopefully we will be more global and this Tour will be more well known. We have a great product so I hope we will just keep growing.