RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup
Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Phoenix, Ariz.
First-round notes and interviews
March 18, 2011

Angela Stanford -6, Rolex Rankings No. 25
Brittany Lincicome -5, Rolex Rankings No. 23
Beatriz Recari -4, Rolex Rankings No. 52
Juli Inkster -4, Rolex Rankings No. 44

Shooting a 6-under 66, Rolex Rankings No. 25 Angela Stanford leads by one shot after the first round of the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup. Stanford’s round included six birdies, a double-bogey and an eagle at Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Ariz. The eagle came at the par-4 ninth, when she offset a double-bogey on the previous hole by holing out from 142 yards with an 8-iron. Stanford has won four times on the LPGA, her last victory coming in 2009 at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.

Brittany Lincicome and Aree Song lead a group of players chasing Stanford after 5-under 67s. One back of Lincicome and Song are Nannette Hill; Amelia Lewis, who played her way into the last spot in the tournament after a four-hole playoff in the Tuesday qualifier; Mina Harigae; Beatriz Recari, who was the only rookie to win last season with her victory at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge; Sophie Gustafson; and 50-year-old Juli Inkster, who’s attempting to become the oldest winner in LGPA history.

The entire $1 million purse of the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup goes to charity, half to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program, half to the charities chosen by the top-10 finishers. Here are the charities for the top 10 after the first round:

1: Angela Stanford, The Angela Stanford Foundation
T2: Brittany Lincicome, First Tee of St. Petersburg
T2: Aree Song, Captain Planet Foundation
T4: Nannette Hill, Batten Disease Support and Research Association
T4: Mina Harigae, Japan Relief Charity TBD
T4: Juli Inkster, San Jose-based homeless shelter/food bank
T4: Sophie Gustafson, AIS
T4: Beatriz Recari, The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness
T4: Amelia Lewis, TBD
T10: M.J. Hur, Japan Relief Charity TBD
T10: Paula Creamer, Japan Relief Charity TBD
T10: Sun Young Yoo, Japan Relief Charity TBD
T10: Cristie Kerr, Birdies for Breast Cancer/Muhammad Ali Parkinson's Foundation
T10: Seon Hwa Lee, American Heart Association
T10: Dewi Claire Schreefel, Key for Colombia
T10: Mindy Kim, Make A Wish Foundation of Central Florida
T10: Leta Lindley, Josilyns Faith Foundation for Prader Willi Syndrome Inc
T10: Jean Reynolds, Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation

Of note…Yani Tseng, No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings and four-time winner worldwide in 2011, shot a 1-over 73… Karrie Webb, who won her 37th title three weeks ago at the HSBC Women’s Champions and is the last player to win in the Phoenix area (2009), shot a 1-under 71… After making the turn at 18 in 1-over, Sophie Gustafson (68) then birdied the first three holes and eagled the fifth on the way to a closing, 5-under par 31…

ANGELA STANFORD, Rolex Rankings No. 25

THE MODERATOR: Angela, welcome. Good round today. Start off by some thoughts on the round.
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I just had fun today. Beautiful day, beautiful golf course. You know, I think when I mean I have a lot of fans out there. I think that always gets me kind of juiced when you show up and there are a lot of people. The fans here are amazing. You know, they love golf, and it's a lot of fun to play in front of fans like that.

THE MODERATOR: So walk us through 8 and 9.
ANGELA STANFORD: (Laughs). 8, I'm just not comfortable on that tee box, and then I hit a bad shot, lost it right, had to drop. I actually hit a really good shot off the rocks, and then hit my chip just too hard and then missed the putt. And got to the next tee shot, and same thing, same type of shot, hit it in the bunker off the tee. And then I got down in the bunker and I you know, I was like, you know, let's just hit a good shot. Let's get back on track. Let's birdie, par, whatever, get to the back nine, because I really like the back nine, so I thought just hit a good shot and let's get back on track. And then it went in.

THE MODERATOR: What was that club in distance?
ANGELA STANFORD: 8-iron, 142 to the pin.

Q. What side of the fairway was that?
ANGELA STANFORD: On 9, the right side if you're standing on the tee. It's the right fairway bunker.

Q. What effect did that have on you the rest of the day?
ANGELA STANFORD: The double or the eagle, or both?

Q. Both.
ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I think after our first two events, I really I found out that I was struggling mentally, and I just get down on myself really fast. So after the double I thought, okay, well, you know, I have a choice here. I can either stay down and just say, oh, same ol', same ol', whatever, or go to the next hole and try to make it better. And you know, usually you don't get results that quick in golf. So it was nice that and I got lucky, that I make an eagle there and I get those two shots back, and I'm like, oh, it does help to think positive. It's that deal. But it really helped because I thought maybe I am onto something, maybe. Because it had been a really good day up until that double, and I didn't want to think, oh, here I go again, so it was really nice to see a quick result from saying, no, I'm not going to do that today. I'm just going to keep going.

Q. (Indiscernible).
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah.

Q. Is it hard to start the season so far away from home and then have two weeks off, and are you sort of looking forward to this stretch now where you got three in a row?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yes. It is tough because you're kind of going, you know, for me I had ice on the ground, and then we go into basically 100 degree weather. So it's tough with the flying and then getting adjusted. And now, you know, if you've been working on things in the off season you know, so it is a little different. But I was looking forward to these three weeks. I think it's a great swing starting in Phoenix. Like I said, the fans are great. It's a great week, great concept. And then we go to Kia and finish at Kraft. I mean it just feels good.

Q. So today you managed to turn things around for yourself mentally and not get down on yourself. How long have you been aware this is a problem for yourself as a player, and how have you been working on it?
ANGELA STANFORD: Forever. (Laughs). I've always been pretty hard on myself, and people have said it hurts me. But I also think it helps me. I mean it drives me. But I got to a point where it was starting to hurt me. So you know, today I was really focusing on just enjoying hitting the golf ball. The last two weeks I kind of figured out a few things in my golf swing, and it was fun to hit the golf ball today. It wasn't very fun to hit the golf ball the first couple weeks of the season. So that's a lot of it. You know, I just really enjoyed playing the game today.

Q. So your sense is that being angry about the things, trying to motivate yourself with anger doesn't work as well as playing with fun?
ANGELA STANFORD: Well, I think it does. It's almost like a meter. It helps me because I've played like that my entire life. And it drives me. I don't pat myself on the back much at all. But then you can get to a point where, okay, now you're in the red. It's starting to hurt you. So I'd gotten to that point.

Q. What's more fun, holing out from 142 or watching TCU win the Rose Bowl?
ANGELA STANFORD: The Rose Bowl, definitely. Thank you, Coach Patterson.

Q. Those are my Badgers you beat. But anyway, can you just talk about the Founders Cup history here? Are you noticing whose hole you're playing on, the Walk of Fame? Are those things making impressions on you?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think so. And it's really neat. You know, it's really neat that they have the Founders pictures and Hall of Famers on the different holes. I think that's a great idea. I did get a little nervous when I saw the two Founders sitting, I think it was Marilyn Smith and Shirley Spork. Is that right? I got a little nervous because I didn't know they would be there, and I looked up and I saw them, and I was like, whoa. Like all of a sudden I was really nervous over that putt because, you know, you want to play the game right for them. You want to do things to grow the game for them because they put it on the line for us and without them I wouldn't be here. So you know, just out of respect and to, you know, just to play hard and in the right way for them. So I think it's a great week. It's a great reminder for all of us why we're here and what we're doing, and it's neat to have them here watching.

Q. I was running around and didn't actually see the last putt. What was the putt? Did you make it?
ANGELA STANFORD: No. I missed it. I actually didn't hit it hard enough. I was above the hole like maybe 17, 18 feet.

Q. Was there a conversation at all with them when you came off?
ANGELA STANFORD: Just thank you. Thanks for being here. They like to talk to you. They don't want to listen to you. (Laughs.) They're going to tell you. And that's cool. I'll listen to them all day. So I just said thank you. I mean it's hard to say it say anything else.

Q. What do you think of the whole playing for free thing, and then I see you're also playing for your own foundation.
ANGELA STANFORD: Well, I think there are two answers to that. I mean as an individual, as a business, it's hard to get over that hurdle in your head. You know, I am an individual. I do make my own money. However, you know, you gotta get over that, and you gotta get over it quickly. And you know, for me, having a foundation of my own, I know how hard it is to raise money. I know how hard it is to have people interested. I know how hard it is to get people to rally around you, and you know, I think by the LPGA supporting your own, I mean why not? I think it's a great idea for one week out of the year. I have a golf tournament that supports my foundation. So it's easy for me to be here and play because it means so much to me. I think if you're not connected to a charity or you're not I mean I grew up in an area where people help people. And so for me not to be here would be very wrong. So you know, this week is about, you know, you have an opportunity to help somebody else. So it just it's easy to be here in my opinion, once you get over that initial me, me, me.

BRITTANY LINCICOME, Rolex Rankings No. 23

THE MODERATOR: Brittany, welcome. Good round today.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Thank you.

Q. Just start off with some thoughts about the round.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It was a great round. It's a fun golf course out there. It's a little bit different for my game because normally I'm used to hitting wedges and then kind of spinning them back, and here you have to allow for them to kind of release five or even seven yards. So it's a little bit different, but I knew going into this week that the greens were going to be a little bit firm, so I felt like I handled it and managed it pretty well out there today.

THE MODERATOR: Obviously this is a unique event. I've kind of been asking everybody, who are you playing for and why?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I am playing for The First Tee of St. Pete. I'm on the board, and it's just a charity that I've been affiliated with for the last couple years now. We have an annual golf tournament every year in December, and we do a couple of poker tournaments throughout the year. Just trying to raise money for the kids. It's a great cause. A lot of families can't afford for their children to play golf, so it just helps fund that and just keep getting kids involved with golf.

Q. Did something get you fired up on the back nine or?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah. I mean yeah. Just was I don't even know what happened. It just kind of one right after another, and it wasn't even like I was making 50 footers. They were all five, eight footers, pretty naturally just kind of happening. I had a great group today, a bunch of nice girls. I was talking to my standard bearer girls all day today, which if you know me, the more I talk, the better I play. So that made me very relaxed, and just enjoyed it and took it all in. It's a unique event, like you said, and just tried to have some fun with it.

Q. What were the topics of conversation?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It doesn't really matter actually. As long as I'm talking, and I talked to the little girls. I asked them if they played golf. They were 11 and 14 years old, so obviously they enjoyed chitchatting as well, and we just talked golf really and about school, and the girls in my group really just whatever kind of came up, what did you do in the last two weeks in your off weeks, and they asked me the same question, and just really talked about whatever.

Q. Do you think this course is going to set up well for the long hitters? Is there a big advantage for you this week do you think?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think so, especially the par 5s. I mean they're not crazy long, but definitely being a longer hitter, I have a better chance of getting there in two. So that's always a positive. And it got kind of windy there the last couple holes, so obviously having a wedge into those greens is going to be a lot easier than having the longer irons. So definitely this course in particular it's nice to have a shorter iron, because like I said, even my wedge is releasing five to seven yards, so just think of some of these girls that are hitting 7 irons, 8 irons when I'm hitting a wedge, I mean they have to allow for a lot of release. So definitely length is going to come into play this week for sure.

Q. How receptive were the greens and conditions in your thinking? Were they as good as everybody I'm hearing say they were?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I actually played a practice round the week before Thailand. I came out and worked with the Vision 54 ladies, and I played the course, so I kind of already knew the greens were going to be firm. They're definitely firm, and I'm not sure, I don't know if it's a new course or why they're so firm. Maybe it's just desert golf and I don't remember, but they're pretty firm out there. But you knew that going in, and just kind of you gotta play for it and just allow it to release.

Q. You mentioned that the wind was picking up. Do you expect that the afternoon groups are going to have a little more difficulty than your earlier starters?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I would think so. I mean our first couple holes, first nine holes even, it didn't seem like it was blowing at all. First couple holes I remember writing in my yardage book "calm" for the wind direction. So I would imagine it's going to be a little more difficult out there, especially the hotter it gets, the greens dry out a little bit more. So hopefully scores aren't too low.

Q. Is it frustrating with the stop and start nature of the early schedule here? Is that why you played the men's event, just to get some rounds in?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah. It's a little frustrating is the wrong word. It's just kind of hard to get in the rhythm of things. You play two weeks and take two and a half months off then play two weeks, then two weeks off, then three. It's nice to have these three weeks in a row to kind of get ready and get prepared, especially for our first major of the year. The men's event was just that exact same thing, just trying to get ready for Thailand before I went just so when I got there, it wasn't like, oh, gosh, so it doesn't take as long to get ready and get going as years past. I've gone to Australia before and tried it that way, but I didn't feel like flying that far and I wanted to have another week at home. The men's event was just in Orlando, so it just seemed to fit.

Q. Does this tournament mentally have a different feel? You know, you're playing for charity, you're playing for something, obviously, and a championship, but is there any less pressure, any different feel knowing that you're not actually playing for the money yourself?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It is a different feel. It's not, I would say, as stressful as like a Solheim Cup where you're representing your country, but I'm definitely representing somebody else, so I'm obviously going to try and do my best and try to raise as much money as I possibly can for my charity. We don't raise crazy amounts of money, but we do raise a little bit, so if I did win or in the top five, that's more money than we would ever think about raising, so it's definitely maybe a little more pressure even just because I want to do so well for them. But like I said, I just try to go out and have fun with it and see what happens. I try not to put too much pressure on myself.

Q. Not to go through the card or anything, but were there a couple tee shots up there that stick out in your mind today?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I did a lot of good things today. I drove it well, which obviously really helps. Obviously you don't want to get in the rocks in the desert, so I did very well at avoiding those at all costs. Just set myself up nice to hit the wedges and the short irons in there, obviously the par 5s. I had no eagles today, which is depressing, so hopefully in the next two days we can get some of those. Need to birdie more on the 15 and 18 so we can raise some more money for charity. I did a lot of great things today, I putted it well, made the putts when I needed to to save par. Only had one bogey today which was pretty good.

Q. I didn't see a lot of birdies and eagles on the last four holes up on the leaderboard. Are they tough today or tougher hole location?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: No, not even that. Just coming down the stretch I always seem to get nervous and I feel like I put a little bit more added pressure, I guess, on myself. So I really was just happy with the par. It's really random. I'm not sure why. I birdied 15. Need to eagle 15.

Q. Have you noticed during any of the practice rounds or even today the way the event is honoring the Founders? And the particular holes at the end have photographs of the founders and the Walk of Fame and all that. How much have you taken that in?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I've taken it all in. I was really funny because on one of the holes we could see the founders coming up, or Hall of Famers even, coming up No. 16 or so, and Nancy and Betsy and is it Patty Sheehan? It was really cool. I like was staring at them. Thank goodness the other two girls had to hit. They were laying up on the par 5, I believe, so I had time to kind of watch them hit their second shots or their approach shot into the green, and there was a million people following them. So that was really cool. If I wasn't playing, I would definitely be out there watching them play this morning, because that's really cool.

Q. Where were you and where were they?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think I was on they were on like 16 maybe. I was on like 11 or 12.

BEATRIZ RECARI, Rolex Rankings No. 52

THE MODERATOR: Welcome. Good playing today.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Just start it off by just some comments on the round.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, I'm feeling very solid. I did really good work during these last two weeks, and I'm feeling very solid with my game. I was striking it really well. So I birdied on 10. I had a birdie chance on 10 and I made birdie on 11. So I was overall feeling very confident. I missed two putts on the back nine, my very first hole. So I then kept patient and I was playing really well, putting them next to the pin, and then they started dropping in. So I'm really happy.

THE MODERATOR: Given the unique nature of the event, I've been asking everyone who's coming in, whom you're playing for and why.
BEATRIZ RECARI: I am playing for a charity in West Palm that is awareness for girls and boys with eating disorders. Why, because it’s already out there in the media because I struggled myself a few years ago, and it's something that touches me personally. And I thought that, you know, if I have this opportunity, then why not play for this cause.

Q. How much does winning on the LPGA Tour last year help you coming into this year?
BEATRIZ RECARI: It helped me tremendously because it verified for me that the work that I was doing was correct and that my game was good enough to win out there. It's just a matter of refinement here and there just keeping with it, that it was not a major thing; I could win, so why can't I win now. And after that I had a very good end of the season, so that gave me a lot of confidence, of course. And other than that it gave me confirmation that what I was doing was right, so I just kept working on it and harder and harder and harder, and I believe that I did very good winter training, so far the best. And I played well in Asia and I'm playing very well, so I'm feeling overall very confident. Like I said, I won last year, and of course, I want to keep winning. How many, I don't know. And you know, if I don't win this year, I can't control that. I just can control every day, and that's what I did out there today. And I just hope that I can put another two good rounds and I can take the trophy home.

Q. How many fairways did you hit today and how does this course suit your game?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I just finished, so I don't really know the stats. I have to go after. I don't like to get obsessed on the course on how many greens I'm hitting or not. It's just that I was playing very well and I missed a couple of fairways just on the edge, but I'm very happy with how I played. I don't know exactly the stats, how many.

Q. When Brittany was in, she mentioned that the greens were very firm and she really had to adjust to account for that. Did you find that to be the case also?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Not so much the greens. I play in Florida, and I believe that I hit a little bit further here because it's not so humid. It's really dry. So for me it was a matter of adjusting the distance that I was flying at every single cup. Yes, there are some greens that are a little bit bouncy, but for me it was more the wind and the extra yardage when I'm hitting over here. But I think I managed well. There were just a few that were bouncy. The rest are okay.

Q. Do you keep track where you are on the Solheim Cup point list?
BEATRIZ RECARI: No. (Laughs). No.

Q. Is that important to you, making the team?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Of course it is very important. This year is the closest I've been to making the team. I don't know where I'm standing. I guess I'm up there, I guess, but again, I don't want to focus on it. It's one of my goals this year, of course, but if I cannot make it for whatever reason, the important thing is the team, the 12 of them are the best that are playing right then. And the most important thing is that they get the trophy. If I can be a part of it, that's my goal and what I work for. It would be great. If not, I believe there will be many more chances in the future. But of course, it is one of my goals this year, but again, I don't get obsessed by it. I just want to focus on every day, and I believe that is the way to do it. I learned something last year and that's that you cannot force any win or anything to happen. You cannot force it.

Q. Have you been to Phoenix before, and what are your impressions of like the desert or something? Is it something like maybe you would see in a movie or something?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yes. I've never been. This is my first time. And I just arrived Tuesday night, so to be honest with you, I haven't seen much, other than what is around the course. I heard and many people have told me that it is beautiful, but when you travel, I don't get to see much. It's totally different because I live by the ocean, so this is as close as you can get to a cactus. So it is beautiful. It's different, and I really like it. The people are great, but yeah, my skin is dry. But other than that, it is good. Again, the only thing that I've had to adjust is that I believe the ball flies longer because there is no humidity here.

Q. With this format with the purse going to charity, what kind of hardship has it created for you, and how do you feel about it?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, it definitely, you know, this goes back to the question before, since I chose something that is very close to me, of course I have that extra motivation to do well because it's kind of like I've had that, and for me, it's giving it back to those people that are in that situation. And if I can help just one person, you know, it's really good for me. And especially with what's going on in the Pacific, I think we have to be very thankful for where we are. And you know, you never know, you have to be happy and thankful for everything that happens every day.

Q. Can you give the short version of I believe it was anorexia you battled with? What ages you had it and how you came out of it?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I don't want to make a drama out of it. Okay. I don't even remember. It's just not like all of a sudden the next day I'm like I'm anorexic. It's not like that. And it's not like I was anorexic either. I lost a little weight. I don't want to make it sound like I was anorexic or whatever. I lost a little weight because for me I was struggling with that, and it started for me, when you're growing up, you know, everything that you see out there is whether it's going to make you fat or not. Or you have to stay thin because that is associated with being successful, and that's what you see in all the people are like, I'm trying to lose weight and everything. You hear it constantly, not only in magazines, but just out there on the street. And when I was growing up, I didn't understand. Like all of a sudden I was like, why didn't you eat that biscuit, it's like well, because it's going to make me fat. So for me it's like, what? So that's how I started. I had that experience. Again, I don't want to make a drama out of it. I am very healthy now. I love my body. I love eating. It's just an experience that I had, and that made me grow as a person, and that's all I care about. I hope that from my experience and my learning experience I can help other people who are struggling like that because I just want to help other people and be a good example.

Q. You're helping an organization that does that, but I was just curious, who helped with you with it.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Several people who were close to me. My family, of course. And just people that I happened to meet after that or gave me advice after that, and I learned so much about nutrition and about my body. I learned how to deal with when I'm traveling, you know, to eat. I travel with my fruit bag so I can always have snacks wherever I go, and it's just the focus. My family was right there from the very first moment, and after that you meet like other people like that.

JULI INKSTER, Rolex Rankings No. 44

THE MODERATOR: Juli, thanks for coming in. Good round today. 4 under 68. Can you tell me how you feel going into the weekend and a little bit about your round?
JULI INKSTER: Well, you know, I played pretty good. I played pretty solid. You know, I missed one, I think three or four footer for birdie, but I drove the ball well, which is what you gotta do out here. And I hit some good irons. So I played pretty consistent. I was happy with the way I played.

Q. Your last win was in Phoenix, right?
JULI INKSTER: I guess. Yeah. Yeah.

Q. I know that you had a few chances to break that record of oldest winner on Tour. How many times has it been in the last four years that you've had that opportunity do you think?
JULI INKSTER: Well, considering I didn't know where my last win was, I know I'm not going to remember when I had a chance to break the record. So I don't know. I mean, you know, last year in Malaysia I finished second. You know, I have to apologize, I'm really bad on that stat. So you know, I've had some chances, but we'll see.

Q. What would that mean to you?
JULI INKSTER: Not a lot. A win would mean a lot. Just being the oldest player to win doesn't really mean that much, but winning out here would mean a lot.

Q. Why do you think you're able to compete as well as you can at this level continually?
JULI INKSTER: You guys are asking some really tough questions. I don't know. I guess because I still love the game. I still practice. I still work at it. I keep myself in pretty good shape. You know, it's not like I'm 80. (Laughs). You know, I'm 50. And I know, I'm competing against 20, 25 year olds, but I'm sure I could beat half of them on a treadmill. (Laughs). So I don't know. To me it's not about me against them, you know, it's me you know, I try to compete against the golf course, and if I happen to beat some of the young pups, then I do. But it's not like I go out there and say I'm going to beat the 20 year olds today.

Q. You have to be a little bit of a hero, though, to the older fans. I'm guessing you're hearing some comments.
JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah, yeah. All the gray hairs love me, so it's great. It's good. I mean I've played in Phoenix forever. I mean since 1984 it was my first year, and you know, I've played in Phoenix every year we've had a tournament here, and you hope playing that many years you can get a little bit of a following. And you know, it's nice. On No. 1 we had a nice group following us, and I appreciate that. I mean I think that's great.

Q. When this event was first proposed, you wanted to know more about it, you had questions about it. How do you feel about the idea now?
JULI INKSTER: Well, let's see. It's kind of hard to put this I mean I think Mike has a good idea. You know, I just I just think it's hard for us as professional golfers to play for free. You know, we only have a certain amount of tournaments, and this is what we do for a living, but you know, we're going to just see how it goes. It's different. It's definitely different mentality out there. I mean I came in for a nine hole practice round, played nine hole Pro Am, and away we go. You know, I think it has a lot of good things about it, and I think it has some things that could be tweaked.

Q. Does it need part of the purse to be paid to the players?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I think I hate to say it, the people that lose out the most on this are the caddies. I mean the caddies, they only work a certain amount of weeks, too, and you know, if your boss is getting zero, you're pretty much getting zero, too. So I think we gotta find a way to make it financially good for them. And you know, I don't know. I mean, you know, I think if I actually did win this and able to give the whole purse to charity, I think I'd feel pretty good about it, I mean, but I wouldn't want to do it every week. (Laughs).

Q. Would it be easier if there were more domestic opportunities?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean definitely. I think, you know, if we had another six, seven, eight more domestic opportunities, I think it would be great. But I also think it's important for myself and for some of the top players to play, because I do think it's, one, we're supporting our commissioner. We're supporting RR Donnelly, and we're supporting the LPGA Founders, and I do think it's important that we're here to play.

Q. Juli, Ron wrote a very interesting piece this week in Golf World about the PGA TOUR taking some kind of role in the LPGA's future, and also he mentioned in that that the old guard of the LPGA kind of fought that kind of a merger. I was just curious as to what your thoughts about the PGA TOUR taking over the LPGA would be.
JULI INKSTER: Well, you know, I think in these financial times, I think I'm not so sure I think it would be probably a good idea. I think the old guards would be you know, they never wanted to be a back seat to the PGA TOUR. You know, they didn't want it the PGA TOUR and then the Champions Tour, the Nationwide Tour and then the LPGA Tour. I think they always fought against that, that they could stand on their own. With the financial times, and I have to say, the LPGA has the global connection. I mean we do, and I think the PGA TOUR wants that. So I mean you put Frick and Frack together, you might make something, you know. It's really not that bad of an idea.

Q. One more thing about the schedule. With so few domestic opportunities, it's really hard for young blood and fresh faces to break in right now, isn't it?
JULI INKSTER: Oh, I know. Pat Hurst and I were talking about my first tournament as a rookie, I played in High Point, North Carolina, and I think I finished like, I don't know, 15th or something like that and I won like, I don't know, $2,800. And I thought I was rich, you know. It kind of got me going for the whole year, and I didn't have to have sponsors and da, da, da, da. And you know, it's hard, your first tournament ever and you're not going to get any money. And it's tough. I mean it's like the first two tournaments are only 60 players, and you know, really the top players from last year, so all of a sudden those top players from last year already have a head start. And then we have this tournament and then we have next week and then we have Dinah. So not everybody is in Dinah. Then we have next week. So it's really hard. I mean I do feel for them, but the way it's going, it's kind of going, you know, performance based. You gotta play well, and you gotta play well quick. You know, you really don't have the luxury of coming out here and trying to feel your way out and plod away. You gotta come out here and you gotta be ready to play.

Q. Who are you playing for this week for charity?
JULI INKSTER: You know, that's a good question. There's a couple of them, there's a food bank in San Jose and a homeless shelter in San Jose that I'm going to probably do. We were trying to see if we could do two. I don't know why you couldn't do 10. But you know, I just think it's important.

First Round Notes and Interviews

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