Karrie Webb
How does that rate on the Karrie Webb scale of achievement?
Webb: Well, it’s very high up there. The quality of golf today was unbelievable, I’m sure you were watching but Katherine, she was pushing me all the way. Just when I thought I had created a little bit of breathing room she would come right back at me with a birdie and, I’m actually really really exhausted. Standing on 16, well before that I was on 13 and I was trying to work out how many under I was, I knew I was still only two ahead. And I was eight under, I thought, ‘who would have thought at the start of the day that with eight under through twelve and still only two shots ahead?’ So I was really starting to struggle, being just mentally tired, by that point. Because I had to make a couple of birdie putts on top of Katherine I think it was three on top of Katherine’s birdies today, so, I knew I had to dig deep and I still needed to make some birdies coming in. So hats off to Katherine, for how she played, which, in a sense, inspired me to get to another level.
Did you think it was your day, when you had that chip in on [seven] for eagle?
Webb: I guess, that was one of the times where I thought I had given myself some breathing room and then Katherine birdied the next hole, so, yeah, no I didn’t think it was my day until I got through 15. Before that, I really was just trying to knuckle down and keep hitting good shots and making some putts.
Has the flat stick ever worked so well for you?
Webb: Yeah I think so. I’ve worked really hard on my putting so it feels great to know that every time I stand over one I’ve got a good chance of making it. So I’m very happy with that, like I said, I’ve worked very hard over the last few years to get that back on track.
(inaudible) on the 18th (inaudible)?
Webb: Yeah, as soon as I hit it, and that’s how good the putter’s feeling in my hands, as soon as I make contact with it I knew I had a chance.
Karrie, a career best round for you, do you feel as if there may have been an additional stroke there or two that you might have dropped?
Webb: No, I was saying at the presentation when I stood on16 and I knew I had a four shot lead and I was trying to work out how many under I was and I couldn’t work it out. But I thought I was at 10 under. I had a good birdie chance on 16… the thought went through my mind that if I birdied the last three I could shoot a 59 and I just went ‘I am too tired to think about that, to even get nervous about that. If it happens, it happens.’ So no, it feels great to play the way I have, this whole week.
Even though you were exhausted, you still took a lot of time with your putts to make sure you absolutely go them. Is this the kind of thing we’re going to see this year… I mean, your intensity was fantastic.
Webb: Yeah well I’ve been working on my mental game as well and trying to be really involved in trusting my read and not second guessing myself and that’s a big reason as to why I’ve putted so well this week. It goes hand in hand with the technical work I’ve put into my putting as well.
Do you think you could have produced a round like that without Katherine Hull as a playing partner today?
Webb: Boo-Me had six under as well today. She just kept hanging in there, hanging in there and I knew that Katherine was going to bring it all today and she did. I think that one of us was going to… It couldn’t have gone on forever where we were just making birdies on top of one another, one of us was going to break, and Katherine didn’t break, but she just stopped making birdies for a couple of holes and I made a couple so that gave me a bit of breathing room.
How does title number seven here rank?
Webb: Well it’s obviously up there with them, it really felt great the last two days, I mean, tee to green I played very well and putted exceptionally well. It’s a great boost of confidence going into the year.
I know you must be pretty tired, but moving forward to next week, is there a chance you can go back-to-back for the third time?
Webb: Yeah, well obviously I haven’t even though about next week, but I feel good about my game so we’ll see how I rock up on Thursday but I’m looking forward to next week as well.
Your putting, Karrie, is that giving you the extra confidence in your game?
Webb: Yeah, l I think when the putts go in it frees up your swing, I mean, because if you miss a shot you don’t feel like you’re not going to get up and down to make par. So yeah, it definitely helps everything else in your game.
You mentioned the word ‘supreme confidence’ when you got here earlier in the week, you’ve won this tournament so many times, but do you get a little bit out of it this time?
Webb: Yeah, definitely. It gives me a great boost of confidence. It justifies all the things that I’ve been working on and all the hard work that I’ve been doing.
Karrie, just walk us through the seventh.
Webb: Well it’s 125 yards. A nine iron. It was on a bit of a down slope across right to left so I was just trying to hit a bit of a h old up and I hit it exactly how I wanted to obviously because it went in, but it flew, it took off exactly how I wanted it to and it held up, it was right on line, and it just disappeared in the hole. It didn’t even touch, I mean, I barely had to fix the front edge of the hole. It just landed straight in the cup on the full.
Have you ever done that before?
Webb: Not on the full like that, no.
Any chance of repeating the reaction (inaudible), was the caddie ready to catch it?
Webb: (Laughs) Yeah, I think it was a bit early in the round for that, he’s Scottish so he doesn’t actually like giving high-fives so he actually gave me a high five.
Karrie, how do you rate the performance of your playing partner, Boo-Me? She didn’t have a bogey all week.
Webb: She didn’t have a bogey all week? Wow, that’s fantastic. She’ll take a lot out of this week. But I think it’s not many times that you do that and you don’t win the tournament, hold the trophy at the end of the week. So, she played very solidly today. I don’t think she really got caught up in what Katherine I and I were doing, she just played her own game.
What tee did you say you were mentally tired on?
Webb: 13. Yeah, standing on 13 fairway. I was really; I couldn’t believe I still had six holes to go.
Katherine Hull
Your score today normally may have won it, but not good enough today?
Hull: Yes, It probably would’ve been enough, but, ar, Karrie just played absolutely flawless golf and, yeah, you can never rule out a hall of fame player can you.
What was the (her match play) (Inaudible)?
Hull: It was just rock solid, she was swinging it well all day and obviously rolling them from everywhere, so, I actually, I felt pretty good out there, I felt like I could give it a good crack and then I just couldn’t make a putt coming in, so that’s just the way golf goes, but, yeah, it was just an absolute clinic on Karrie’s part.
When she rolled the putt on 14th and you walked off the green, just smiling, laughing, shaking your head, and saying what more could I do?
Hull: She actually just told me, signing the score card, that she said she was eight under through twelve and she only had a two shot lead and she’s thinking to herself holy moly what have I got do! So, um, it was nice that I challenged her there for a bit, but, she just came home guns blazing and deserved to win, she played great.
Katherine, do you think you did everything you possibly could out there?
Hull: Ar, no, I had two bogeys which was kind of disappointing, then I had a couple of birdie putts that didn’t drop, so um, certainly left some shots out there and that’s golf, I did my best, yeah, today it just wasn’t good enough.
What about the eagle that Karrie hit on seven? It was a remarkable effort for you to come back, to close.
Hull: Well, I mean, there’s 72 holes in a golf tournament, so at that point we still had…10..11 to go, um, and lots can happening, I mean you can have two shot swings in one hole, I mean, Karrie did it that exact hole, so um, I mean I knew she was going to be in good form, she played yesterday and she got off to a good start today, but you know, I was hitting it well as well, it’s just a matter of being patient, yeah, you can never rule anything out in this game.
Can you take anything out of that Katherine, I mean, it was 26 under, one of the great four round tables, it’s not like you didn’t put up a fight, did you take anything out of it, playing Karrie in that regard?
Hull: Um, yeah, I mean, it’s just, she obviously had a game plan she just executed perfectly and you have those weeks, this was her week, um, yeah, I mean, I think I’m capable of better than 20 under but, yeah, I guess, I don’t think really necessarily learnt anything from Karrie, but I certainly learnt a bit more about my game and what I have to do to get there, I think I’m capable of doing it, it’s just a matter time.
Can we expect another slugging match next week?
Hull: I hope so. Yes. Yeah. I mean, you’re both in good form and, it’d be great for golf.
Katherine, you seemed distracted at one stage on the tee shot, what happened there?
Hull: Oh, yeah, nine tee box. My caddy had asked for no cameras and no phones and I heard one on my back swing, or at the start of my downswing, I mean, I hit the shot all right but it’s just frustrating when people don’t listen.
Katherine, that was career equal best for Karrie, do you think that two, three, four years ago that you would have been emotionally strong enough to come up on the final day against a player who’s playing that well and match it with them?
Hull: Me? Three or four years ago. Probably I’m kind of pig headed. I mean, I love competition, um, if it’s a game of monopoly I’m in there to win, I’m not in there for second place, so, I’ve been that way every since I was young enough to walk. Whether I would have…I don’t know…It’s hard to say…I mean…yeah…I think I would have loved the challenge of it and kind of risen to it, its part of being a competitor I guess.
You’re ruthless, you bankrupt people do you?
Hull: no, no…I’m nice at the same time but I’m a competitor.
With your swing changes, did you find it hard to trust it on occasion? Especially coming home?
Hull: Not really today, um, there’s a couple shot, swings I didn’t trust on Friday, but I think I was…I did much better mentally just going through my process, and that was what made me trust my golf swing even though it’s, you know, still a work in progress.
