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USGA Women's Am: An Interview with Morgan Pressel
Roswell, Georgia (August 5, 2005) --

RHONDA GLENN: Congratulations, it was kind of a blowout for you, wasn't it?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, today I played really well. Just played consistently, very solid.

RHONDA GLENN: And it looked as if you really controlled the distance on your iron shots? How do you that; the greens are firmer.

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know, I mean, that's something that I've worked on a lot just being able to learn when to take the right club and when to hit it easy on a certain shot and not on others. My caddie helps me with getting exact yardages and carry yardages and back-of-the-green yardages and things like that. That helps.

RHONDA GLENN: Was there any hole you felt was the turning point in the match and made you convinced you were the one that was going to win?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Possibly when she missed the birdie putt on 9. When that lipped out, because then I was 3-up and I felt pretty confident with that lead. But I don't know, I just kept firing. I hit two bad shots all day and they happened to be on the same hole.

RHONDA GLENN: Pretty good stuff. Questions?

Q. Can you play any better than that? I guess you hope you can.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Sure. Why not? If I don't hit it in the water on 5, then I play better. (Laughing).

Q. Was the first one a mistake on 5?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No. They were just both just like fades. I mean, I should have been aiming left center of the green, and I was, I thought I was, but, I don't know.

RHONDA GLENN: Do you like to fade the ball?

MORGAN PRESSEL: No. I wasn't trying to hit a fade. There was a little wind kind of going that way.

Q. Obviously it didn't bother you; you shook that off.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Tried to. Tried to shake it off. Tried to rebound well.

Q. How many birdies did you have today?

MORGAN PRESSEL: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven eight -- eight.

Q. Actual birdies?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, the only ones that were conceded were like five feet, two putts within five feet.

Q. Putts you're probably not going to miss.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah.

RHONDA GLENN: It looked as if you were really making a lot of putts today.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I was putting well this week. My putting has really come around. I started off not putting quite so well, but it's definitely, definitely better.

Q. You really feel like you're hitting everything really solid, that's got to be awfully confident for you?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I'm pretty confident. I feel like getting up to a shot, just firing at pins and seeing what happens.

Q. How important is it at this point of the championship to get a quick one out of the way and go sit down and rest for the rest of the afternoon? Is it a pretty big deal?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I mean, in a sense I guess. But I mean you still win whether you win in 21 holes or whether you win six and five.

The fact that I won so handily today just goes back into my confidence and it's because I played so well and kept putting so much pressure on Jenny.

Q. Is this the first time semifinals since '01 Girls' Junior? Do you draw on all the experience this week?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, trying to, definitely trying to. Everyone time I play, I learn the course a little better. Just trying to learn from everything that's happened.

RHONDA GLENN: In order to win this, you have to play nine rounds of golf in seven days. Have you ever done that in competition before?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know. I don't know how many -- at the North and south last year, it might have been the same.

RHONDA GLENN: Two qualifying rounds.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yes.

RHONDA GLENN: You did pretty well there.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Yes, I did.

Q. A couple matches you got on top of people with a few early birdies. Can you see any change in people when you jump up and get three out after four holes, do they start pressing? Can you sense anything when you get an early lead like that?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, it's always good to get out early. I don't know if I really pay attention to whether my opponent is pressing or not, but I guess in a sense it almost has to be, not that you would necessarily start pressing, but, I mean, the fact that I was playing well, that I was winning the holes, that had to be beat on her a little bit. I mean, she knows that she's a good player and she could have come back, like that putt on 9.

RHONDA GLENN: So what's your plan tomorrow? Stay aggressive?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Stay aggressive. I don't see why I should back off. I'm playing well and hopefully I can continue to do that. Going to go work on some balls off the tee, irons off the tee and we'll see how that goes.

Q. Have you played against Angela in any of the match-play events?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I played against her in Canon Cup last year.

RHONDA GLENN: Who won?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I did, 1-up. She is a very good player.

Q. Where was Canon Cup last year?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Caves Valley. We're at the same tournaments a lot of time.

RHONDA GLENN: Thanks so much for coming in.

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ABOUT THE U.S. Women's Amateur

The U.S. Women's Amateur, the third oldest of the USGA championships, was first played in 1895 at Meadowbrook Club in Hempstead, N.Y. The event is open to any female amateur who has a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. The Women's Amateur is one of 15 national championships conducted annually by the USGA.

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