Fields Open In Hawaii
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, Hawaii
Feb. 21, 2007

Pre-tournament interviews: Paula Creamer | Julieta Granada | Meena Lee

Paula Creamer

PAM WARNER: Paula, thanks for coming and joining us today. Let's start by talking about your win last week at the SBS Open.
PAULA CREAMER: It feels good to come here with a win. It was an exciting week. I played very good. I had a lot of fun, and it was good that the off-season paid off.

PAM WARNER: You tied for 11th last year at the Fields Open. You had a chance to play on the course today in the Pro-Am, can you talk about the course conditions?
PAULA CREAMER: You know, it pretty wet out there. I think it's not in the best of shape, but you know, they have got till tomorrow maybe to do some work on it. Fairways are a little long. The greens are getting quicker which is good. It's a little shaky. Hopefully the wind blows so it makes it pretty difficult out there.

Q. What was your approach coming into this Hawaii swing last year, as opposed to this year?
PAULA CREAMER: Same approach. Just come and play as good as I can. I think I know deep down inside that I work really hard and that I know that I can do it. I was hitting the ball well, and I think that that gives you a bit more confidence going into it. The pressure that I've put on myself so far this year is not as great as it was last year. My expectations are a little different this year.

Q. Is the pressure a little less this year?
PAULA CREAMER: Just different types of feelings and different goals.

Q. Curious how you celebrated your win.
PAULA CREAMER: I just went to dinner. We went down to Lai-Lai's and we had dinner, and then the next day I had to wake up at 5:45 in the morning for a calendar shoot. So that was exciting, a good way to celebrate your win, wake up that early. (Laughing) But it was fun.

Q. Where was the calendar shoot?
PAULA CREAMER: Turtle Bay.

Q. How different are these two courses, the one you went on last week and what are some of the differences that you'll be facing, even similarities with the course this week?
PAULA CREAMER: I think the similarity is the wind. I think that's pretty obvious. But the difference is, Turtle Bay, the greens were a lot quicker, a lot firmer. Fairways were a lot more narrow than here. This is a pretty wide‑open golf course, pretty big greens. I would say that the rough is a little different. It's a little longer here than it was there. But it's more punishing to miss fairways there than it is here, if that makes any sense. But that's pretty much it. I mean, same type of length and all. The fairways don't seem to run as much because they are longer.

Q. Do you think at all, this is Michelle Wie's home course, do you think at all about the fact that she's not here, do you wish maybe you could take her on on her home course?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, I come out every week playing the golf course, so to me it doesn't really matter who is in the field. Obviously you want a strong field and you want the best players there. Ultimately I just come out trying to play my game and play the course and beat that number.

Q. Do you pay attention to the worldwide rankings at all? I know you went up to No. 5 in the latest rankings, does that mean anything or do you pay attention to that at all, or wait until somebody asks you or tells you about it?
PAULA CREAMER: No, I mean, I want to be the No. 1 player, of course, that's my goal. But I think that they are in the locker room so you see them. So I know where I stand. But, you know, I want to be No. 1. So yes, I do. I'm very aware of that.

Q. Julieta Granada's mother is out here caddying for her. Can you imagine playing at this level with one of your parents?
PAULA CREAMER: With my mom? Oh, my goodness, my mom cannot carry the bag for ten yards, let alone 18 holes. (Laughter). My mom has never played a hole of golf in her life. I think that's fantastic what Rosa does. No, my dad caddied for me a couple of times as a professional and I think that it's just a feeling of comfortability out on the golf course. We don't really need to have Dad caddie for me right now. Colin can caddie for me, that's better.

Q. With last week's victory, is there more of a relief off your shoulders, less pressure starting out?
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, I think it is. It was a good week. It's a good way to start the year. I expect the best out of myself, but it does feel good to have that win under my belt so far, and it makes the next one easier and the one easier after that.

Julieta Granada

PAM WARNER: Thanks for coming in and joining us today. You played very well here last year. You tied for fourth here at the Fields Open last year. Just talk about being back here at Ko Olina.
JULIETA GRANADA: Well, I enjoy coming to Hawaii. Ko Olina is a great course. It suits my game very well. The greens are small and you have to putt well. So, I'm looking forward to this week. Hopefully the wind doesn't blow, but other than that, I'm looking forward to a good week.

PAM WARNER: You've had such success since you won the ADT Championship at the end of last season where you won the first-ever $1 million dollar paycheck on the LPGA Tour. Then you came back to win the Women's World Cup of Golf for Paraguay, and last week you finished second at the SBS Open.
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, after my ADT win, it seems like my game stepped to another level, and I'm just enjoying the ride, working on my game. And I worked really hard this off-season. So you know, I was just ready to start another year and I've had a good start so far.

Q. How significant was the win at ADT for your confidence?
JULIETA GRANADA: Huge. You know, you all believe you can win, but it's different when you actually do it. And, you know, closing the deal is a big step for me, especially at this level where it's so hard to win. That just gave me a lot of confidence and it seemed like, you know, my goals are so far ahead this year than last year. Last year I was just trying to make Top 10's, and now it's like try to win it.

Q. Would you like to win the ADT Championship again this year? It was a good paycheck.
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, it was definitely the right one. If I go through the year, I don't mind if I can win that one again.

Q. Anything special that you did with the prize money?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yes, I only got myself a new car and other than that I saved my money, invest it.

Q. How are you feeling? Did you take any medicine?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, I actually got the flu this week. Yesterday I couldn't play a practice round. I was feeling pretty bad. Hopefully I'll feel better by tomorrow. I've got a late tee time so that will help me to recover just a little bit. I'm taking some medicine, so I'm hoping to get some good sleep and get ready to go tomorrow.

Q. What's it like having your mother as a caddie?
JULIETA GRANADA: Oh, it's huge. We're really good friends and we get along great. You know, she gives me something that maybe some of the other caddies won't be able to because she knows me so well, as a daughter, as a friend and as a golfer. So she knows my game inside and out and she knows -- obviously she knows me inside and out.

Q. How heavy is that bag? It seems pretty heavy.
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, it's pretty heavy, but we don't carry the umbrella. We don't carry rain gear, only six balls. I try to make it light for her.

Q. Did you ever think about getting a different caddie?
JULIETA GRANADA: No, not even crossed my mind. You know, winning gives you, you know, just makes you believe in what you're doing even more. With my mom on my bag, it worked last year, so why change it? It's working fine.

Q. How did you come to have her work your bag?
JULIETA GRANADA: Well, I turned pro and I played the Futures tour for nine events. The Futures Tour, it's kind of hard to have a caddie, really expensive. So I said, "Mom, you want to hop in and carry the bag?" She started and we got along great and I went to Q-School. You know, she was on the bag, and it just seemed a perfect fit for us. She really enjoys it and I really appreciate her being there with me.

Q. Did she get you into golf originally?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yes, she was a golfer. My grandparents from my mom's side taught her and she has a great love for the game. She doesn't play the game anymore but she enjoys being out there with me. It's almost like playing for her.

Q. Can you just talk a little on what you worked on with (David) Leadbetter in the off-season and how you tweaked your game?
JULIETA GRANADA: I wouldn't say I tweaked my game, but obviously we looked at the stats from last year. I hit a lot of fairways but I was missing lots of greens. So we really work on my iron play, good ball-striking, really did some good work on that. Last week I hit a lot of greens, so it's coming around. It's a tough thing to do which is -- I'm not used to hitting so many greens and having so many birdie chances. But I'm liking it so far. You know, it was just mainly my iron game.

Q. Do you think you've added distance?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, definitely added distance. I worked out really hard the first month of my off-season, and after that, it was hard because I was traveling all the time. But yeah, I gained some distance and I'm feeling stronger, so I'm ready to go.

Q. Your mom is probably the only caddie on Tour who gets more than 10%.
JULIETA GRANADA: She doesn't get more, are you kidding me? No bonus. We were doing our tax thing last week and she got plenty of money, trust me. (Laughter) I pay her good enough.

Q. So for goals this season with your new winning mentality, do you have a goal that you want to win, do you want to win majors, do you have a number of tournaments you want to win, and how much money?
JULIETA GRANADA: Well, this year I'm going to put no expectations on my game. I'm just going to enjoy every week, have fun, play golf. Obviously I want to prepare a little bit better for the majors. Last year I didn't do such a good job on it. You know, I really just enjoy the opportunity that I have in front of me and don't put so much pressure or expectations because that always turns into a negative. You know, I just go out there and make birdies.

Q. How has life changed since that ADT, besides driving the new car, how is life back at home and are people treating you differently?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, actually life is pretty cool right now. I got to meet Greg Norman, Nick Price, you know, people just that I look at as my role models. Now I get to talk to them and spend time with them, which is pretty cool. I'm still the same but obviously my golf game evolved a little bit.

Q. Do you think your performance will help encourage people from Paraguay to play more golf?
JULIETA GRANADA: I'm hoping. You know, the media is starting to pay more attention to what I'm doing, and even the people are really rooting for me and they want me to do well. I just want to give them an open opportunity for them that it could be done; it's a tough road but it could be done. Hopefully in the next ten years, they will have plenty of players from Paraguay on Tour.

Q. This is Michelle Wie's home course, do you wish at all that you had a chance to play against her here again?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, of course, I want to compete against the best and she always has a great game. It would have been fun. But since she's not here, we can't really say much about it.

Q. What was the hardest thing about moving from Paraguay to Florida and playing golf?
JULIETA GRANADA: The hardest thing is obviously it's a big culture change. I didn't speak any English, so that was another big factor. You know, it's just --it's just so different here from there that it was a really huge change for me going to school, and really practicing a lot. I wasn't used to that. So it was a big change but I managed to get through it. And now, you know, I really enjoy -- I really enjoy the state and the people and the culture. I'm pretty much Americanized a little bit.

Q. When people see your flag on the bag, do they ask you with a country you're from or do they recognize the flag at all?
JULIETA GRANADA: No, they probably don't recognize the flag. When they ask where I'm from, I say Paraguay and they look at me funny and I have to describe on the map where it is and who is our neighbor and all the details.

Q. What country do they think it is when they see the flag?
JULIETA GRANADA: I've heard everything from, "is that in Africa," India, people just sometimes they don't know geography…

Q. As far as your mother caddying, when is the last time you played against somebody whose mother was caddying?
JULIETA GRANADA: Actually Q-School, I don't remember her name but there was a Korean player that had her mother on the bag. I was playing with Charlotta Sorenstam and she said, “I should have had my mom on the bag,” we could have had a mom group.

Q. Are people surprised? Do they ask who she is?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, people admire her, too. It's a tough job and it's hard for her. The bag sometimes gets heavy. People think I kind of make her do it and it's not that way. She really wants to do it. She really enjoys it. So for me to have her on the bag, it's positive, not negative.

Q. How does it work, does she read the distances for you?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, she gives me all the yardages and from there, you know, I pick the club and on the greens I usually just do it myself. If I have doubts then I'll ask her and she'll give me her opinion. Usually she tries to stay out of the way if I don't need her.

Q. Do you ever have to tell her to calm down? Does she get excited?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, she got excited last week a little bit. Usually she's very aware of the situation and she knows how to handle herself pretty good. So it doesn't happen very often.

Q. How about your father, what does he do in Paraguay?
JULIETA GRANADA: He's a greenskeeper at my home course. He'll come like five or six times this year. So I'll see him a lot.

Q. Which course is that?
JULIETA GRANADA: That's Yacth Golf Club. It's just outside the city.

Q. Did you grow up around golf?
JULIETA GRANADA: He just started working there less than a year ago. He used to have a restaurant before. We live like a hundred yards from the eighth green, so I was always around golf and it's just something that I loved to do since I was four years old. It's kind of a family tradition I guess.

Q. What was your mom's work out schedule?
JULIETA GRANADA: She didn't have one. (Laughter) Take care of the dog, feed me, just a regular mom.

Meena Lee, defending champion

PAM WARNER: Meena, thank you for joining us today. Last year you won the inaugural Fields Open on a three-hole playoff. Just talk about being back here, defending your title.
MEENA LEE: It's always good to be back and defend a title. I'm happy to be here. But because of defending the title, I'm a little nervous but I'll do my best.

PAM WARNER: You just had a chance to go out on the course today and play in the Pro-Am. Can you talk about the course conditions?
MEENA LEE: The golf course condition-wise, I think last year was a little bit better than this year. We had some rain this morning, so the course is playing a little bit slow. And then we're in Hawaii so obviously there's a lot of wind, so the wind is going to make it play hard.

Q. Can you talk about your play last week and maybe what you've been working on early this season?
MEENA LEE: Last week, I believe that everything worked okay as far as my game goes. But I just had a bad hole on No. 7, and that's why I missed the cut. But game-wise, it's working out right now.

Q. How would you rate your last year compared to your strong rookie season in 2005? Were you disappointed at all? I know you made more cuts last year, but were you disappointed at all not finishing in the top?
MEENA LEE: I had a good year my rookie year, but last year was not a bad season. I had a good season -- I believe that last year's season was good, and all of the work that I did paid off in 2006. But it helped me really a lot to getting adjusted on the LPGA in 2006. I learned more in 2006 than I did in my rookie year, so I wouldn't call it a bad season.

Q. So you feel more comfortable this year and more -- you know the courses?
MEENA LEE: Yes.

Q. How much confidence do you have coming into an event that you've won before?
MEENA LEE: Well, I have confidence that I can play better here. It's just that, you know, defending a title always is not about confidence, there's always pressure on defending. So that's another way to look at it. I'm confident, but in a way that I'm --I feel a little bit more pressure.

Q. Do you have any goals as far as getting back into the Top-10 on the Money List?
MEENA LEE: Of course I want to win as many tournaments as I can, but my total main goal will be being in the Top-10 of the Money List at the end of 2007.