CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge
Blackhawk Country Club
Danville, Calif.
Third-round notes and interviews
October 16, 2010
Ilhee Lee, Beatriz Recari and Michele Redman share a one-shot lead at 12-under 204 through 54 holes of the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif. Wendy Ward (69) and Gwladys Nocera (71) are one shot back.
Age is only a number: Lee and Recari are rookies, and Redman is an 18-year veteran. Lee is 21, Recari 23, which adds up to 44. Redman is 45. With the trio of leaders all playing together Sunday, experience could play in Redman’s favor, but she doesn’t think so. “I don't know,” she said. “I played with Ilhee Lee today. And I think she won in Japan last year, so I'm not really looking at it like that. I'm just kind of trying to take care of myself this week, and it's nice to kind of get back into the groove again a little bit. That's how I'm looking at it.”
The eagle has landed: Michelle Redman’s improbable 18th-hole eagle propelled her into a tie for the lead after 54 holes at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. The 45-year-old hit a grip-down 8-iron from 126 yards in the left rough. “After I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good,” she said. “I mean I don't know, I just kind of knew I hit a pretty good shot. It was exactly what I visualized and what I felt, and I mean fortunately it went in the cup.”
Comeback Kid: This week is validation for Redman, who actually considered retiring earlier this year. She even turned to Nancy Lopez for advice. “It just took me a couple months to kind of get back on track to see where I wanted to go and how much I wanted to play out here,” she said. “I think once I figured that out, I think that really helped me.”
I belong: Although she’s in a different stage of her career, Ilhee Lee also recently questioned whether she would continue playing. A rookie this year, she’s missed seven cuts and hasn’t broken 70 all year, until this week. “I started to wonder, can I really make it out here, can I really survive on this Tour with so much traveling, and being away from home was very difficult,” she said. “But I challenged myself three tournaments ago, let's give it all I got and see what I can do. I think what I have today is enough to compete against the best in the world.”
French connection: Wendy Ward will be the odd-woman-out tomorrow when she tees it up with Frenchwomen Gwladys Nocera and Karine Icher. The duo is two of the three French players (Patricia Meunier-Lebouc) on the 2010 LPGA Tour.
Back-to-back jacks? Katherine Hull is lurking just three shots off the pace with 18 holes remaining at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. The winner of last week’s Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV, Hull can become the second back-to-back winner of the season with a strong finish tomorrow. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Ai Miyazato began the 2010 season with consecutive victories at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women’s Champions.
Making the Most of It: Libby Smith, who Monday qualified this week, shot a 66 today to get to 8-under, currently T9. Sponsor exemption Carling Coffing, who recently won the Big Break Sandals Resorts, fired a 2-under 70 to finish T28.
Lurking: Cristie Kerr, currently second in the Rolex Rankings with a chance to move up to No. 1 this week, followed her 68 Friday with a 6-under 66 Saturday to get to 9-under, which is good enough for a tie for seventh. Kerr’s surge the last two days came after a slow start – a 1-over 73. “I think I put a little too much pressure on myself on Thursday and just didn't play my own game,” she said. “When I'm playing my own game it's good enough, I think. So I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy it tomorrow and have some fun and try and get as many putts at birdie as I can and we'll see what happens.”
Of note: Paula Creamer, a native of nearby Pleasanton, shot an Even-par 72 to sit at 2-under overall and in a tie for 36th… Juli Inkster, a two-time champion here (1999 and 2000) shot a 1-under 71 to get back to Even overall (T54). Inkster, a Bay Area native and resident, was also a four-time All-American at San Jose State… Defending champion Sophie Gustafson shot a 3-under 69 to jump up to a tie for 28th.
ILHEE LEE, Rolex Rankings No. 229
THE MODERATOR: Ilhee, welcome. Great round today. Just tell us a little bit about it.
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): It was pretty good overall, all day. It was pretty good over all day.
Q. You said that this course kind of resembles courses in Korea. Could you you said it's hilly. Are there any other things that were similar, or have you played anything like that on Tour this year?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): Yeah, we played another course in Mexico that was quite similar to what I've been playing in Korea. The course that had Tres Marias championship, but you know, when you come to Blackhawk, just the feel of it is much closer to what I'm used to back home. And the course itself, the one at the Tres Marias was pretty close to the ones I play in Korea, but just the feel, it feels a lot more like home.
Q. Could I ask you about the eagle on 11? Could you explain what you did there on that hole?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): The tee shot and the second shot, you know, believe it or not, happened exactly the way I envisioned it in my head. And then you know, when I hit the second shot, I just wanted to get it close, and it was a downhill putt. So I told myself to just get it close to the hole, and it just rolled in.
Q. You hadn't shot better than 70 all year on Tour this year. You missed seven cuts earlier in the year. Now you've broken 70, three straight rounds in the 60s. Is it just something as simple as this course reminds you of Korea, or is there something that's changed in your game?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): I made the first cut on the Tour this year in the first event, but after that I think I missed almost every cut until the stretch of four tournaments, including this one. I told myself, I started to wonder, can I really make it out here, can I really survive on this Tour with so much traveling, and you know, being away from home was very difficult. But I challenged myself three tournaments ago, let's give it all I got and see what I can do and let's change my mindset and see what I can do. So this is my fourth event and fourth event in which I have made a cut. So I told myself, this is the last time. I mean I'm going to give it all and challenge myself in how far I can go, and I think that mindset has certainly changed certain aspects of my game.
Q. Now do you feel like you can compete on this Tour on a regular basis?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): To answer your question, yes. I think what I have today is enough to compete against the best in the world, and I feel very good, and yeah, I think I can do it.
Q. What do you feel are the strengths of your game? Obviously you can get to the par 5s in two, so you have some distance, but what do you feel are the other strengths of your game on the course that help you compete out here?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): I'm a golfer. I think I'm a golfer, and I never really try to find what my strengths are or my weaknesses are in that matter. I just go out there and play. I know a lot of players have identified their strengths and weaknesses. I guess for that I'm a little different, but I never look for my strengths, and I also never look for my weaknesses. I know what I can do and I go out and perform and that's what I do. Well, some people may point out certain parts of my game are my strengths, but I never think of it that way.
Q. What do you expect out of tomorrow heading into the final group? Four people tied right there. How do you expect tomorrow to go?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): Well, you know, like you, I'm certainly excited to see what I can do tomorrow. It's very exciting. These three days here in Danville I've had so much fun. I've done whatever I wanted to do and just went out and played golf, and I'm starting to think, wow, this is what it feels like to be a professional golfer and go out and perform. So I mean I'm excited, and tomorrow I'm going to go out there and give it all I got. But the most important thing is having fun, and I'm going to do whatever I feel like doing. I'm going to have fun out there.
MICHELE REDMAN, Rolex Rankings No. 101
THE MODERATOR: Pretty good way to finish the round, huh?
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah. I'll take it, definitely. It was fun, too.
THE MODERATOR: Just tell us a little bit about it. I mean it got you into the lead.
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah. You know, actually I was playing pretty good. You know, I had a little hiccup there on 16, but I didn't really hit any bad putts, so there was really not much I could do about it. So I just tried to stay patient and it paid off for me on 18, so that makes it nice.
THE MODERATOR: Just kind of your thoughts on the ball after you hit it.
MICHELE REDMAN: Well, after I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good. I mean I don't know, I just kind of knew I hit a pretty good shot. It was exactly what I visualized and what I felt, and I mean fortunately it went in the cup.
THE MODERATOR: So you're tied for the lead with two rookies. Do you think experience might kind of play to your advantage tomorrow?
MICHELE REDMAN: Oh, I don't know. These you know, Gwladys is really because she's a rookie out here, I mean she's a great player. And I played with Ilhee Lee today. And I think she won in Japan last year, so I'm not really looking at it like that. I'm just kind of trying to take care of myself this week, and it's nice to kind of get back into the groove again a little bit. That's how I'm looking at it.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about your year? I don't know if you've had a Top 10 this year. Why has this course kind of brought out the best in your game do you think this week? And how good does it feel to be in the position you're in?
MICHELE REDMAN: Well, it feels great to be in the position I'm in. I've always liked the golf course, and for me this definitely has not been a good year for me up to the last probably couple weeks, but I kind of felt like the second round in Arkansas I was starting to turn it around a little bit. Some of it for me was I didn't know how much I wanted to play out here, and I think I maybe was a little burnt out. I got some advice from Nancy Lopez. I don't know. It just took me a couple months to kind of get back on track to see where I wanted to go and how much I wanted to play out here, and I think once I figured that out, I think that really helped me. You know, I think it kind of took the pressure off. You know, I kind of felt like I needed to play, but I have a daughter at home. So it's you know, it kind of worked out pretty good having that time, and I had to go through it sooner or later, you know, so it just happened in the middle of the season, I guess.
Q. Were you seriously considering retiring?
MICHELE REDMAN: I thought about it, yeah. I actually applied for the coaching job at the University of Minnesota, so I was pretty serious about it. But everything works out the way it's supposed to. That's how I'm looking at it right now. I mean I knew I still wanted to compete. I don't want to play 20 to 25 weeks a year. I know that. It's just too much for me to be gone. And like I said, once I got through that and realized that I was okay with that and that things were going to be okay whatever I did, I think that really helped me out.
Q. So you won't be playing that Asian swing?
MICHELE REDMAN: Uh uh. I'm not in any of them, for one thing. But it actually took the pressure off of me. You know, every year I'm like, okay, I'm going to go for one, and then two weeks before it's like, I kind of don't want to go that far. So it's okay. I'm okay with not doing that.
Q. After you took that time off, did you feel kind of reinvigorated at all?
MICHELE REDMAN: A little bit, yeah. I did. I mean I think I needed to go through that because I've been thinking about not playing a lot the last couple years, and I think going through that actually helped me, you know. And I just know I still want to play out here, just not full time every week.
Q. So what happened with the coaching job at Minnesota?
MICHELE REDMAN: I didn't get it.
Q. When did you apply and when did you find out?
MICHELE REDMAN: I found out the Tuesday of Canada, and I applied probably four weeks before that.
Q. What do you think the state of the Tour is right now when you have Recari up there, Ilhee, a lot of these younger players starting to make a push towards the leaderboard. How good and how promising and encouraging is that for the Tour?
MICHELE REDMAN: Oh, I think it's great. I mean the competition out here from when I first was a rookie out here, it's incredible the difference. Like when I was a rookie out here, 3 and 4 over was consistently making the cuts, and that rarely makes the cut now. I mean the competition is so good. The girls that are coming out now are so good. I think it's going to be great for the future, definitely.
Q. Is it kind of a double edged sword because there's no main one runaway superstar, no Annika, no Lorena, but there is a lot of good young talent? Is it kind of like a double edged sword?
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah, but I think it'll be good. I think people want to see different players. I think sometimes everybody thinks everybody wants to watch Tiger, comparing the men's TOUR, but I think it's good to have some different players because it gives us a little bit more exposure. It makes people realize how many good players we do have out here.
Q. It's been 10 years since your last victory on the LPGA Tour. What would it mean to win tomorrow?
MICHELE REDMAN: It would be nice. I actually almost won last year at the end of the year. It would be nice, but you know, for me right now it's just nice to be back playing the way I know how to play. I mean I struggled so much this year a few weeks. I think I missed like four cuts in a row. My whole career I've never had that happen. So for me right now I'm just enjoying it and kind of taking it as it comes. Like I said, I think now the pressure is off of me a little bit and I'm just trying to relax and have fun out there.
BEATRIZ RECARI, Rolex Rankings No. 172
THE MODERATOR: Beatriz, our third of three tournament leaders. Just talk a little bit about the day today.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, today I started confident. I finished very strong yesterday. My back nine I had 6 under, shot 6 under, so I felt really good. And my striking was very good. I had birdie chances on the 2nd and made a birdie on the 3rd, and then I had a missed shot on 4, but overall I was feeling very good. So obviously today on a Saturday the pins are going to be more on the corners and you couldn't be so aggressive. So yeah, I just stayed patient and just let it happen and attacked the pin when I could, and yeah, I'm happy with today's round.
THE MODERATOR: And now, being the 54 hole leader going into the final group tomorrow with the lead, do you think there will be any nerves there?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, today I was leading, too, so I mean, yeah, I mean I have to be honest with you. I was kind of keeping an eye on the score and bogey, birdie, you know, how everything was moving. But no, I mean when I started making some putts and just focusing on what I had to do was when I really made the birdies on the back nine. And yeah, I cannot control what other people do. I can only control what I do, and that's going to be my focus tomorrow.
Q. How proud are you that you were able to get your nerves under control from the beginning? After playing so well yesterday, does that give you a lot of hope for tomorrow?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yeah. Well, it was kind of a déjà vu for me and last year when I won my first victory in the European Tour in Finland, the year before I was leading after two rounds after one round and then I kind of got very nervous on the second, and I blew it up a little bit, and that was my learning process for last year. And even though it was in the last round, because I had a five shot lead, I still struggled a little bit and I won in the playoff. But you know, you have to take everything as a learning process, and I definitely learned a lot from my losses, from my victory last year. And today I think I just had to focus on what I did last year and said, okay, I'll just keep it simple. And today the pins were not so tempting to go for because, you know, the punishment was going to be big, and I just did that. And yeah, I think, you know, there is no problem with making mistakes as long as you learn from them and you don't repeat them.
Q. Do you know either of the other players who you'll probably be playing with tomorrow, Ilhee Lee or Michele, yeah. Do you know either one of them?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I don't know Michele personally, but I played with Ilhee in first stage of Q School last year, and she's a rookie like me, so yeah, you know. When you're out there, you cannot each one of us is doing our own and just focusing on our play. So yeah, I've never played with Michele. She looks very nice, so I think it's going to be a very nice group.
Q. Ilhee said that these courses remind her of back home in that a lot of the Korean courses are hilly and kind of the course just lays out similar. Why do you think you've taken so well to this course?
BEATRIZ RECARI: This course, it fits my game because the greens are not very big and they're very shapey, and you know, you can really make it very tough out there, depending on where you put the pins, like today. And that's something that really suits my game because my home course was kind of similar layout with small greens and very strategic from the tee and onto the green. And I have to say last year, the tournament I won was very similar to this. So it just brings me good memories, and it's kind of like home soil for me or known territory, however you want to call it. But yeah, just gives me a good feeling. I've been playing good. I played very well last week. I did very good training during the last three weeks off. So feeling confident.
Q. What was the hole you were proudest of out there today, you felt like maybe you played really well or maybe you got out of trouble and made a save? Was there one hole that sticks out for you today?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I just I think what I take from today is that I hang out there, I hang out there. And yes, I made my mistakes. You know, I was probably too eager on going for the pins, and there was a couple of holes that I shouldn't have done that. But anyway, I cannot do anything about it now. And yes, I made a couple of good saves. I made a save on 18, good save on 15, bunker save on 10 as well. And then I holed good putts, but as I said, you know, today was a day to be calm and not make stupid mistakes because then you're going to pay it on the leaderboard, and that's what I did and I'm very happy with it.
CRISTIE KERR, Rolex Rankings No. 2
Q. Cristie, what great playing. You started the week with a 73, went 68; 66 today. What have you been able to find over the last couple days?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I hit it a little better every day. I didn't hit it very well the first day and I struggled with the putter big time, and you know, I've just worked really hard. I've been hitting balls until dark every night, and you know, just keeping a positive attitude, just trying to eliminate mistakes and, you know, get a lot of putts for birdie because that's where I tend to excel.
Q. We certainly hear that from other players on the coverage. We asked them who they thought was the No. 1 putter on tour, and your name came up time and time again. So in your mind what makes you such a fierce putter on the greens?
CRISTIE KERR: I don't know. I think confidence is a big part of it, but you have to be kind of an artist on the greens and be able to read the slope and feel the speed and have confidence, be able to stay still and hit the putt you're trying to hit. It's always been my favorite part of the game. You know, I have other favorite parts now, but you know, ever since I was a kid, it was the part that I liked to practice the most. So I don't know, it's just a gift from God, I guess.
Q. Well, you have a chance to be No. 1 after this week, and you said that this Rolex Ranking race is kind of like a roller coaster ride. Are you enjoying this ride right now?
CRISTIE KERR: I am, and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself on Thursday and just didn't play my own game, and when I'm playing my own game it's good enough, I think. So I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy it tomorrow and have some fun and try and get as many putts at birdie as I can and we'll see what happens.
Q. I wanted to ask you, you played great on the front nine and then you got to 11. You hit a great drive, and then you hit one kind of deep in that bunker down there and you got up and down. How big was that?
CRISTIE KERR: It was pretty big. You know, I tried a little too hard on the shot into the green and got mad at myself for that, but you know, kind of an awkward bunker shot. I had a leaf behind the ball.
Q. Yeah, I saw that one.
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, and just caught a little too much ball, but I made a great putt. And coming in, I had some chances. I didn't hit it quite close enough, you know, coming in to make 3 or 4, but you know, I played well on the back and was able to shoot 6 under today.
Q. You talked about putting too much pressure on yourself. Were you thinking about that No. 1 maybe a little bit?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I mean you always think about it, but it has to reach a point where you have to be able to go out and play golf, because playing my own game is good enough to beat pretty much everybody, so if I can just play my own game and not pressure myself, that's my fatal flaw, if I have one, is I try too hard sometimes.
Q. To be 12 shots off the pace after that first round and now you're right there. Are you surprised that you were able to make up that much?
CRISTIE KERR: No. Not really. You know, even shooting 4 under yesterday I didn't hit it very well and I went over to another golf course on get on a range that was flat to be able to hit balls, and I hit balls till dark, and I definitely hit it better today. Just gotta go out and if I can shoot a low one tomorrow, I'll be able to take the tournament. Obviously I've got I don't want to get ahead of myself. I want to be able to just try and do well on every shot and do the little things well like I did today.
Q. As well as you shot today, there were other opportunities out there. You had 8.
CRISTIE KERR: There always are. Even if you shoot 61 like I did in Tulsa that one year. I parred the last five holes. So there always are. It's golf.
Q. Where was the moth again?
CRISTIE KERR: Oh, my God. On 15. Ask her about it.
Q. It landed on your downswing.
CRISTIE KERR: Seriously, like I was like here, and it landed on me, and I was like I don't know how I stopped. I looked at my caddy and I'm like, did I swing at it? He's like no, you didn't. You stopped.
Q. When you went back to it, what did you do with the shot after that?
CRISTIE KERR: Oh, I hooked it. I hit the tree it was going in the hazard. I hit the tree and it came out and I hit a good shot out there and almost made birdie. But it was a lucky break. But I literally had to take two or three minutes because my heart was pounding in my chest, because it absolutely scared me.
Q. You really thought that you had gone through?
CRISTIE KERR: No. I didn't think I swung at it, but just to be sure I was like, what? No. I didn't get past like right here. It was like a stop.
Q. If it was baseball, it would've been called a balk.
CRISTIE KERR: I don't know what it would have been called for that's actually what I thought about. I said to myself, even if it was baseball, I would have been safe. (Laughs).
Blackhawk Country Club
Danville, Calif.
Third-round notes and interviews
October 16, 2010
Ilhee Lee, Beatriz Recari and Michele Redman share a one-shot lead at 12-under 204 through 54 holes of the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif. Wendy Ward (69) and Gwladys Nocera (71) are one shot back.
Age is only a number: Lee and Recari are rookies, and Redman is an 18-year veteran. Lee is 21, Recari 23, which adds up to 44. Redman is 45. With the trio of leaders all playing together Sunday, experience could play in Redman’s favor, but she doesn’t think so. “I don't know,” she said. “I played with Ilhee Lee today. And I think she won in Japan last year, so I'm not really looking at it like that. I'm just kind of trying to take care of myself this week, and it's nice to kind of get back into the groove again a little bit. That's how I'm looking at it.”
The eagle has landed: Michelle Redman’s improbable 18th-hole eagle propelled her into a tie for the lead after 54 holes at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. The 45-year-old hit a grip-down 8-iron from 126 yards in the left rough. “After I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good,” she said. “I mean I don't know, I just kind of knew I hit a pretty good shot. It was exactly what I visualized and what I felt, and I mean fortunately it went in the cup.”
Comeback Kid: This week is validation for Redman, who actually considered retiring earlier this year. She even turned to Nancy Lopez for advice. “It just took me a couple months to kind of get back on track to see where I wanted to go and how much I wanted to play out here,” she said. “I think once I figured that out, I think that really helped me.”
I belong: Although she’s in a different stage of her career, Ilhee Lee also recently questioned whether she would continue playing. A rookie this year, she’s missed seven cuts and hasn’t broken 70 all year, until this week. “I started to wonder, can I really make it out here, can I really survive on this Tour with so much traveling, and being away from home was very difficult,” she said. “But I challenged myself three tournaments ago, let's give it all I got and see what I can do. I think what I have today is enough to compete against the best in the world.”
French connection: Wendy Ward will be the odd-woman-out tomorrow when she tees it up with Frenchwomen Gwladys Nocera and Karine Icher. The duo is two of the three French players (Patricia Meunier-Lebouc) on the 2010 LPGA Tour.
Back-to-back jacks? Katherine Hull is lurking just three shots off the pace with 18 holes remaining at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. The winner of last week’s Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV, Hull can become the second back-to-back winner of the season with a strong finish tomorrow. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Ai Miyazato began the 2010 season with consecutive victories at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women’s Champions.
Making the Most of It: Libby Smith, who Monday qualified this week, shot a 66 today to get to 8-under, currently T9. Sponsor exemption Carling Coffing, who recently won the Big Break Sandals Resorts, fired a 2-under 70 to finish T28.
Lurking: Cristie Kerr, currently second in the Rolex Rankings with a chance to move up to No. 1 this week, followed her 68 Friday with a 6-under 66 Saturday to get to 9-under, which is good enough for a tie for seventh. Kerr’s surge the last two days came after a slow start – a 1-over 73. “I think I put a little too much pressure on myself on Thursday and just didn't play my own game,” she said. “When I'm playing my own game it's good enough, I think. So I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy it tomorrow and have some fun and try and get as many putts at birdie as I can and we'll see what happens.”
Of note: Paula Creamer, a native of nearby Pleasanton, shot an Even-par 72 to sit at 2-under overall and in a tie for 36th… Juli Inkster, a two-time champion here (1999 and 2000) shot a 1-under 71 to get back to Even overall (T54). Inkster, a Bay Area native and resident, was also a four-time All-American at San Jose State… Defending champion Sophie Gustafson shot a 3-under 69 to jump up to a tie for 28th.
ILHEE LEE, Rolex Rankings No. 229
THE MODERATOR: Ilhee, welcome. Great round today. Just tell us a little bit about it.
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): It was pretty good overall, all day. It was pretty good over all day.
Q. You said that this course kind of resembles courses in Korea. Could you you said it's hilly. Are there any other things that were similar, or have you played anything like that on Tour this year?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): Yeah, we played another course in Mexico that was quite similar to what I've been playing in Korea. The course that had Tres Marias championship, but you know, when you come to Blackhawk, just the feel of it is much closer to what I'm used to back home. And the course itself, the one at the Tres Marias was pretty close to the ones I play in Korea, but just the feel, it feels a lot more like home.
Q. Could I ask you about the eagle on 11? Could you explain what you did there on that hole?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): The tee shot and the second shot, you know, believe it or not, happened exactly the way I envisioned it in my head. And then you know, when I hit the second shot, I just wanted to get it close, and it was a downhill putt. So I told myself to just get it close to the hole, and it just rolled in.
Q. You hadn't shot better than 70 all year on Tour this year. You missed seven cuts earlier in the year. Now you've broken 70, three straight rounds in the 60s. Is it just something as simple as this course reminds you of Korea, or is there something that's changed in your game?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): I made the first cut on the Tour this year in the first event, but after that I think I missed almost every cut until the stretch of four tournaments, including this one. I told myself, I started to wonder, can I really make it out here, can I really survive on this Tour with so much traveling, and you know, being away from home was very difficult. But I challenged myself three tournaments ago, let's give it all I got and see what I can do and let's change my mindset and see what I can do. So this is my fourth event and fourth event in which I have made a cut. So I told myself, this is the last time. I mean I'm going to give it all and challenge myself in how far I can go, and I think that mindset has certainly changed certain aspects of my game.
Q. Now do you feel like you can compete on this Tour on a regular basis?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): To answer your question, yes. I think what I have today is enough to compete against the best in the world, and I feel very good, and yeah, I think I can do it.
Q. What do you feel are the strengths of your game? Obviously you can get to the par 5s in two, so you have some distance, but what do you feel are the other strengths of your game on the course that help you compete out here?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): I'm a golfer. I think I'm a golfer, and I never really try to find what my strengths are or my weaknesses are in that matter. I just go out there and play. I know a lot of players have identified their strengths and weaknesses. I guess for that I'm a little different, but I never look for my strengths, and I also never look for my weaknesses. I know what I can do and I go out and perform and that's what I do. Well, some people may point out certain parts of my game are my strengths, but I never think of it that way.
Q. What do you expect out of tomorrow heading into the final group? Four people tied right there. How do you expect tomorrow to go?
ILHEE LEE (through interpreter): Well, you know, like you, I'm certainly excited to see what I can do tomorrow. It's very exciting. These three days here in Danville I've had so much fun. I've done whatever I wanted to do and just went out and played golf, and I'm starting to think, wow, this is what it feels like to be a professional golfer and go out and perform. So I mean I'm excited, and tomorrow I'm going to go out there and give it all I got. But the most important thing is having fun, and I'm going to do whatever I feel like doing. I'm going to have fun out there.
MICHELE REDMAN, Rolex Rankings No. 101
THE MODERATOR: Pretty good way to finish the round, huh?
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah. I'll take it, definitely. It was fun, too.
THE MODERATOR: Just tell us a little bit about it. I mean it got you into the lead.
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah. You know, actually I was playing pretty good. You know, I had a little hiccup there on 16, but I didn't really hit any bad putts, so there was really not much I could do about it. So I just tried to stay patient and it paid off for me on 18, so that makes it nice.
THE MODERATOR: Just kind of your thoughts on the ball after you hit it.
MICHELE REDMAN: Well, after I hit it, I knew I hit it pretty good. I mean I don't know, I just kind of knew I hit a pretty good shot. It was exactly what I visualized and what I felt, and I mean fortunately it went in the cup.
THE MODERATOR: So you're tied for the lead with two rookies. Do you think experience might kind of play to your advantage tomorrow?
MICHELE REDMAN: Oh, I don't know. These you know, Gwladys is really because she's a rookie out here, I mean she's a great player. And I played with Ilhee Lee today. And I think she won in Japan last year, so I'm not really looking at it like that. I'm just kind of trying to take care of myself this week, and it's nice to kind of get back into the groove again a little bit. That's how I'm looking at it.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about your year? I don't know if you've had a Top 10 this year. Why has this course kind of brought out the best in your game do you think this week? And how good does it feel to be in the position you're in?
MICHELE REDMAN: Well, it feels great to be in the position I'm in. I've always liked the golf course, and for me this definitely has not been a good year for me up to the last probably couple weeks, but I kind of felt like the second round in Arkansas I was starting to turn it around a little bit. Some of it for me was I didn't know how much I wanted to play out here, and I think I maybe was a little burnt out. I got some advice from Nancy Lopez. I don't know. It just took me a couple months to kind of get back on track to see where I wanted to go and how much I wanted to play out here, and I think once I figured that out, I think that really helped me. You know, I think it kind of took the pressure off. You know, I kind of felt like I needed to play, but I have a daughter at home. So it's you know, it kind of worked out pretty good having that time, and I had to go through it sooner or later, you know, so it just happened in the middle of the season, I guess.
Q. Were you seriously considering retiring?
MICHELE REDMAN: I thought about it, yeah. I actually applied for the coaching job at the University of Minnesota, so I was pretty serious about it. But everything works out the way it's supposed to. That's how I'm looking at it right now. I mean I knew I still wanted to compete. I don't want to play 20 to 25 weeks a year. I know that. It's just too much for me to be gone. And like I said, once I got through that and realized that I was okay with that and that things were going to be okay whatever I did, I think that really helped me out.
Q. So you won't be playing that Asian swing?
MICHELE REDMAN: Uh uh. I'm not in any of them, for one thing. But it actually took the pressure off of me. You know, every year I'm like, okay, I'm going to go for one, and then two weeks before it's like, I kind of don't want to go that far. So it's okay. I'm okay with not doing that.
Q. After you took that time off, did you feel kind of reinvigorated at all?
MICHELE REDMAN: A little bit, yeah. I did. I mean I think I needed to go through that because I've been thinking about not playing a lot the last couple years, and I think going through that actually helped me, you know. And I just know I still want to play out here, just not full time every week.
Q. So what happened with the coaching job at Minnesota?
MICHELE REDMAN: I didn't get it.
Q. When did you apply and when did you find out?
MICHELE REDMAN: I found out the Tuesday of Canada, and I applied probably four weeks before that.
Q. What do you think the state of the Tour is right now when you have Recari up there, Ilhee, a lot of these younger players starting to make a push towards the leaderboard. How good and how promising and encouraging is that for the Tour?
MICHELE REDMAN: Oh, I think it's great. I mean the competition out here from when I first was a rookie out here, it's incredible the difference. Like when I was a rookie out here, 3 and 4 over was consistently making the cuts, and that rarely makes the cut now. I mean the competition is so good. The girls that are coming out now are so good. I think it's going to be great for the future, definitely.
Q. Is it kind of a double edged sword because there's no main one runaway superstar, no Annika, no Lorena, but there is a lot of good young talent? Is it kind of like a double edged sword?
MICHELE REDMAN: Yeah, but I think it'll be good. I think people want to see different players. I think sometimes everybody thinks everybody wants to watch Tiger, comparing the men's TOUR, but I think it's good to have some different players because it gives us a little bit more exposure. It makes people realize how many good players we do have out here.
Q. It's been 10 years since your last victory on the LPGA Tour. What would it mean to win tomorrow?
MICHELE REDMAN: It would be nice. I actually almost won last year at the end of the year. It would be nice, but you know, for me right now it's just nice to be back playing the way I know how to play. I mean I struggled so much this year a few weeks. I think I missed like four cuts in a row. My whole career I've never had that happen. So for me right now I'm just enjoying it and kind of taking it as it comes. Like I said, I think now the pressure is off of me a little bit and I'm just trying to relax and have fun out there.
BEATRIZ RECARI, Rolex Rankings No. 172
THE MODERATOR: Beatriz, our third of three tournament leaders. Just talk a little bit about the day today.
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, today I started confident. I finished very strong yesterday. My back nine I had 6 under, shot 6 under, so I felt really good. And my striking was very good. I had birdie chances on the 2nd and made a birdie on the 3rd, and then I had a missed shot on 4, but overall I was feeling very good. So obviously today on a Saturday the pins are going to be more on the corners and you couldn't be so aggressive. So yeah, I just stayed patient and just let it happen and attacked the pin when I could, and yeah, I'm happy with today's round.
THE MODERATOR: And now, being the 54 hole leader going into the final group tomorrow with the lead, do you think there will be any nerves there?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Well, today I was leading, too, so I mean, yeah, I mean I have to be honest with you. I was kind of keeping an eye on the score and bogey, birdie, you know, how everything was moving. But no, I mean when I started making some putts and just focusing on what I had to do was when I really made the birdies on the back nine. And yeah, I cannot control what other people do. I can only control what I do, and that's going to be my focus tomorrow.
Q. How proud are you that you were able to get your nerves under control from the beginning? After playing so well yesterday, does that give you a lot of hope for tomorrow?
BEATRIZ RECARI: Yeah. Well, it was kind of a déjà vu for me and last year when I won my first victory in the European Tour in Finland, the year before I was leading after two rounds after one round and then I kind of got very nervous on the second, and I blew it up a little bit, and that was my learning process for last year. And even though it was in the last round, because I had a five shot lead, I still struggled a little bit and I won in the playoff. But you know, you have to take everything as a learning process, and I definitely learned a lot from my losses, from my victory last year. And today I think I just had to focus on what I did last year and said, okay, I'll just keep it simple. And today the pins were not so tempting to go for because, you know, the punishment was going to be big, and I just did that. And yeah, I think, you know, there is no problem with making mistakes as long as you learn from them and you don't repeat them.
Q. Do you know either of the other players who you'll probably be playing with tomorrow, Ilhee Lee or Michele, yeah. Do you know either one of them?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I don't know Michele personally, but I played with Ilhee in first stage of Q School last year, and she's a rookie like me, so yeah, you know. When you're out there, you cannot each one of us is doing our own and just focusing on our play. So yeah, I've never played with Michele. She looks very nice, so I think it's going to be a very nice group.
Q. Ilhee said that these courses remind her of back home in that a lot of the Korean courses are hilly and kind of the course just lays out similar. Why do you think you've taken so well to this course?
BEATRIZ RECARI: This course, it fits my game because the greens are not very big and they're very shapey, and you know, you can really make it very tough out there, depending on where you put the pins, like today. And that's something that really suits my game because my home course was kind of similar layout with small greens and very strategic from the tee and onto the green. And I have to say last year, the tournament I won was very similar to this. So it just brings me good memories, and it's kind of like home soil for me or known territory, however you want to call it. But yeah, just gives me a good feeling. I've been playing good. I played very well last week. I did very good training during the last three weeks off. So feeling confident.
Q. What was the hole you were proudest of out there today, you felt like maybe you played really well or maybe you got out of trouble and made a save? Was there one hole that sticks out for you today?
BEATRIZ RECARI: I just I think what I take from today is that I hang out there, I hang out there. And yes, I made my mistakes. You know, I was probably too eager on going for the pins, and there was a couple of holes that I shouldn't have done that. But anyway, I cannot do anything about it now. And yes, I made a couple of good saves. I made a save on 18, good save on 15, bunker save on 10 as well. And then I holed good putts, but as I said, you know, today was a day to be calm and not make stupid mistakes because then you're going to pay it on the leaderboard, and that's what I did and I'm very happy with it.
CRISTIE KERR, Rolex Rankings No. 2
Q. Cristie, what great playing. You started the week with a 73, went 68; 66 today. What have you been able to find over the last couple days?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I hit it a little better every day. I didn't hit it very well the first day and I struggled with the putter big time, and you know, I've just worked really hard. I've been hitting balls until dark every night, and you know, just keeping a positive attitude, just trying to eliminate mistakes and, you know, get a lot of putts for birdie because that's where I tend to excel.
Q. We certainly hear that from other players on the coverage. We asked them who they thought was the No. 1 putter on tour, and your name came up time and time again. So in your mind what makes you such a fierce putter on the greens?
CRISTIE KERR: I don't know. I think confidence is a big part of it, but you have to be kind of an artist on the greens and be able to read the slope and feel the speed and have confidence, be able to stay still and hit the putt you're trying to hit. It's always been my favorite part of the game. You know, I have other favorite parts now, but you know, ever since I was a kid, it was the part that I liked to practice the most. So I don't know, it's just a gift from God, I guess.
Q. Well, you have a chance to be No. 1 after this week, and you said that this Rolex Ranking race is kind of like a roller coaster ride. Are you enjoying this ride right now?
CRISTIE KERR: I am, and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself on Thursday and just didn't play my own game, and when I'm playing my own game it's good enough, I think. So I'm just going to go out there and try and enjoy it tomorrow and have some fun and try and get as many putts at birdie as I can and we'll see what happens.
Q. I wanted to ask you, you played great on the front nine and then you got to 11. You hit a great drive, and then you hit one kind of deep in that bunker down there and you got up and down. How big was that?
CRISTIE KERR: It was pretty big. You know, I tried a little too hard on the shot into the green and got mad at myself for that, but you know, kind of an awkward bunker shot. I had a leaf behind the ball.
Q. Yeah, I saw that one.
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, and just caught a little too much ball, but I made a great putt. And coming in, I had some chances. I didn't hit it quite close enough, you know, coming in to make 3 or 4, but you know, I played well on the back and was able to shoot 6 under today.
Q. You talked about putting too much pressure on yourself. Were you thinking about that No. 1 maybe a little bit?
CRISTIE KERR: Well, I mean you always think about it, but it has to reach a point where you have to be able to go out and play golf, because playing my own game is good enough to beat pretty much everybody, so if I can just play my own game and not pressure myself, that's my fatal flaw, if I have one, is I try too hard sometimes.
Q. To be 12 shots off the pace after that first round and now you're right there. Are you surprised that you were able to make up that much?
CRISTIE KERR: No. Not really. You know, even shooting 4 under yesterday I didn't hit it very well and I went over to another golf course on get on a range that was flat to be able to hit balls, and I hit balls till dark, and I definitely hit it better today. Just gotta go out and if I can shoot a low one tomorrow, I'll be able to take the tournament. Obviously I've got I don't want to get ahead of myself. I want to be able to just try and do well on every shot and do the little things well like I did today.
Q. As well as you shot today, there were other opportunities out there. You had 8.
CRISTIE KERR: There always are. Even if you shoot 61 like I did in Tulsa that one year. I parred the last five holes. So there always are. It's golf.
Q. Where was the moth again?
CRISTIE KERR: Oh, my God. On 15. Ask her about it.
Q. It landed on your downswing.
CRISTIE KERR: Seriously, like I was like here, and it landed on me, and I was like I don't know how I stopped. I looked at my caddy and I'm like, did I swing at it? He's like no, you didn't. You stopped.
Q. When you went back to it, what did you do with the shot after that?
CRISTIE KERR: Oh, I hooked it. I hit the tree it was going in the hazard. I hit the tree and it came out and I hit a good shot out there and almost made birdie. But it was a lucky break. But I literally had to take two or three minutes because my heart was pounding in my chest, because it absolutely scared me.
Q. You really thought that you had gone through?
CRISTIE KERR: No. I didn't think I swung at it, but just to be sure I was like, what? No. I didn't get past like right here. It was like a stop.
Q. If it was baseball, it would've been called a balk.
CRISTIE KERR: I don't know what it would have been called for that's actually what I thought about. I said to myself, even if it was baseball, I would have been safe. (Laughs).
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