Carin Koch (-6)
You could win your first tournament of the year. It would be a great comeback!
That would be a good start!
Do you like the course?
It’s nice. I like it. It’s good to hit fairways; then it’s not too bad.
Have you been putting in your living room?
Yes, I have a putting matt there. It’s been pretty cold. One day we were practising in a snow storm and we barely saw the balls. We hit from under the roof at the driving range but out into the snow. It was a bit hard to see the ball when it’s a snow storm.
Are you ill?
It’s just a cold that turned into some sinus thing. I’m a little tired.
How pleased were you with the way you played?
I played really well on the front nine and beginning of the back nine. I didn’t like the way I played the last few holes but maybe I was getting tired. I made some good putts in the beginning but there were a lot of chances I didn’t make, kind of like yesterday.
Your birdies, how close were you hitting the ball to the hole?
Five feet on the first hole, the second was about 15 feet and the sixth was longer, about six metres so 25 feet.
What brought you back to Europe?
I had enough of travelling back and forth. I moved back to Sweden last summer with my family and tried to travel last year to the States and didn’t enjoy it much; I didn’t enjoy golf much so I thought I’d give my game another chance and see if I enjoy it a little more. I haven’t enjoyed the last few years that much and I really haven’t had any motivation to practise much. I thought maybe here could give me motivation and some fun again.
It is tough travelling back and forth so, this year should be good. We’ll see how it goes this year.
Are you playing Kraft Nabisco?
I’m in the field from winning in 2005 so I thought I’d go back and play because it’s such a fun event and a great golf course. I used to live in Phoenix which is only four hours away and I was going to go to visit and practise so I’ll do both now.
I didn’t think I would be after hitting balls in the snow all winter. It’s not really what I expected when I came here but it’s always great to be in contention and I’ve been working on my swing and mentally. I’ll keep doing that tomorrow and try to play my best golf.
Melissa Reid (-5)
How do you summarise your day?
I am a little annoyed about the last two holes. I hit a bad shot into eight and didn’t have a great lie in the bunker and then on the ninth I miss clubbed as I didn’t take into account my adrenaline.
It’s a bit annoying but I’ve still shot under par and I’m one off the lead so I just need a low one tomorrow now.
Vikki Laing (-4)
A solid round of 71 after a 68 on Thursday; what was the key?
I’m happy to shoot under par today to be honest. I didn’t hit my driver quite as well as I did in the first round so I made some pretty good saves out there. I worked pretty hard.
Where did you make those saves?
On the front nine, I was in the sand on five, on four I missed one because it was plugged but I had a couple of good up and downs, like on 17, so I’m pretty happy with that.
How important was the birdie on 16?
It was important because I had just bogeyed the hole before. It’s always nice to get one back again. I just missed a little one on the last but it was nice to hit it close. I’ll just keep giving myself opportunities.
Have you been playing well coming in here?
I played well on the Gold Coast, not so good in Melbourne actually, I just had a couple of big numbers there. I have been playing a lot better.
To what do you attribute it?
Just working over the winter. I had a bit of a break which I think was good for me and got back to work. I’ve been working hard on my driver and coming here, once you put the ball on the fairway, I don’t have a lot in because it’s not a long course. I have been putting well.
Did you hit all the fairways today?
I worked hard on the front nine and hit more fairways on the back nine, which was nice. I gave myself some opportunities and I made them. I didn’t have as many as I had yesterday.
How similar were the conditions to yesterday?
It’s a little stiller out there and a little muggy, but I played in the afternoon yesterday so, there were a lot of flies and not much wind. The course is playing pretty similar.
What are your thoughts going into the final round?
Just the same as today: one shot at a time: pick your spot and hit it. That’s what I’ve been doing the last couple of days and what I’ll try and do tomorrow.
You seem fairly relaxed.
I’m where I want to be so I’ve got to be pretty happy with that. I’ll just try and make some putts tomorrow and hit some fairways. I’m happy.
Maria Verchenova (-4)
Maria, you are four-under after two rounds. Are you pleased with the way you’ve played over the first two rounds?
Yes. I played really good on the first one and today I struggled. I had like, six birdies and a double bogey, a few bogeys and I finished plus one. I fight for it so I’m still in the game.
Do you feel like you are putting yourself under pressure because you don’t have a full card this year?
Oh no, I don’t care. I’m going to fight for it, you know? That’s for sure.
What do you think the key is here?
It’s really narrow. The putting is the key. I think it’s all about putting; it’s like a putting competition here.
What happened today, were you tired?
I was not stressed, not tired, nothing happened; it’s just golf. You hit a few bad drives and it’s gets into your mind. You’ve got to fight for it. There’s always tomorrow. I’m still in the game; still in the top three, so nothing to worry about.
I have a lot of people supporting me and it’s all about going out there and shooting more birdies and fewer mistakes so I’ll try my best.
