Hamilton Farm Golf Club
Gladstone, N.J.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
First-round interviews and note
The first-round matches at the Sybase Match Play Championship played at Hamilton Farm Golf Club are in the books. Ten of the top-ten players in the Rolex Rankings started the day and only seven advanced to the second round. Rolex Rankings No. 3 Suzann Pettersen was upset by LPGA Hall of Fame member Juli Inkster, No. 6 Anna Nordqvist was beat by Shi Hyun Ahn and No. 9 Na Yeon Choi suffered a loss at the hands of Karine Icher.
Rookies rule the first round. All three rookies in the field won their first-round matches. Amanda Blumenherst upset Stacy Lewis 1 UP. Sponsor’s invite Beatriz Recari won over Brittany Lincicome 1 UP, while Azahara Munoz defeated last week’s winner Se Ri Pak 3&2.
Bell Micro playoff burn-out? All three players who competed in the playoff for the Bell Micro LPGA Classic trophy last week lost in the first round today. Se Ri Pak, Brittany Lincicome and Suzann Pettersen all failed to advance to the second round.
Tight matches were the theme of the day. Six matches went extra holes and another six ended on the 18th hole. The longest match was between reigning U.S Open champion and Janice Moodie. Ji eventually defeated Moodie on the 22nd hole with a par.
The biggest margin of victory was 5&4 by Sophie Gustafson over Na On Min and Candie Kung over Natalie Gulbis.
The comeback of the day goes to Morgan Pressel. The former U.S. Amateur champion was 2-down standing on the 17th hole. She proceeded to make birdie on 17 and 18 to bring the match to even against Jimin Kang. She won the match on the second playoff hole.
Looks like switching the nines at Hamilton Farm Golf Club is creating the drama that was intended. Amanda Blumenherst and Stacy Lewis were all-square headed into 18. Blumenherst took advantage of her length, went for the green in two and made eagle to defeat Lewis 1 UP.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Kathy Whitworth bracket
Jiyai Shin def. Kyeong Bae 3&2
Hee-Won Han def. Mika Miyazato 2&1
Beatriz Recari def. Brittany Lincicome 1 UP
Azahara Munoz def. Se Ri Pak 3&2
Michelle Wie def. Stacy Prammanasudh 2 UP
Hee-Young Park def. Ji Young Oh 19 holes
Karine Icher def. Na Yeon Choi 4&3
Eun-Hee Ji def. Janice Moodie 22 holes
Mickey Wright bracket
Ai Miyazato def. Jeong Jang 4&3
M.J. Hur def. Hye Jung Choi 1 UP
Catriona Matthew def. Grace Park 1 UP
Kristy McPherson def. Meena Lee 3&2
Karrie Webb def. Eunjung Yi 4&3
Amanda Blumenherst def. Stacy Lewis 1 UP
Angela Stanford def. Amy Hung 4&3
Pat Hurst def. Brittany Lang 19 holes
Annika Sorenstam bracket
Juli Inkster def. Suzann Pettersen 21 holes
Amy Yang def. Michelle Redman 19 holes
Morgan Pressel def. Jimin Kang 20 holes
Sophie Gustafson def. Na On Min 5&4
Shi Hyun Ahn def. Anna Nordqvist 2 UP
Jee Young Lee def. Christina Kim 4&2
Haeji Kang def. In-Kyung Kim 1 UP
Sandra Gal def. Katherine Hull 1 UP
Patty Berg bracket
Yani Tseng def. Wendy Ward 2 & 1
Candie Kung def. Natalie Gulbis 5&4
Inbee Park def. Laura Diaz 4&3
Maria Hjorth def. Shanshan Feng 2&1
Cristie Kerr def. Meaghan Francella 4&3
Sun Young Yoo def. Karen Stupples 3&2
Song-Hee Kim def. Nicole Castrale 2&1
Momoko Ueda def. Vicky Hurst 3&1
Kathy Whitworth bracket:
Jiyai Shin v. Kyeong Bae
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jiyai Shin made a step forward towards winning her first LPGA event of the 2010 season. She defeated Bae 3&2 and will face Hee-Won Han in the second-round match. Han, who is an excellent putter, will give Shin a tough match.
Hee-Won Han v. Mika Miyazato
Han fought a tough battle against Mika Miyazato. She won the match by a 2&1 margin. Facing the world’s No. 1 in the second-round will test Han’s mettle. Han has won six-times on the LPGA tour and her best finish this year is a T12.
Brittany Lincicome v. Beatriz Recari
Recari, playing on a sponsor’s invitation, upset Lincicome 1 UP. Not only was Lincicome ranked 16th to Recari’s 62nd, she also won the HSBC Match Play at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in 2006. Recari will play fellow rookie Azahara Munoz in the second-round match.
Se Ri Pak v. Azahara Munoz
Munoz dealt last week’s winner Pak a hand she could not handle. Munoz defeated the LPGA Hall of Fame member 3&2 in a huge upset. Munoz will face fellow rookie Beatriz Recari in the second match.
Michelle Wie v. Stacy Prammanasudh
Wie finally closed out Prammanasudh on the 17th hole, winning the match 2 UP. Wie will face Hee Young Park in the second-round match. Park is an extremely consistent player who currently ranks 21st on the LPGA money list. She finished 35th and 20th on the money list the last two years.
Hee Young Park v. Ji Young Oh
Park and Oh went extra holes in their match. Park eventually won on the 19th hole with a par. The match was tight all day. Each player won three holes during regulation and tied the other twelve. Park will need to bring her best game tomorrow to beat Michelle Wie whose putter was hot in round one.
Na Yeon Choi v. Karine Icher
Icher upset Rolex Ranking No. 9 Na Yeon Choi. Icher is a tough competitor and defeated Choi 4&3. She will face Eun-Hee Ji in the second round. If Icher plays the way she did today she will be a tough opponent for Ji.
Eun-Hee Ji v. Janice Moodie
Ji won the longest match of the day against Moodie. It took Ji 22 holes to finally defeat Moodie 1 UP. Ji will play Karine Icher in the second round. Icher upset Rolex Rankings No. 9 Na Yeon Choi in the first round.
Mickey Wright bracket
Ai Miyazato v. Jeong Jang
Rolex Ranking No. 2 Miyazato easily managed her match against Jang. She defeated the two-time winner 4 & 3. Miyazato, who can become the world’s number one this week with a victory, will face M.J. Hur in the second round.
MJ Hur v HJ Choi
M.J. Hur rattled off five birdies in today’s first-round match to defeat Choi 2-UP. Hur will take on Ai Miyazato in the second round.
Catriona Matthew v. Grace Park
Matthew put on a late rally and birdied 15, 16, and 17 to squeak past Grace Park 1 UP. Matthew won the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2009 and has a ton of match play experience. She carries a 4-1-0 singles record in Solheim Cup play. She will meet Kristy McPherson in the second round.
Kristy McPherson v. Meena Lee
Kristy McPherson clinched her match against Lee by making birdie on the par-3 16th. She defeated Lee 3 & 2 and will face match-play stalwart Catriona Matthew in the second round.
Karrie Webb v. Eunjung Yi
LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Webb defeated the less experienced Yi 4 & 3. Webb will face Amanda Blumenherst in the second round. Blumenherst upset Stacy Lewis in the first round, clinching the match with an eagle on 18.
Stacy Lewis v. Amanda Blumenherst
Blumenherst and Lewis had one of the best battles of the day. Both players played extremely well, firing shots close to the hole and trading birdies. Blumenherst took advantage of her length and clinched the match with an extraordinary second shot into the par-5 18th. The win should give her some added confidence for her second-round match with Karrie Webb.
Angela Stanford v. Amy Hung
Tenacious match-play competitor Stanford defeated Hung 4 & 3. She dominated the match most of the day winning seven holes from Hung. Stanford will play Pat Hurst in the second-round match. Both Hurst and Stanford relish the match-play format.
Brittany Lang v. Pat Hurst
Hurst and Lang fought a tough battle in the first round, tying 10 holes. Hurst finally prevailed on the 19th hole, winning the match with a par. Hurst will face Angela Stanford in the second round for one of the premier matches of the second round.
Annika Sorenstam bracket
Suzann Pettersen v. Juli Inkster
Pettersen and Inkster delivered on the battle fans were expecting. Pettersen grabbed an early 2-up lead through two holes, before Inkster bounced back with a birdie on three. Pettersen birdied the fourth to go back to 2-up. Inkster won five and seven to bring the match to all-square. Pettersen and Inkster traded holes on nine and ten to keep the match all square through ten. Pettersen won the 11th, Inkster took the 13th and Pettersen won the 14th after Inkster missed a short putt to halve the hole. Headed into the 18th hole 1-down, Inkster drained a ten foot birdie putt to send the match into extra holes. Holes 19 and 20 were halved with pars. Inkster finally won the match with a clutch 4-foot par putt on the 21st hole.
Amy Yang v. Michele Redman
Yang took out two-time winner Redman in the first round. Yang stood on the 13th tee 3-down to Redman and proceeded to rattle off three straight birdies on 14, 15 and 16 to bring the match to all-square. Yang won on the 19th hole with another birdie. She will face Juli Inkster who has a 6-1-1 singles record in Solheim Cup competition.
Morgan Pressel v. Jimin Kang
Standing on the 12th hole 3-down Pressel battled back by winning 12, 17 and 18 to force the match to extra holes. She won 17 and 18 with birdies. The 19th hole was halved with pars and Pressel made birdie on the 20th to win the match. She will face Sophie Gustafson in the second round.
Sophie Gustafson v. Na On Min
Gustafson and Min were even through three holes to start the match, but Gustafson took over on the fourth hole with a birdie and never looked back. She won holes four, eight, ten, eleven and fourteen to defeat Min 5 & 4. The long-hitting Gustafson advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2005 and 2006 HSBC Match Play contested at Hamilton Farm Golf Club and is loaded with match play experience. Gustafson is averaging 261.6 yards off the tee in 2010. She will face Morgan Pressel in the second round.
Anna Nordqvist v. Shi Hyun Ahn
Ahn scored an upset over the Rolex Rankings No. 6 Nordqvist by defeating her 1-UP. Ahn will face Jee Young Lee in the second round. Ahn ranks eighth in putting average which could keep her rolling against second-round opponent Jee Young Lee.
Jee Young Lee v. Christina Kim
Despite being 1-up through four holes, Kim could not keep pace with Lee. Lee birdied 12, 15 and 16 to win 4 & 2 over Kim. Lee will face Shi Hyun Ahn in the second round. Both are excellent ball-strikers and putters which should make for a tight match.
In Kyung Kim v. Haeji Kang
It took Haeji Kang all 18 holes to upset I.K. Kim. Kang, ranked 61st in the tournament, won 16 and 17 to take a 1-up lead on Kang. Kang tied Kim’s birdie on 18 to win the match 1-up. Kang will face Sandra Gal in the second round.
Katherine Hull v. Sandra Gal
Gal held a commanding lead throughout most of the match. She was 4-up through 10 holes, but Hull battled back by winning 11, 13 and 15. Gal finally closed out the match on 17 to upset the higher seeded Hull. Gal will face Haeji Kang in the second round. Kang is coming off a first-round upset of No. 11 seed In Kyung Kim.
Patty Berg bracket
Yani Tseng v. Wendy Ward
Tseng led Ward 4-up through 10 holes in round one. Despite a late rally from Ward on 13 and 14, Tseng eventually won the match 2&1. She will play Candie Kung in the second round. Kung cruised to victory in her first round match.
Candie Kung v. Natalie Gulbis
Kung easily defeated Gulbis by a 5&4 margin. Kung will face Yani Tseng in round two. Kung and Tseng are both great match-play competitors.
Inbee Park v. Laura Diaz
Former U.S. Junior Champion Park defeated Diaz 4&3. Diaz, who has an outstanding singles record in Solheim Cup competition, was not able to get anything going against Park. Park won six of the first eight holes from Diaz. Park will face Hjorth in the second round. .
Maria Hjorth v. Shanshan Feng
Hjorth and Feng played a hard-fought match, but Hjorth prevailed in the end. She defeated Feng 2&1 and will face Inbee Park in the second round. Hjorth has two-top tens this year and made it to the semi-finals at the 2007 HSBC Match Play Championship. Both players have plenty of match-play experience. Hjorth, however, carries an 0-3-1 singles record in Solheim Cup competition.
Cristie Kerr v. Meaghan Francella
Rolex Rankings No. 5 Kerr won five holes to Francella’s one and defeated Francella 4&3. The match was tighter than the score reveals as the two players tied twelve holes. Kerr will face Sun-Young Yoo in her second-round match.
Sun-Young Yoo v. Karen Stupples
Yoo stepped up her 2010 game today by defeating Karen Stupples. Yoo won the third hole to go 1-UP and never relinquished the lead. She defeated Stupples by a margin of 3&2. Her good play today should give her some momentum for her second-round match with Cristie Kerr. Kerr is the highest ranked American in the tournament at No. 5.
Song-Hee Kim v. Nicole Castrale
Rolex Rankings No. 12 Kim defeated Castrale 2&1. Kim has finished in the top-10 in all six of her LPGA starts this year. She will face Momoko Ueda in the second round. Kim is the highest ranked player without an LPGA victory. A second-round victory over Ueda will put her one step closer to that first win.
Momoko Ueda v. Vicky Hurst
Ueda won four of the first nine holes from Hurst and eventually won the match 3&1. Hurst fought hard on the back-nine to win three holes, but it was not enough to take the match from Ueda. Ueda will meet Song-Hee Kim in round two.
MICHELLE WIE (def. Stacy Prammanasudh 2 up)
MODERATOR: Welcome, Michelle. Thanks for joining us. Congratulations on winning your match today. You defeated Stacy 2-up on the last hole there. If you can talk about the whole day.
MICHELLE WIE: It was a fight. She played extremely well. You know, starting from the first hole, birdies, we're halving holes. You definitely have to make birdie to even have a chance at winning the hole, so it was a fight out there today. She played extremely well, and fortunately enough I can play tomorrow, so I'm happy about that.
MODERATOR: Can you talk about the match play format? Did you enjoy it?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I did. You know, it was really fun. It's just weird not going to the scoring tent afterwards or writing down your score, but you know, match play's always fun. It's fun, but it's nice that it's different from what we've been doing, so I'm really excited.
MODERATOR: Very good. Questions?
Q. First hole you chipped in -- The first hole it looked like you chipped in from 50 feet. Does that kind of like jump-start your day?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, yeah. I mean, she puts it in 3 feet and that's the only thing I had to do, so I'm glad I pulled it off.
Q. What club there at 1 that you made the shot with?
MICHELLE WIE: It was a lob wedge, yeah.
Q. It seemed on 8, that was probably the only bogey I think you had all day. You had a 15-foot downhill, you kind of pushed it 5 feet past and you missed the come-back. As you were walking off the green, you kind of slapped yourself on the rear-end. I mean, were you just angry or were you saying let's get going or what?
MICHELLE WIE: I think when I hit myself, I was angry, but you know, I do that so that, you know, I get angry and I forget about it and I move on. It was a stupid error of mine, it was a stupid mistake, so I just get mad at myself for quite a little bit, and then once I get to the next tee box, I'm completely over it.
Q. I was going to say, from 10, 11, you really seemed to pick up the game… like it was working?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it was one of those rounds, one of those matches where you had to make birdie to win. So kind of with that mindset, I just went out there and I just grinded and I tried to make birdies.
Q. Juli Inkster took out Suzann Pettersen today much earlier. Did you get to know her very well through Solheim and do you have a sense of what kind of competitor she is?
MICHELLE WIE: She's a -- she's a fighter, she's a definite competitor. I really look up to her. When I played with her at the Solheim Cup, it's just amazing how much heart she puts into it and how much emotion she has. She really fights. I mean, I would say she's one of top competitors out there.
Q. The putt on 16, how long, what did you see?
MICHELLE WIE: 16, it was about like a -- like a 30-footer or so and it was double break, so I just kind of picked my line and hit it, and thankfully it did what I saw it did.
MODERATOR: Other questions?
MICHELLE WIE: Thank you.
JULI INKSTER (def. Suzann Pettersen 21 holes)
MODERATOR: Juli, thanks for joining us. Great day today. You won in 21 holes, so congratulations. And you defeated Suzann Pettersen, the number 3-ranked player. Can you start with some general comments?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I don't -- I don't think we both played our best golf, but that's the thing with match play. Even though you're playing the third best player in the world, if you just make a few putts here and hit a few good shots here and there, you have a shot. So, you know, I was two down after 2 and I birdied 3 and got back in there and I gave her one on 4. So it wasn't really the start I wanted, but I thought I played pretty well on the back side and kind
of just hung in there.
MODERATOR: You birdied 18 to force the playoff. Can you talk about that birdie?
JULI INKSTER: I sunk about a 10-footer for birdie on 18, so just to keep it going. I was never up in the match all day, so it's just match play, it's weird, just weird.
MODERATOR: Okay. Questions?
Q. Juli, have you played Suzann in match play before?
JULI INKSTER: Solheim Cup, we played foursomes or best ball together, but never one-on-one.
Q. What kind of a -- when you're playing a player like Suzann who seems to be sort of intimidating in match play especially, what's the banter between you, or do you talk at all?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm good friends with Suzann and I respect her, I respect her golf game and what type of player she is. It was very, very hospitable out there. You know, we say good shot, pick it up, nice putt. I mean, Suzann is a -- she's a very strong player and she hits the ball very well, and this is a great golf
course for her because she can kind of dominate those par 5s. But, you know, she didn't chip as well as she usually does, and I think that's where I ended up winning the tournament.
Q. Juli, can you take us through 18? How far did you have in on that second shot and then the putt?
JULI INKSTER: I had 210, 218 to the pin. I figured if I just – you know, I had four plus, if I just hit it past the hole I'm fine. I kind of came off it a little bit, went to the right, but I still had a lot of green to work with. So I figured, you know, I was surprised she didn't go for it. She could probably just hit 5 wood in there, but she laid up. I hit a very good chip shot and left myself about a 10-footer down the hill and was able to make it.
Q. Can you even estimate how many matches you've played going back to your amateur days? I know it's a stupid question, but --
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I've played a lot of match play. I guess – I don't get too high or too low anymore. Match play, it's a one-day thing. If Suzann and I played 10 days in a row, she would probably beat me 7, so you've just got to try -- I mean, I've played so many match play matches that I don't think there's things that I have never
seen before.
Q. My follow-up is, when you're standing over a little putt on 17, the putt on 18, even the up and down on 19, are you thinking, oh, been here before, been here done that?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I figure, you know what, it's either going to go in or it's not, and just try to put a good stroke on it. I really had trouble today reading these greens. I mean, I didn't make too many putts out there. A couple of them I didn't stroke well, but a lot of them I thought they were going left to right and they were going right
to left. So I need to do a little better job on that. You know, I figured, you know, if I lost, I lost. Really, losing to Suzann Pettersen's really not that bad.
Q. It seemed like the last four, five holes, you know, you were sort of boxed into a spot and then sort of came out of it. When a match is going back and forth like that, can you feel momentum swinging back and forth when you keep sort of coming back from the dead?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, it's like, let's see, I won 10, 11, 12, I won 13 to go to even. And then 14 we had about a 10-minute wait. We didn't even realize Redman and stuff were out there. I came back and a hit a bad shot, so all you have to do is hit the green. I mean, that's all I'm trying to do is just get them on the green and I wasn't doing a very good job there. So I felt like I just gave her that one back. You know, you can't keep giving the number three player in the world holes, so I wasn't very happy with myself there.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about being 49 years old compared to the age of most of the other players out here, how long you're going to keep playing, and then a little bit about the Solheim Cup next year?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I am 49. The train's coming fast on to 50, but you know I've got a great rapport with these girls out here. I don't feel 50, but I know when I was their age and my parents were 50, I thought they were old, so I'm sure they think I'm old, but I'm okay with that. I think they all respect who I am and I'm really looking
forward to being the assistant captain –
Q. Will you be a playing Asst. Captain?
JULI INKSTER: No, no, I'm just assisting. I've played in a lot of Solheims and it's time to give the other girls a chance, get some experience to play. I'm looking forward to helping Rosie out, so it should be fun.
Q. Do you have any plans for --
JULI INKSTER: You know what, I play because I like to play. I mean, what else am I going to do? Go home and -- you know, I don't know. I'm going to definitely play this year and just see what happens.
Q. How does 21 holes at almost age 50 do?
JULI INKSTER: I mean, if I can't make 21 holes, I should quit. I mean, I played 36 at the Solheim Cup, so I think I can go 21.
Q. Hi. A couple players have kind of commented on how great this course is, specifically for match play. What are your comments on the course?
JULI INKSTER: It's a good course. I mean, it's in great shape. Sybase is just treating us awesome. I think it definitely favors the bombers because these par 5s, they can get home in two. So you've got to kind of have a little strategy there because you know, I was surprised that I was able to get home on 18 in two. I think it's a
great golf course.
Q. Being 49 years old and being on the Tour a long time, you've seen it up and down. How do you feel right now about the direction the game's going and trying to --
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I mean, I've really got positive feelings about our new commissioner, Mike Whan. I think he's doing a great job. I think he really has the outside respect of the media and of CEOs and corporations. He's just an upfront guy and I think the Tour's in good hands. We would all like to have five or six more tournaments, you know, especially domestic tournaments, but with the economy like it is right now, it's hard. So I think we're doing a good job and I think he's got a good game plan.
Q. What makes the LPGA more attractive than other sports?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I think we do a great job with the pro-am's, I think we do a great job with the sponsors and sponsors customers. You know, we're the best women golfers in the world and I think that attracts a lot of things, so I think we have a lot to offer.
Q.I wonder if you can predict the future, how do you see the Tour shaping competitively after Lorena?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I would love to see the Tour play global, I think that's big and I think that's big for our sponsors, but I would also like to see us stay domestic more, too. If we could add maybe two more global tournaments and then four, five more domestic tournaments, I think that would be -- and have them flow where, you know, the first part of the year maybe we're in Asia, and then in the summer we go to Europe and then at the end we go to wherever, and then during the middle we're in the United States. Because even though we're verydiversified in our membership, it is a domestic-based LPGA. So I think we've got a lot of fans here, we have a lot of people that follow us, and I think sometimes when we go global, we kind of get lost. So I think we could do both and I think that's what he's planning on doing.
MORGAN PRESSEL (def. Jimin Kang 20 holes)
MODERATOR: Well, great playing out there, long day, I guess, I don't know, too long, 20 holes. It's 2 extra holes and I believe you won with a birdie. And you finished very strong, birdies on 16, 17 and 18. So if you can just open with some general comments first.
MORGAN PRESSEL : Yeah, it was a little more work than I wanted to have today, but I felt like I played well. I had two hiccups on 10 and 11. I could you could consider 7 a hiccup, too, but really on 10 and 11, making bogey on 10 on a short, pretty straight- forward hole, and then bogey on 11, which where she was in trouble and she ends up making par and I ended up making a bogey and losing the hole. So it was kind of a bummer, but I wasn't really happy out there. But then I hit it really close on 16, 17 and 18, and then bird I had the second extra hole.
MODERATOR: That last hole, what was the birdie like?
MORGAN PRESSEL: On the second -- You know, I hit it, I hit almost -- I holed it in the morning, the same -- because I was two up through 2. I birdied -- well, parred the first, birdied the second and I just -- I tried to hole it again. I was about five feet, though. So made a -- maybe five, six feet -- six foot putt and she really didn't have a good opportunity for birdie, so ...
Q. What is your mind set when you're finding yourself that far down, the holes are run-ning out, do you just try to get very aggressive with that?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I just started let's go right at it, right to the pin, and it got to the point where I struggled with distance control because I was -- I was fired up and I was actually hitting it really well and I was over a lot of greens. It's something that I've been working on this year and I have gained distance, and sometimes I really do what I'm working on well and it seems to just go a lot further, which sounds good, but it plays a little havoc to my game.
Q. Take us through 18. Did you birdie that hole?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Um-hmm.
Q. Take us through that.
MORGAN PRESSEL: You can land an airliner on the fairway and just put a 3 wood down there, I think it was 66 yards, 65 yards. It's one of my favorite shots, the same yardage I had on the second extra hole and hit it to a foot.
Q. You had a long wait after 18 on the first -- were you afraid of losing -- you obviously had a lot of momentum.
MORGAN PRESSEL: It was a long wait. Not only was it a long wait, there was a ruling, it was extra long. I looked at Janet, the rules official, I said thanks for the buzz kill. But you know, I didn't play a great first play off hole, I managed to make a good five footer, but you know certainly I would have liked to tee off right away but sometimes you just can't do that. You've got to be flexible.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? If you can just talk about course a little bit, how it played.
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think the course is great. You know, the greens are much, much faster this morning, it's the first thing I noticed. I think that they tried to double cut them yesterday, but they were so wet they couldn't get on the greens but they certainly were able to do it today and the greens were very very quick and I'm impressed with the way the course has dried out. It's still a little wet out there, not getting a whole lot of roll off the tee shots, but it looks really good. I mean, I'm sure it looks beautiful on TV
because it's very green.
Q. Will you take some momentum from this into tomorrow, or is tomorrow just a completely new day?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, tomorrow's a new day, but I feel like I played well today, that's the momentum that I'll take into tomorrow. I made a very clutch putt on 17 and I know I can do it.
Q. What was the ruling?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know. It was just -- it was on one green, something that slowed us down. I don't know what it was.
MODERATOR: Anything else? All right. Thank you very much.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Thank you.
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON (defeated Na On Min 5&4)
MODERATOR: Sophie, you defeated Min 5&4, nice job, can you give us some general comments about the round.
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: I started nice with an eagle on the second hole. I had some trouble on holes 5, 6, 7 but so did she so I didn’t loose any ground.
Q: Was there one birdie that stands out the most?
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: The birdie on 8. I hit it to 6 feet. She hit it in the bunker and hit out to tap it in. But I made my birdie putt from 6 feet.
Q: You won holes 10 and 11. Were those birdies?
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: On 10 she made bogey and she conceded my birdie putt. On 11 I made birdie and made a 10 foot.
Q: Were the greens soft?
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: Yes, it’s not too soft.
Q: On the 8th hole, how far out were you?
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: I had about 170 yards.
Q: How is this match play format conducive to your play?
SOPHIE GUSTAFSON: I think I can free wheel it more than normal and I don’t have to think too much about the consequences.
AI MIYAZATO (def. Jeong Jang 4 & 3)
MODERATOR: All right. Nice playing. You won 4 & 3. If you can open up with some general comments about the
day?.
AI MIYAZATO: It was really fun out there because it's such beautiful weather today, and green was really smooth so I had such a good with my putting and I made few birdies in nine holes, first nine holes, so I kept the round going. So I played really good out there.
MODERATOR: Is there one birdie that stands out the most?
AI MIYAZATO: What do you mean?
MODERATOR: One hole, one birdie that you felt was a significant hole, the most important hole?
AI MIYAZATO: Yeah, I'm not really trying to be aggressive. I'm staying to be like, you know, trying to be keep my style and really focus everything single shot. So I didn't think about I have to make birdies like every single hole or something like that, so it was really calm.
Q. Hi. You've had, you know, a magnificent year so far and there's been a lot of talk with the retirement of Lorena and Annika that this sort of -- this vacancy at the top of the LPGA. When you hear that, do you feel overlooked, do you kind of want to wave your hand and say here I am? What's your reaction to all that talk?
AI MIYAZATO: I don't know. Well, for me, Annika and Lorena is such a huge, huge idol for me. I've learned so many things from them. That's why -- because I've learned so many things, that's why I'm still playing good right now, I think. It was really not sad, but -- I don't know, what can I say? Well, anyway, well, I'm just really
happy that I'm playing really good so far and it's not -- it doesn't matter to be famous or not, just, you know, playing myself. So that's it.
MODERATOR: Can you just talk about match play a little bit? Do you enjoy match play?
AI MIYAZATO: I do very much. It's really different because I have to win against someone. But it's really nice to -- it's not -- it's not difficult to really focus on every single shot actually because of the match play, more easier than usual tournament, I think, to focus every single shot actually. So it really fits for me.
Q. Could you just talk a little bit in general about what is different for you this year since you're having such an amazing year so far? Really, what is it that has made the difference between the last few years and this year?
AI MIYAZATO: Not many big change, but I'm trying to be -- found my style since last three years or something and I started working with Vision 54 people and that helps me a lot because I really can control myself out there, so that's why I keep playing good, I think.
Q. So is it maybe a mental change?
AI MIYAZATO: Yes, definitely. And last year the Evian's, the first winning was huge. That made huge confidence.
Q. What are the things that you visualize -- you know, Vision 54, they give you things to think about between shots and in between holes. I forget who it was in the Nabisco that said they were thinking about ice cream, no, frozen yogurt as a positive thought. Do you have one of those things that you think of right now after you've been working with the -- with Pia and Lynn, what do you visualize in between shots and holes that keeps you from thinking too much about the outcome of the scoring rather than –
AI MIYAZATO: Well, it's just trying to be thinking like really simple stuff, not think about the other players, not think about like the scores, anything. So just trying to stay in the present every single shot. That's it, I think.
Q.You don't have one of those funky things that --
AI MIYAZATO: No.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? Thanks for coming in here.
AI MIYAZATO: Thank you.
CRISTIE KERR (def. Meaghan Francella 4 & 3)
MODERATOR: Cristie, thanks for joining us. You defeated Meaghan Francella 4 & 3. Great job. I think you had a total of three birdies on the front 9, so if you can just kind of talk about the round in general.
CRISTIE KERR: Sure. You know, I got off to a hot start birdieing the first hole. I think she made bogey so it was kind of almost a made point but you never know in match play. So I was able to make the putt. And I almost made it from the fairway on the second hole, almost birdied 3, almost birdied a lot of holes today. I made a great birdie on the 7th hole par 3 to go 3 up, and then the momentum seemed to swing in her direction a little bit on the back 9. She was able to make a long par putt on 10, made an unbelievable up-and-down for par
on the par 5 and I just missed about an 8-foot putt for birdie. Then she chipped in on me, so I went back to 2 up. After that, I was able to get the momentum back in my favor and win the following two holes to close out the match.
MODERATOR: If you can talk about match play and do you enjoy it, what do you like about it, what don't you like about it?
CRISTIE KERR: Actually, as I get older, I really understand match play more. I enjoy it more. I actually am starting to really like it. I think when you first start playing match play as a kid it's a little intimidating but I've actually grown to really like it. I think the Mojo event we had earlier this year was a great warm-up for this event as far as getting into the mindset of match play, and all the Solheim Cup experience I've had, I'm a lot more comfortable with match play than I ever have been. So I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.
Q. Do you still have your membership at Liberty by the way, Liberty National?
CRISTIE KERR: Yes, I'm a member at Liberty National and the Fireman family sponsors me and I'm very thankful for that.
Q.(Inaudible.)
CRISTIE KERR: We have an investment property in New York.
Q. If you don't mind me asking about Juli a little bit. She beat Suzann Pettersen today, never led the match until the last hole. Have you ever played her in match play at all or played with her or against her?
CRISTIE KERR: Who, Suzann or Juli?
Q: Juli, I'm sorry.
CRISTIE KERR: You know, I've been on five Solheim teams, I've not played with her in a match as a partner, but I know how she plays. She's a grinder, she never gives up, she's been out here forever. Everybody asks her, you know, when are you going to stop playing? She goes, oh, I don't know. She'll probably end up making the next Solheim Cup team on her own. She's a Hall of Famer, she's really gritty, a tough player, and when I saw Suzann draw Juli, I knew it was kind of going to be a grudge match because they're evenly matched, they're both long hitters. Juli's been playing better as of late, so I kind of had a feeling it was going to be a tough match.
Q. I was just going to ask what it was like to play Meaghan here? Obviously she's not as big of a hometown favorite in New Jersey as she was in West Chester, but did she have a big crowd out there?
CRISTIE KERR: She did, she had quite a few people following her and once she did something well, they were hooting and hollering, which is great. I took control of the match early and I was playing great, I had control of the golf ball and if I had made some putts, it could have been over earlier. But she fought back and I was able to win the last couple holes to close out the match. My saying for the week is keep forechecking, you have to keep getting in there and keep being aggressive in match play and I was able to do that today.
Q. What part of your game do you think really suits this format, it's not only something that apparently you say you like it more now but it's something you're also very good at it.
CRISTIE KERR: Right.
Q. What is it about it that suits you so well?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I love this golf course, I think this is a good test of golf. I think on this course, to win your matches, you're going to have to make a lot of birdies and that's what I usually do. I burn the edge on a lot of -- on the back 9, I burn the edge on a lot of holes coming in. Even when I closed out the match, it looked like it was going in but turned out at the last minute so hopefully the ones that I miss go in for the rest of the week.
Q. This might sound a little obvious, but is it good to get off to a quick start here to close out matches early, or does it get you in any sort of rhythm.
CRISTIE KERR: It's a pretty obvious question, yeah. I'm sorry. Yeah, I mean, you want to try and win -- you want to win every match 6 & 5. You don't want to let it go down to the last couple holes because then anything can happen. Somebody could be down 2 and start feeling it and start playing better. So you know, the further down you get your opponents early, it kind of takes the wind out of their sails a little bit. Even if they have a mini comeback, if you win one more hole or two more holes, you close out the match. So you've got to try and get your opponent as down early and keep going as possible.
Q. Could you just share your thoughts I guess on the course itself. Some players have said it suits match play particularly well. Did it influence your choice on going forward or laying up on any hole specifically?
CRISTIE KERR: Not really. I mean, the course is still quite wet from the rain that we had, so the par 5s were more like lay-up holes today. So there wasn't the risk-reward, should we go for it, should we lay up. It was kind of obvious today. Later in the week I think that we'll probably see a little bit more players going for it and some
having to lay up, and then you'll see the ebb and flow of that as the course dries out. But you have to make a lot of birdies on this course, you know, to win your matches. That makes it exciting because you're -- you know, pars are not going to win holes out here usually.
Q. Playing lift, clean and place today, was it really -- were you picking up a lot of mud and it was really necessary to be doing that?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I would say almost every hole there was if not just a couple flecks of grass on there or little chunks of mud, so I think that was a very good decision by our rules officials. Obviously the integrity of the game they protect and they're not going to play it up unless they feel it necessary. I mean, we got three or four nches of rain a couple days ago and the course is now just starting to dry out. Maybe tomorrow might be dry enough to where we play it down, but that was a good decision by them today. And it's the same for everybody, so it doesn't -- you know, it's not better for one player over another.
Q. After playing the course yesterday, did you expect that to happen today?
CRISTIE KERR: I did.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? Thanks, Cristie.
KARRIE WEBB (def. Eunjung Yi 4 & 3)
MODERATOR: Karrie, you just won 4 & 3. Great job. If you can just start with general comments.
KARRIE WEBB: I felt pretty good out there today. Got off to a nice start. I was 2 up through 3, birdied 2 and 3, so that was a nice start. I played pretty consistently from there.
Q. If you don't mind asking about Juli, I mean, you've been out here a while, you've seen her out here a while. Why is she succeeding at the age she is and why is she so tough? She never led in her match until the last hole.
KARRIE WEBB: Sorry?
Q. She never led in her match until the last hole.
KARRIE WEBB: Okay. All right.
Q. Why is she just so tough competitively?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, I think that's the great thing about golf is that, you know, there's players out here winning at 18 and, you know, Juli's still capable of winning at -- well, almost the big 5-0. Juli's just a grinder. She keeps herself in great shape and I think Juli loves to practice, so she keeps her game in good shape all the time. I
think -- and match play's one of those -- one of those formats that, you know, I don't know how -- if there were many upsets today in the low seeds, but it's quite easily done. I mean, everyone out here can get hot for 18 holes and win a match. I actually, when I saw the pairing of Juli and Suzann, I thought Juli would really give Suzann a
good match today. I didn't realize they went to extra holes. The last time I saw, Suzann was 1 up playing the last, so that's great for Juli.
Q. You've been out here for a while, as we've just said. Now that Lorena has retired and the number 1 spot is sort of up for grabs again, there are a few names tossed around and your game has come back as much as it has in a couple years, where do you see yourself in the next year or two in this new competitive climate?
KARRIE WEBB: I think I see myself still working hard and working hard to try and enjoy myself a little bit more, enjoy the success more and maybe not be so hard on myself when my game isn't as good as I would like. And I think with that combination and the things that I've been doing, the mental work I've been doing and the physical work I've been doing on my swing and stuff like that, I think, you know, it's just a matter of time. I feel that I can put it all together and, you know, I've gotten off to a pretty consistent start this year, probably my most consistent start for a few years. You know, I just haven't had a win on the LPGA but obviously one down in Australia, so I feel very good about where my game's at.
Q. Do you think you could be the next number 1?
KARRIE WEBB: I don't know. I don't go to bed at night and wake up in the morning thinking that that's my ultimate goal at the end of the day. I think the ultimate goal for me every day is to play as good as I can. And you know, points-wise, I think I'm about four wins away from even contemplating it, so I would like to get the first win under my belt and keep building from there. If it were to happen, that would be great, but I'm just working on trying to play the best I can.
Q. In a tournament like this, is it good to have a relatively quick first day?
KARRIE WEBB: I think so. I think if you could have quick matches all the way through would be good, but you know, it's nice to get off to a good start and have a 2-, 3-up lead for a good part of the day. You know, again with match play, you just never know. You just want to try and finish your match as quickly as you can.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? Thank you.
KARRIE WEBB: Thank you.
BEATRIZ RECARI (def. Brittany Lincicome 1 up)
MODERATOR: Congratulations, you beat Brittany Lincicome today 1 up. Brittany's a good match play player. She won the match play event when it was here before, so she's a long drive player and you played well. What was the strength of your game today?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, I think today I had to be very strong mentally. I mean, for me it was very important not to get too intimidated out of concern that she was very close or like very much in front, like 60, 70 yards with a driver. I remember when I was an amateur I was playing in this amateur tournament and I was playing with (inaudible) and she was literally a hundred meters in front of me and I won. So it was kind of a way to turn it around for my favor. I said okay, I'm very good with my hybrids and woods and I just have to concentrate a little bit extra just to make sure that I put them by the pin because she's going to have an easy iron into the pin, so I have to make birdies with her, nd that's how I faced the match today and it went well.
MODERATOR: Congratulations. John?
Q. She was hitting it 60, 70 yards by you today?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Easy, yeah. And you know, there are some holes that also there's like a ridge like two levels and so she was carrying it and sometimes she was even further. As I said, I didn't really worry about it, like I wasn't too concerned that she was 50 or 70. She was in front, way in front, and that's it. But, you know, when it's a match play tournament, any day you have to do your game and you just have to focus on your strengths. So okay, just, you know, make sure that you're at the top of your strengths every day, especially when you play with a long hitter. And she's obviously a great player, she won Kraft, Nabisco. I'm just not going to worry that she's the favorite. I'm just going to do my own and hope to win.
Q. Do you like the golf course?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I love it, and you know, the good thing is when I arrived on Monday and I was supposed to come back home to Europe this week and it was raining and it was cold, because I live in Miami now and it's incredibly hot. So I called my mother and I said, you know, I don't really need to come back to Europe because I feel like I'm in Europe. So for me, you know, it's very nice coming here, you know. I love the course, I love the surroundings, it makes me feel like at home. That's always nice because I haven't been at home for three
months, so that helps me as well.
Q. How are the accommodations, the country club? I know it's a curve ball.
BEATRIZ RECARI: I'm staying at the Courtyard Marriott and it's a beautiful hotel. The beds are amazing, I sleep like a stone every day. Also, the dining in there is really good, but here the breakfast and the lunch, I mean, I was talking to my caddie on the course like I can't wait to finish and leave. The food is so incredibly well -- good. Every morning I give myself a treat every week when I'm in Miami to go out for breakfast on Sunday, and this breakfast is 10 times better, so I can't wait to go to the players’ lunch and eat and I can enjoy anything, the strawberries, everything. And the course is in perfect shape as well.
MODERATOR: That's great. Anything else?
BEATRIZ RECARI: All right. Thank you.
BRITTANY LINCICOME (lost to Beatriz Recari)
Q: You’re coming off a really strong week from last week in Alabama, what do you think was different today?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I don’t know—I just didn’t play good especially coming down the stretch. Couldn’t hit the right club, couldn’t hit the right yardage
Q: Do you think it was your putts or your drives in particular?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I was driving it well. I think I missed one fairway all day, so I was killing my driver yeah, just my second shots were awful.
Q: And Recari, coming in as the 62nd seed, do you think she came out aggressive?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, I mean she was amazing. I saw her in Jamaica and I knew she was going to be a tough match, it doesn’t matter what her seed is. It doesn’t matter, anybody out there can win in match play, but she’s a great player. Like I said in Jamaica she was amazing.
Topics: Notes and Interviews, Sybase Match Play Championship
