 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Friday Press Conference With USA Captain Carol Semple Thompson
ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND
STEWART McDOUGALL: Thank you for coming in, the end of a long day. Give us your reaction now that you're two points clear going into tomorrow.
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Well, I'm very pleased. How can I not be pleased to have a 4-to-2 lead. It's not a huge lead, but it is a solid lead. I think my players performed very well. I was very happy with them. I think we've acquitted ourselves well, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Q. Is the message tonight, "Don't get complacent"?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: I think definitely we can't get complacent. Certainly the GB & I team has played very well, and we need to stay on top of our game, keep our concentration and try to improve our lead tomorrow.
Q. The performance by some of the girls, I spoke to some who had never played foursomes before and never played fourball in competition. They actually acquitted themselves very well, considering, didn't they?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Actually they did. Actually I had a discussion with some of them for the pairings for tomorrow, and one of them did tell me that she really did not want to play foursomes tomorrow. I said, okay. So we made the pairings by committee decision this afternoon.
Q. Mary commented on the standard of play generally, very exemplary. Were you surprised at all? The figures seemed to be amazing, well under par. Were you surprised at the exceptionally high standard?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Not really, because I think all these players are so talented on both teams, and they're not afraid to go under par. I would have been afraid to go under par 30 years ago, but they're not afraid anymore. They've done it a number of times in their competitions, and I think it's what they expect of themselves.
Q. Given their impressive résumés, I'm sure you had high expectations for both Amanda and Stacy this week. Can you talk about how pleased you are to see them both come out with two victories today?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Well, I did have very high expectations for both of them going into this, so I'm not at all surprised that they played well. They teamed well together this afternoon to come back from their 3-down. Since they really are rivals in their own individual arenas, I was glad to see them pull together and do as well as they did today.
I mean, I didn't think of it in terms of them being rivals, but they really partnered very well in the fourball.
Q. The player that she didn't want to play in the foursomes, what reasons did she have for not liking foursomes?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: She didn't say specifically. I think she's only played this one time in competition. I think she just wasn't comfortable. She'd rather play her own ball.
Q. Can we presume it will be one of the two players you've left out tomorrow morning?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: (Laughing.)
Q. Can you then go one step further?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: You probably could presume that (laughter).
Q. (Inaudible.)
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Gee, I don't know (laughing).
Q. Can you just give a general reaction to watching the golf today, the first day of foursomes and fourballs with the new format?
CAROL SEMPLE THOMPSON: Well, actually I thought the fourball format went quite well. I was afraid that it was going to be very, very slow, but I don't think it was as slow as I was expecting. To that extent I was pleased.
And I think that my players were comfortable with it. As I say, a lot of them haven't played foursomes very much, so they're not nearly as comfortable in foursomes as they are in the fourball where they're playing their own ball.
I think it went well, and I think it bodes well for the future of the event.
STEWART McDOUGALL: Carol, thank you very much.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
| Championship Facts |
 |
Curtis Cup Match PAR AND YARDAGE – The Old Course at St. Andrews will be set up at 6,638 yards and par is 36-36—72. GOLF COURSE ARCHITECT – The Old Course was not designed by an architect but has evolved over six centuries. Golf was first played over the Old Course in the early 1400s. THE OLD COURSE AT ST. ANDREWS HOLE-BY-HOLE: Total: 6,638 yards, par 72 SCHEDULE OF PLAY – On May 30 and May 31 there will be three foursomes and three four-ball matches. On June 1 there will be eight singles matches (18 holes each). Starting Times – The 2008 Match will be the first year for the three-day format. The four-ball matches will be new to the Curtis Cup. WHAT IS THE CURTIS CUP MATCH? – The Curtis Cup Match is contested by women amateur golfers, one team from the United States of America (USA) and one team from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (GB&I). The teams consist of not more than eight players and a captain. The Match is conducted every two years, alternately in the United States and Great Britain/Ireland. FOURSOME – A match where two players compete against two other players in alternate-shot format, with each side playing just one ball. FOUR-BALL – A match in which two players (side) play their better ball against the better ball of the two other players (side). SINGLES – A match in which one player plays against another. SCORING – A victory in each match scores one point. In the event a match goes 18 holes without a decision, one-half point is awarded to each side. OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES – The flag raising ceremony will be held at the Old Course at St. Andrews at 6 p.m. on May 29. The closing ceremony will be held immediately following play Sunday. Both events are open to the public. ADMISSION – For more information about tickets, click here.
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Curtis Cup, Curtis Cup Match and United States Golf Association are registered service marks of the United States Golf Association (USGA) Copyright © 2008. United States Golf Association. All Rights Reserved. Use of this Web site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy |