CME Group Titleholders
Grand Cypress Resort
Orlando, Fla.
November 17, 2011
First-round notes and interviews
Na Yeon Choi -6, Rolex Rankings No. 4
Morgan Pressel -5, Rolex Rankings No. 14
Karrie Webb -5, Rolex Rankings No. 15
Cristie Kerr -4, Rolex Rankings No. 3
Sandra Gal -3, Rolex Rankings No. 44
Rolex Rankings No. 4 Na Yeon Choi fired a 6-under 66 to lead by one shot after the first round of the season-ending CME Group Titleholders at the Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla. Chasing Choi are Rolex Rankings No. 14 Morgan Pressel and No. 15 Karrie Webb, who both shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday.
Choi tallied seven birdies and one bogey, which came on her final hole when she three-putted the 18th. The round was a continuation of Choi’s recent success on the golf course. The 24-year-old South Korean has seven top-10 finishes in her last nine events, including a win at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and a runner-up finish at the LPGA HanaBank Championship in Korea.
“I think from after the British Open I had a great feeling about my game,” said Choi. “After that I played like consistently, I think, and then especially at Mizuno I had a great final round. I shot 8‑under par. And then I think I took something from Mizuno to here.”
A change in the bag: Choi made a club switch back at the Mizuno Classic in Japan earlier this month and it has already yielded results. Choi added a 5 hybrid to her bag and took out her 5 iron in an effort to get a higher trajectory on her shots. It appeared to work in Thursday’s first round as she used the club to make a few more birdies.
“I hit like five or six times with that new club, and then I made four birdies with that club,” Choi said. “I like that new club.”
Pressure to win? Morgan Pressel’s last victory came at the 2008 Kapalua LPGA Classic and so it’s been a little over three years since she’s tallied a win on the LPGA Tour. The No. 14 ranked player in the world has certainly has her share of success since then but Pressel was asked after her opening round 67 on Thursday about her desire to add a third career victory to her resume.
“I think I just need to become comfortable again being around the top of the leaderboard and giving myself chances week in and week out,” Pressel said. “That's why I play. That's what I'm here to do. I come to a tournament, and my first goal is to win. You know, I felt good out there today. I didn't feel like I was pressing too hard. I know that it's ‑‑ I have a bad habit that I've gotten into and that’s when things start to go well then I start to press and almost become afraid of the hole. So I was able to stay patient, stay with my game throughout the entire round, so hopefully I can continue to do that for three days.”
One hot pairing: Choi and Pressel were paired together in the same group for Thursday’s first round. The two finished near the top of the leaderborad, thanks in large part to the hot streaks they each had after making the turn as they combined for 10 birdies over the final nine holes.
“I had five birdies on the back nine, and then I think Morgan, she played well, too, and then when she hit close to the pin or when she made a birdie putt, I think something motivated me, I could do it, too,” Choi said. “I had fun playing with Morgan and Sun Young, and then I don't know, something ‑‑ I think everything clicked on the back nine.”
Up and down season: Rolex Rankings No. 15 Karrie Webb got off to a blazing start to this year’s 2011 LPGA Tour season with a tie for third place finish at the season opening Honda LPGA Thailand. The Aussie then went on to notch back-to-back victories at the HSBC Women’s Champions and RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and record four additional top-20 finishes.
It wasn’t until July’s Evian Masters that Webb hit a slump and notched only one additional top-20 finish which came at the Mizuno Classic earlier this month.
“I obviously got off to a great start and with that I think expectations rose a little bit,” said Webb. “I had a good U.S. Open, one of my better ones for a while, so I was happy about that but then a disappointing Evian and the British, and really a flat time with that.”
Already thinking ahead to next year’s 2012 LPGA Tour season, Webb underwent a swing change with coach Ian Triggs and it seems to be paying off this week as she currently sits in a tie for second after an impressive five-under par 67.
“Ian tried not to do too much through the majors, but really at the end of the day, that didn't happen because I didn't play as great as I would have liked through that stretch,” said Webb. “So when we were in Korea we decided it didn't matter how I played through the rest of the year, that I needed to get going on that. It was almost overwhelming because I got a lot of information in a one‑week span, so it took a while for it to all sort out in my head.”
Keep the streak alive? Cristie Kerr has won at least one tournament on the LPGA Tour in each of the last seven years, but entering the season’s final event this week, the CME Group Titleholders, Kerr has yet to record a victory in 2011 meaning her streak is in jeopardy.
The 34-year-old will have to win this week to add to her career total of 14 victories. Kerr has three runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes this season. She had an impressive streak earlier this season when she finished in the top-3 in five straight tournaments but somehow a victory has eluded her. She has also had to battle wrist tendonitis which began at the Solheim Cup and a stomach bug that she’s dealing with this week.
“It's felt like a bit of bad luck,” Kerr said of her season. “It's felt like ‑‑ you know, some of the tournaments where I came in second I played awesome but somebody played better. That's the way it goes sometimes
“It's frustrating, I've never had to deal with trying to pay attention to an injury like that [referring to her wrist tendonitis]. And then getting sick here, it's kind of the way the year has gone. But maybe somebody will smile on me this week.”
Strong start, solid finish? Sandra Gal earned her spot in the CME Group Titleholders when she became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Kia Classic back in March. It’s been a memorable season for the 26-year-old who not only captured her first career win but has tallied seven top-20 finishes this year, including two in her last two events. She shot a 3-under 69 on Thursday and currently sits in a T6 after one round here in Orlando.
“It was very exciting winning the first time,” Gal said of her season. “It's a big breakthrough when you really dream about something and then you do it. I'm very happy with my season. All those tournaments at the end, I feel like they're a big bonus for me, just really trying to enjoy every second of it and just work on a few things that I want to get better at for next year.”
Caravan time: Melbourne, Fla. native Vicky Hurst had quite a following during Thursday’s first round. Over 50 members of Suntree Country Club traveled by charter bus to watch Hurst play in the LPGA season finale. Hurst has practiced at Suntree Country Club since she was young and many of the members have followed her career. Hurst shot a 3-over-par 75 on Thursday and currently sits in a tie for T49.
Of Note…Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng shot a 2-under 70 in Thursday’s opening round…Maria Hjorth, who won the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship at Grand Cypress last year, opened up the tournament with a 4-under 68…A total of 27 players in the 59-player field shot under-par in the first round of the CME Group Titleholders on Thursday.
NA YEON CHOI, Rolex Rankings No.
THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome our leader Na Yeon Choi into the interview room. Congratulations on a great round, 66. Can you first off just take me through your day and what was a great back nine for you.
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I had a pretty solid day today, and Orlando is my hometown, and then I feel really comfortable when I'm here because I have great memories from last year. I won the Vare trophy last year after this tournament, so I have a great feeling with this course. I think that's why I played well today.
THE MODERATOR: Can you take me through some of those holes on the back nine? Any key birdies for you that really got you going.
NA YEON CHOI: Well, I had five birdies on the back nine, and then I think Morgan, she played well, too, and then when she hit close to the pin or when she made a birdie putt, I think something motivated me, I could do it, too. I had fun playing with Morgan and Sun Young, and then I don't know, something ‑‑ I think everything clicked on the back nine.
THE MODERATOR: I know you won a few events back in Malaysia and your game seems to be coming around. How much better do you feel about your game right now as opposed to earlier in the season when you were off to a slower start?
NA YEON CHOI: I think from after the British Open I had a great feeling about my game. After that I played like consistently, I think, and then especially at Mizuno I had a great final round. I shot 8‑under par. And then I think I took something from Mizuno to here.
And then I changed a club; I switched the 5‑iron to a 5 hybrid, and then I think ‑‑ I hit like five or six times with that new club, and then I made four birdies with that club. I like that new club.
Q. Today's round you converted five birdies after using the 5 hybrid?
NA YEON CHOI: Yes.
Q. Why did you improve so much starting at the British Open? You had kind of a so‑so start to the year and then here this last month or two you're playing like you did most of last year.
NA YEON CHOI: Well, my swing coach came to British Open from Korea, and then I met him at the British Open ‑‑ actually he's from Ireland, so he has a lot of skills with the links course, and then he gave me a lot of tips on the course. That's why I had great results there. And I think that's why I trusted my game, and then it was getting better.
Q. He got you straightened out at the British Open?
NA YEON CHOI: Yes.
Q. What is your schedule after this week?
NA YEON CHOI: After this week I'm going to Korea next Thursday and then take ten days off, and then I have one more tournament in Taiwan, so I have to go to Taiwan.
Q. You're playing in that Swinging Skirts?
NA YEON CHOI: Yes.
Q. And then after that?
NA YEON CHOI: After that I think I'm going to take a vacation.
Q. So how important is it to play well this week because you're only going to play one more time the next two or three months.
NA YEON CHOI: How important? I mean, this is the last tournament on the LPGA Tour. I really want to finish well this tournament, and then I want to achieve my goals for 2011. It's not only win. I want to feel satisfied after Sunday what I've played.
Q. Have you played here at all since last year at this golf course?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, January I played a couple times, yeah, this course.
Q. This has been a little bit of an off year for South Korean women. Do you think that's just a temporary lull as far as winning lots of tournaments?
NA YEON CHOI: I think so, and I hope so, too. They are practicing and hard‑working. I think we have all great talent. I think we will bounce back next year.
Q. Last year there were a lot of players who were vying for Player of the Year this week on this course. What do you think it was about this year with Yani that separated her from everybody else?
NA YEON CHOI: Yani's game? Really, I can't find her weakness about her game, really. I can't find it. I mean, she's everything good, especially this year, and then looks very confident. I think she's playing aggressively and smartly, too. That's why she's playing very mature.
THE MODERATOR: We talked earlier in the year. You played with Yani back at the HSBC and then didn't play with her again until Korea. What was the biggest difference you saw from her in that early tournament and then late in the year.
NA YEON CHOI: I think walking big difference. She always is walking like chest like this [motions chest up]. Yeah, I can see her confidence. When she's doing her routine, I can see ‑‑ she wants to try and smile when she walks to the ball, to the setup. It's kind of like scary. Really, she's trying her ‑‑ she's trying to control her emotion during the tournaments, so that was very ‑‑ yeah, it impressed me.
Q. Those four, five hybrid shots today, were they all hit very close to the flagstick?
NA YEON CHOI: I think so. Most times my ball landed around 10 or 15 feet, yeah, especially like 17 I hit 5‑wood, and 16 I hit a 5 hybrid.
Q. Do you have other hybrids in your bag?
NA YEON CHOI: I have 4, 3. It used to be ‑‑ I had a 5‑iron until before the Mizuno Open, and then I switched to 5 hybrid at Mizuno Open and this week.
Q. Do you have other ones, though?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, 4 and 3.
Q. How far are you hitting that 5 hybrid? What's the distance for it?
NA YEON CHOI: I can hit 160 to 175 yards.
Q. What caused you to make the switch, just to get the ball in the air more?
NA YEON CHOI: I thought I needed a more high trajectory with the 5‑iron, so I switched to 5 hybrid, and it gave me more options.
Q. And this year the course, obviously it's a lot warmer than it was last year. How differently is the course playing?
NA YEON CHOI: I think the course is softer than last year, and then the greens are ‑‑ I mean, I checked the weather last night. I was so hot today, I wear the long pants and long shirt. I mean, the weather, it said only 50 degrees, so I was very hot today, but the course was softer than yesterday, so I think it played easier than last year.
MORGAN PRESSEL, Rolex Rankings No. 14
THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Morgan Pressel into the interview room. Congratulations on a great round today, 5‑under par. Great finish to your round. Can you just take me through some of the key holes and what it was like out there today and what was working well for you?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Thank you. I got off to a little bit of a rough start this morning. You wouldn't quite see it by seven straight pars, but a couple of them were some good saves, and I definitely missed a couple birdie opportunities, so I was kind of getting frustrated after the first seven, and made a good birdie putt on 8, and after that I guess I just felt a little bit more comfortable.
On 10, 14 and 16, I nearly holed out my approach shots on each one of those holes, so that helps, with some very short birdie putts, and made a long bomb on the last hole, and that was a little bit of a gift, but I'll take it.
THE MODERATOR: This is the last event of the LPGA season. How nice is it to kind of come in and get off to a hot start, and as players do you look as trying to have a good finish in this event?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, you definitely want to end the season on a high note, especially after last year when I felt like I was playing really well and kind of fell apart on the last day. To come back today and play well definitely helps my confidence. I don't know what I was doing, but I want to keep doing it for three more days, and I'll be ready for the holidays and a little bit of a break.
Q. You spent a lot of time on the range Tuesday trying to iron something out. What were you trying to fix?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, I just have not been very comfortable over the golf ball. You know, on Sunday in Guadalajara I hit four fairways, and that's not really my typical game, so it was very frustrating. I've spent probably more time on the range the last three days than I have on the golf course. I don't know that I really necessarily figured anything out, but I just kind of let it go today, and it seemed to work. I had a terrible warm‑up this morning.
Q. I know it's early, but can you talk about your desire to win again? Have you been patient? Have you been frustrated? How are you doing?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I think that ‑‑ I think I just need to become comfortable again being around the top of the leaderboard and giving myself chances week in and week out. That's why I play. That's what I'm here to do. I come to a tournament, and my first goal is to win. You know, I felt good out there today. I didn't feel like I was pressing too hard. I know that it's ‑‑ I have a bad habit at that I've gotten into is when things start to go well then I start to press and almost become afraid of the hole, so I was able to stay patient, stay with my game throughout the entire round, so hopefully I can continue to do that for three days.
Q. A two‑part question. How long did it take you to get over the Solheim Cup? And the second question is you've traveled all over the world since September; to be back on U.S. soil playing a tournament, does that make it easier, or are there some ways in which it's tougher because of maybe expectations or pressures that come with playing at home?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, the first part was how long did it take me to get over the Solheim Cup, I mean, it was definitely a disappointing loss. But I think just being a part of the team, it's not so much an individual thing. I came out of the Solheim Cup feeling that I played very well. I was definitely confident in my own game. But it was sad. It was definitely a sad time for us and disappointing for all the players, no matter how you played. I don't know how long it necessarily took me to get over it. I'm glad that I had the week off the next week, but then kind of went out on a swing to Asia and tried to continue the momentum with my own personal game through that stretch.
You know, it's nice, I think by this time of the year ‑‑ burned out is not the right word, but we're ready to be done and ready for a break, so to be back in the United States and be able to drive home on Sunday, not too far from where I live, it's definitely a bonus, something that ‑‑ we don't play enough in the United States, so hopefully in the future years we can gain a few more domestic events and go to Asia when we can.
Q. If you go back to the start of the year and you look at the year and say, okay, here are the people, a lot of us pick who we think are going to play well, players that are going to play well ‑‑
MORGAN PRESSEL: Did you pick me?
Q. Yeah, you're on the list. I'm going to name four people. Can you imagine a year where you and Cristie and Paula and Michelle don't have a win?
MORGAN PRESSEL: You know, it's ‑‑ Cristie had that unbelievable stretch in the middle of the year, what, four or five seconds in a row, and to think she didn't come out of that stretch with a victory is certainly surprising.
You know, we've had a couple other young American stars that have stepped up; Brittany Lincicome won a couple times, Stacy Lewis winning her first major. The rest of us have been close but we haven't been able to get it done. We've got one event left, and we'll see what happens next year. Maybe we'll come out firing next year.
Q. It wasn't an insulting question, it was just one of those, you think, wow, look at ‑‑ this is the ‑‑ these are the best players in this country. Is it the game that does that, or is it just the way it works?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think that there's just a tremendous depth of talent on our Tour. I don't think that you can really look at any of the champions and think that any of them have been flukes. I mean, there's a tremendous, tremendous depth to our Tour and a lot of really good players. I mean, like I said, we've all been close, finished second, third, quite a few times, all four of us, and just haven't been able to get that victory.
Q. Today you and Na Yeon both had it going there. Does that happen often where someone you're playing with kind of sparks you or vice versa to get things going?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, it's definitely fun to watch. We played great today. When she three‑putted that last hole, we kind of looked and went, wow, she's human, because she just played so great today.
It's definitely inspiring. I think it's fun to play with the best players in the world because you can learn so much from them and you can certainly feed off of that. And I watched Na Yeon make a lot of putts today, and I thought the hole must be bigger than I think it is, so maybe I can make a few more putts, too.
KARRIE WEBB, Rolex Rankings No. 15
THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Karrie Webb into the interview room. Congratulations on a great round today, 5‑under. Can you take me through your day and what were some of the key holes and how you were able to shoot so well today.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, it was a really good day. Gradually my swing got a little bit better as the day went on. I struggled a little bit early on but managed to ‑‑ well, I holed a bunker shot on the 7th hole and that sort of settled me down a little bit and played pretty consistently good for the rest of the round.
Even though I didn't feel like I was striking the ball as well as I could, I was leaving myself in areas where I could make putts, and I think that's a big key around here.
Q. You got off to such a hot start this year winning back‑to‑back events. Can you take me through your year and how it's been and how you feel about your game heading into this week?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, obviously I got off to a great start, and I think expectations rose a little bit. But I felt like I played okay up until the U.S. Open. I had a good U.S. Open, one of my better ones for a while, so I was happy about that. But then a disappointing Evian and the British, and really a flat time with that.
And then I decided to make a few swing changes and get ready for the beginning of next year. I played the Mizuno Classic a couple weeks ago, and the last couple rounds ‑‑ it's still a little bit inconsistent, but I felt a lot more comfortable over the ball and with the changes I've made, became a little bit more consistent. I've seen it in practice a lot, but once ‑‑ you just have that little more tension, once the gun goes off, I'm having trouble getting relaxed over the ball and doing stuff I'm doing on the range.
Q. What exactly were the changes that you made?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, it's very technical, but my arms were traveling too far this way. My swing wasn't getting too long, but my hands were going too far, which created a downward sort of slide hold‑on move, which I lost yardage and also was very inconsistent with the contact that I was making, so I really had to tidy that up in my backswing and then also try and set the slide. So sometimes that comes in ‑‑ it was pretty much engrained for the whole year, so it takes a while to get that going without thinking about it.
Q. With the Presidents Cup being played in Australia, so many Australians in it at Royal Melbourne, do you have to force yourself to turn off the TV? Have you been watching it at all?
KARRIE WEBB: I did watch a little bit of it last night, although I had a pretty big week at the beginning of the week, so I actually fell asleep watching it last night at 10:15. But I can tell you that I'm already a little scared about our tournament there at the start of next year. I'm hoping we don't have green speeds of 14.
Although I was talking to Jason, Yani's caddie today, and he's from Melbourne, and Royal Melbourne has got a whole summer of hot, dry heat just to make those greens just even firmer than what they already are. I was a little scared going to sleep last night.
Q. Did you have an emergency session with Ian at some point to get started on these swing changes, and at this point in your career do you ever get tired of having to kind of take a whole second half of the season to work on something like that?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, it wasn't ‑‑ we worked on it in Korea. I think I finally ‑‑ Ian tried not to do too much through the majors, but really at the end of the day, that didn't happen because I didn't play as great as I would have liked through that stretch. So when we were in Korea we decided it didn't matter how I played through the rest of the year, that I needed to get going on that. It was almost overwhelming because I got a lot of information in a one‑week span, so it took a while for it to all sort out in my head. But yes, I do get tired of doing that.
Q. Was there a swing tendency that you've had before or something new that cropped up?
KARRIE WEBB: A little bit of both. It's probably ‑‑ my arm travel is probably something I should have been working on a lot sooner, and it only has to just continually gradually get worse before you realize how far it's gone. And the downward slide move is probably more about 15, 12 years ago. I used to have a big move off the ball so I had to slide through the ball to get back to it. So that was something that's always been there. That and the combination of what was going on, it just wasn't working.
Q. What's your schedule after this?
KARRIE WEBB: I'm done.
Q. For how long?
KARRIE WEBB: Until the beginning of next year, the Australian Open.
Q. So is it important to you to play well to end the season on a good note? Does that actually help it going into the off‑season?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, it's always nice to go into the off‑season playing well. You know, I wanted to play well; it doesn't matter that I've got a couple months off. You always want to do well, and when you've got a break it's nice to finish on a good note. But for me it's more ‑‑ I want to put the clubs up for a couple weeks, few weeks, so it was more about trying to get as far as I can with these changes before I take a break.
Q. What does having the Australian Open as an official event, what does that do for golf in Australia, and what was your reaction to that?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I think it's going to be amazing for women's golf. I think it's just a little kick in the pants that we probably needed down there just to bring some excitement to the tournament. I mean, it's been a great tournament, the Australian Open, for a few years, because we play all the sand belt courses down there, we played Kingston Heath and Commonwealth the last couple years. You know, it's had that feel to it, it's just now adding the LPGA brand to it is ‑‑ it's going to create a lot of excitement, and it's also a couple weeks after the Australian Open tennis, which has sort of been squashed right in after that where the Melbourne crowds who have been at the tennis for two weeks haven't come out, but I think the crowds will be great down there, and the LPGA will bring a lot of excitement to it, so I think it'll be a great event.
CRISTIE KERR, Rolex Rankings No. 3
THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Cristie Kerr into the interview room. Congratulations on a great round today, 4‑under par. Can you just take me a little bit through the day and what was working well for you.
CRISTIE KERR: I'm a little under the weather so forgive me if I have trouble remembering. I got off to a good start, 1‑under the first couple holes, and then on 7 I hit it stiff, made birdie. Good birdie on 8 and a great putt on 9. So that got me off to a really good start for the front nine.
Unfortunately I three‑putted 10 but just bounced right back at 14 and 15, and then the 16th hole is playing really long. I hit 5‑wood in and almost got up‑and‑down. But I made a good par on 17 and a good up‑and‑down on 18, and it felt good to get a good round, considering I really didn't expect much of myself today.
THE MODERATOR: You didn't play in the pro‑am yesterday since you have been feeling under the weather. How long have you been feeling under weather and did you feel at all better today?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, those nine‑hole pro‑ams you want to play in. The 18‑hole ones are a little long, but it would have been nice to ‑‑ I only played nine holes on Tuesday. But Tuesday morning the doctor I saw, Dr. Thomas, seemed to think it's something I got from Mexico. I started getting ‑‑ I woke up on Tuesday and felt kind of a little tired but just kind of felt fatigued and started getting some abdominal pains, and the other stuff I'm not going to mention.
Q. Usual Mexican stuff?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, usual Mexican runs, and just really just got out in the afternoon and played my whole practice round, practiced the whole entire time like abdominal pain and it just seemed to be getting worse, these pains in my intestines or stomach or whatever, and I've never really experienced that before.
You know, I woke up ‑‑ I did not feel well, and on Tuesday night, middle of the night, which was Wednesday morning, I just got up at 2:00 in the morning and my friend Suzanne, who's my trainer and my friend who's here, I asked her to come up and see me because I just did not feel well. I had some toast and some banana and some Gatorade because I really didn't eat dinner on Tuesday, and that's when I called Dr. Thomas and he got me some medicine, but I just was in bed all day yesterday.
I still ‑‑ even today I feel fatigued, I felt kind of light‑headed coming around the turn and still had some of these pains, these shooting pains in my abdomen. Like I said, I didn't expect much from myself today. Maybe that's what it takes.
Q. With a little bit of luck you could have probably had four or five wins by mid season this year and then you had the wrist problem at the Solheim. Now you've got a stomach bug. Is this season just frustrating? Does it just kind of feel like it's your best golf just barely out of reach?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, absolutely. It's felt like a bit of bad luck. It's felt like ‑‑ you know, some of the tournaments where I came in second I played awesome but somebody played better. That's the way it goes sometimes. It is frustrating, and yeah, having the tendonitis, I went to the doctor in New York and got an MRI. I actually showed him a picture of the swelling of what it looked like the day after the Solheim Cup, and he was like, you played with that? This is one of the top wrist guys at HSS.
So I battled through the Solheim Cup as much as I could. I was trying to be there for my team, now I get sick now.
Well, in Asia I was trying to baby this wrist and not practice too much. It's frustrating, I've never had to deal with trying to pay attention to an injury like that. And then getting sick here, it's kind of the way the year has gone. But maybe somebody will smile on me this week.
Q. It's been a long stretch that you have not had at least one win. Do you come in with a little urgency or maybe self‑imposed pressure?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I always put pressure on myself. I feel like I play well when I put pressure on myself but I'm not like ‑‑ it's kind of a fine balance. I got sick on Tuesday, and I thought it was kind of going to go away and then it didn't, and what happened to me yesterday, I just sort of just kind of was like, I'm just going to play the best that I can and see what happens because yesterday was not an easy day.
Q. The illness, did it change the way you approached any of the holes because of weakness or not being able to hit it necessarily as far as you normally would?
CRISTIE KERR: Actually not really. I actually ‑‑ while I was tired today, I was actually hitting the ball fairly well and pretty solid. I hit it right a couple times, but that's par for the course. But yesterday I couldn't even really get out of bed. I had somebody bring me food at like 2:00 in the morning, just some toast to try and calm things down, and I got up at like noon and had like a small bowl of oatmeal and I got up at 3:00 and had some scrambled eggs and then I really didn't eat the rest of the day. I tried to force fluids and whatnot, but I was just so weak I couldn't really get out of bed yesterday. I've never had a stomach flu that bad before. Like I said, today I didn't really expect anything out of myself, and I was dragging a little bit the whole back nine and I tried to just kind of hang in there, and I ended up playing pretty well.
Q. Did you come close to WD'ing? Did it cross your mind?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I didn't know how I was going to feel this morning. I figured if I at all can walk around and swing at it, I would go and play. That's the other thing, too; I hate missing pro‑ams. I like an extra practice day before the tournament, and this tournament is so weird, there weren't any alternates. I texted Doug at like 3:00 in the morning and I talked to him at 6:00, and I said, are there any alternates here, and he goes, there's no alternates, and I was like, my God, because you never want to do that to a great sponsor who's putting on a great tournament like this. I really feel horrible about missing the pro‑am, but I really couldn't get out of bed, and if there weren't any alternates it's an unfortunate situation. I think there were even seven or eight other players that were supposed to play in this field that didn't end up for some reason. So it's unfortunate.
SANDRA GAL, Rolex Rankings No. 44
Q. Can you take me through a great day, 3‑under par? I know two bogeys, five birdies, kind of take me through the round and what was working well for you today.
SANDRA GAL: I actually had kind of a slow start. I think 1 is a very birdieable hole; 2, you kind of have to make birdie. I wasn't really close to making on either of those holes. I kind of hung in there the first few holes and then I made a nice longer putt, I think it was on 4 or 5, and that kind of got me going in the right direction. I made another one on 9, which was nice, because it was off the green, just a good shot in there but it was just a little long. And then I had a couple really close wedge shots, just tap‑ins, so that always helps, don't have to work that hard. Unfortunately there was a couple bogeys in there. But I'm happy with the round. I'm comfortable on this course, and three more days to go, so looking forward to it.
Q. Is this a course you've played quite often?
SANDRA GAL: I do, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of guys that practice out here, a lot of mini‑Tour players, so we always have so much matches out here. It's definitely playing totally different because the greens are way faster than we usually play out here. But it's nice to just sleep in your own bed. It doesn't feel like a tournament somehow. It does; obviously it's one of the best season‑ending tournaments, but it's just very chilling if you can be in your own bed.
Q. How have you felt about your game coming into this week? You had a great way of getting into this tournament with the win at Kia, but how have you been feeling lately?
SANDRA GAL: Last week in Mexico I was hitting it really well, great ball‑striking, but I just made a couple silly mistakes, so I'm really trying to just learn from that and do a little better job at course management, and I think that's helped for me.
Q. And with becoming a Rolex first‑time winner this year, looking at the season overall since we are kind of at the end here, how do you assess the season and how exciting was it to get that first ‑‑
SANDRA GAL: It was very exciting winning the first time. It's a big breakthrough when you really dream about something and then you do it. I'm very happy with my season. All those tournaments at the end, I feel like they're a big bonus for me, just really try and enjoy every second of it and just work on a few things that I want to get better at for next year.
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