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August 3, 2002
((2002 Curtis Cup Match
Fox Chapel Golf Club
TEAM USA
RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, the United States of America team took a 7 to 2 lead today. Angela Jerman won her match against Sarah Jones 6 to 5; Courtney Swaim defeated Heather Stirling 4-2. We'd like to ask Captain Budke how you feel about the way things went today. I am sure you are very pleased and excited.
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Yeah, I am really ecstatic with the results. What can I say? It was really fun to win the 3 points in the Foursomes, historically we tend -- the American Team tends to be somewhat weak there and a little bit better in the Singles. So to do that was just really fun. And then it's important to regroup and to just start again and they did.
RHONDA GLENN: I will Open the floor to questions.
Q. How much did the three points in the morning really set the tone for the afternoon for you guys?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: That's a tough one. I think there's a certain aspect of it that adds to the confidence and the realization that we're good or perhaps. Better yet I think also there was a lot of respect for the other players, for the other team and in that sense knowing that they were good players and good scramblers and that would take a lot to beat them again. So I think there was a lot of respect earned despite the fact we won all three points and that helped the prayers realize, okay, new job and let's go again.
Q. From what you saw throughout the day was there one reason or one aspect of the game in which the U.S. really excelled?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: That is a little tough to say. I think some of the preparation -- I think it was helpful that we played the course perhaps twice as much as they did. There's a such a thing as overpreparation, perhaps, but gee, where do you start, driving the ball, you know, hitting it on the green, managing it on the green. I certainly did see a lot of fabulous bunker play from the other side. I think we tended to be more on the green. I tended to see them scramble a bit more.
So really it's the ball-striking, really consistent ball-striking in my opinion. I don't know what you all think.
RHONDA GLENN: I watched a match with Angela Jerman and Sarah Jones and Sara is a very long hitter. She drove the uphill 287 yard par 4 and Angela was, I'd say, 30 to 40 yards behind. But the consistency in the height of your play, you must have been very pleased with Angela, the height of the shots that you hit.
ANGELA JERMAN: Yeah, I felt really good. Sara is a very long player. She tried to, you know, play consistently, but on that hole 7, I am up on my shot, over my shot, I am like, she just hit it on the green, still have to hit it on and I was still out after my second shot. I was like okay, this is a little different. She's an incredible player. She made some really good putts, and I am just happy that we were able to win.
RHONDA GLENN: Courtney, give us your overall impression of the ebb and flow of your match.
COURTNEY SWAIM: Well, I think my match went the first maybe nine holes we were both kind of scrambling a little bit. She had some trouble getting the ball in the fairway, but overall, I think once we made the turn we both started, you know, it was who could drop their putts as opposed to you were winning holes with birdies. I think the thing for us is we have consistently been hitting the ball in the fairway. I noticed them in the rough a lot or in the bunkers, but their bunker play is unbelievable. I mean, just incredible. But I think that we're -- overall our team has been really consistent as far as getting the ball on the green, getting the ball in the fairway. That kind of thing as opposed to having to really work for par, you know, we're there on the green and they are having to scramble for it as opposed to, you know, us being in the bunker or whatever, same situation, so I think that help us a lot.
RHONDA GLENN: We might mention that some of you probably know this, we have to tell them, you took a tumble yesterday, I counted the steps, she went down a flight of 17 steps yesterday. You know, that's a very scary thing for a golfer and can be career-threatening. You looked like you were limping a little bit yesterday. Glad to see you out on that golf course. Was your body sore? Was your ankle sore? How did it go?
MEREDITH DUNCAN: Well, I mean, I guess when you are as graceful as I am, those things just happen. (Laughter) and I think it was a tuck and roll and I think the landing got -- I stuck the landing. You could ask the maids, they saw it. It was a 10. But I felt okay. A little you know, any time you take a little tumble like that, it was just a little tight in some funny areas.
RHONDA GLENN: 17 steps, that's a lot.
MEREDITH DUNCAN: It was.
RHONDA GLENN: It is a drop of about 25 feet.
MEREDITH DUNCAN: Uh-huh.
RHONDA GLENN: You just teed it up and went out and won like magic.
MEREDITH DUNCAN: You know, golfers, we're such athletes these days. (Laughter) We just take a hit and just keep going.
Q. Where?
MEREDITH DUNCAN: At the hotel.
CAPTAIN BUDKE: At the party (laughter).
RHONDA GLENN: Before the party ?
ANGELA JERMAN: Yes.
Q. On a hot day like today what do you do between rounds?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Well, I went into the -- (laughter) -- oh you mean, the players?
Q. Yes.
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Oh, between rounds, lunch, I believe. Did anybody --
MEREDITH DUNCAN: Foot massage.
ANGELA JERMAN: Stretching treatment.
RHONDA GLENN: Did you not have a team meeting?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Well, we kind of pow-wowed at lunch. Yeah, really not a formal meeting but it's okay, same thing, start again, one shot at a time, and it's kind of all set to go, I think.
RHONDA GLENN: You mentioned also the two players Emily Bastel and Mollie Frankhuaser, how proud you were of them because they were both down by big margins at one point.
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Delighted. Emily sat this morning and the hardest thing for the Captain is to sit anybody and this is such a strong team. I mean, we could play all 8 basically. Maybe I would say with Carol, it's just so exhausting to play, I mean, with this weather, but other than that, I would just love to play all eight all the time. So Emily doesn't play this morning and then draws Rebecca Hudson who rolls in this seagull on 3 which is the most severe green and starts jumping up-and-down and from there she makes 3 more birdies on the 9. Emily is 5-down going into 9 and birdies 9 which is a huge four 4 par to tie Rebecca's birdie, to stay 5 there. Then she ends up on 18. And I don't take any credit for that. But we talked a lot about getting a half point and just grinding it, you know, all the way and getting the half point. Clearly both Emily and Mollie hung in and kept playing and so I was really delighted for Emily, I think that really bolstered her to play tomorrow.
Q. What word do you use to describe the reaction when you are told you lead 7 to 2 the first day?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Again, ecstatic. I don't know if surprised is not -- I mean, clearly -- everything was playing very well this week, I mean, there really wasn't much question -- it was almost a question about overpreparing and the day before the matches it is like, geez, we're ready. There's not much problem and then it's like thinking they start making putts. Once again, been no question about talent; be maybe some question about international experience although I think these players are very experienced. If I was going to go back and have any control over picking the team I always -- my interest was go young and I think that's played out very well.
Q. The last time the U.S. led - if my arithmetic is correct - the U.S. led 7 to 2 first day and GB&I won 6 out of 9 the next day. Do you tell your team this?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Absolutely. I believe they are aware, but I will remind them.
Q. How comfortable are you with 7 and 2 ahead?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Well, more comfortable than I would be with it being less. But I think the right answer is not the least bit comfortable. But I can tell you after the Foursomes in the morning.
Q. Will you have any sort of counseling sessions tomorrow or this evening, meeting planned, I mean, how are you going to get your team prepared to go out for the final day?
CAPTAIN BUDKE: We're going to hopefully go home and eat and sleep. And we'll meet together and remind each other of what we're doing. But I have already told the players who are playing in the morning. Everybody is aware of who is and who isn't playing. I don't know, again, I think preparation is everything and I think we're prepared and we'll just remind ourselves of the things that we have been talking about.
RHONDA GLENN: Thank you all very much for being with us. Good first day.
CAPTAIN BUDKE: Thank you.
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