THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Welcome.  Yani, welcome.  You've been here a few days; right?  You came in a little early.
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  I've been here three days, to relax myself, to restart a little bit.
           
THE MODERATOR:  Great.  I notice you're wearing a new shirt, UNICEF.  Tell us a little bit about your decision on who you were going to support with the charity this week.
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  This is a charity I'm going to support, the UNICEF.  Half is going to donate to Japan for the earthquake, and the other half is going to donate to the clean water to help the children to drink clean water and to help the body.  They get water from a very, very dirty river, and when I saw that on the YouTube, I was really, really sick.  Sometimes we don't know what's in the fluid or what's in the water we drink, but when you see that they don't have any food, even clean water, but now we can try to help.  Only a little money can save their life.
           
THE MODERATOR:  Well, that's certainly in the spirit of this event.  What made you decide to play this event?  And tell us a little bit about your preparation for it.
YANI TSENG:  Oh, it's just like a normal tournament.  It's not about money.  It's all about charity and foundation, and all the founders.  And I think it's my honor to play this tournament.  I'm really happy to be here.  And then I saw one of the founders yesterday, Shirley Spork, and when I talked to her, she said she live in Palm Springs.  They only have two golf courses there.  And I was like, "wow," and then I saw her, I was really, really excited.  I'm more appreciative that I'm here to play for them. And they were very, very happy I'm here, too.  So this is only a little thing I can support and treat it like a normal tournament, and I wish I can win this tournament to donate more money to the charity.
           
THE MODERATOR:  That's great.  And you're now the Rolex Ranking's No. 1.  Has that kind of sunk in?  And just for the record, there's no way you can lose that this week.
YANI TSENG:  Happy to hear that.  (Laughs).

THE MODERATOR:  So how does it feel to be No. 1?  Do you feel like you're comfortable with that position now?
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  I feel very comfortable.  Actually I don't feel any pressure.  I really enjoy to stay on this stage to compete with all the best players in the world, and I'm still trying to improve my game, like all my parts and just keep improving, keep learning and practice.

Q.  When you're on a roll like you've been this year, are you anxious to get out there and play again and not have gaps in the schedule?
YANI TSENG:  Yeah, sometimes it's good to keep the rhythm.  Last year after I win there was no tournament.  So this year the schedule is better.  We have like three, four weeks in a row and take a week off, and then you have more time to prepare the tournaments.  It's just more the quality.  It's not just a week off and you play one week and week off.  So I think this year I can -- my schedule will be more better than much better, too.

Q.  I was really impressed to see at the end of last season that shortly after that you were sitting in a classroom getting ready to take three weeks of English immersion, and I was wondering how that was for you.
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  I was very excited because when I was in Taiwan high school, and then I didn't go to school a lot.  So I want to go back to school.  And this is the only time in the whole season I can go back to school, and especially for English, because I would like to learn English.  I would like to share my story to all the people, and I want them to know I can speak English so they can talk to me, don't be afraid to talk to me, because I'm very easy to get close to.  And I think it helps a lot.  And my English can improve and more people can more understand what I'm talking about.  I hope I don't talk too much now.

Q.  No, I actually followed your Pro Am group this morning, and everyone seemed to have a very good time.  And that wouldn't have happened unless you were interacting with them.
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  I always very enjoy to play in Pro Am.  Sometimes I feel like I want to treat a tournament just like Pro Am because when I'm Pro Am, I'm really relaxed.  I don't practice a lot, and I'm chatting with all the amateurs and look alive for them.  I think it's very good to be part of this in that they are helping the tournament, and it only takes nine holes, 18 holes to play with them.  I'm enjoying, too.  I don't feel this is part of the job.  I just feel that I'm enjoying out there, and then sometimes it's fun to shout in the stage, too.

Q.  Just what were your impressions of the course that you've seen so far?
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  I played nine today.  I played nine yesterday, and of course, some of the holes are pretty tough and then greens pretty firm.  Even I had a short iron, and it's not going to stop that much.  And then I think the morning and afternoon is huge difference.  And then I think it plays a little further here, too, so I need to calculate that a little bit, and just be patient.  And some of the fairways were pretty narrow.  You couldn't see the spot you were in.  So I need to just kind of be patient, and I think driver is very important for this week.

Q.  So coming off the four great wins early in the season, sitting at the top of the world now, can you think back to where you were six months, a year ago and where you are now, and can you describe your mental state now in terms of your sense of satisfaction with what you've accomplished?
YANI TSENG:  Yeah.  All the top five players have a chance to become No. 1 every week.  It was very exciting for fans to watch, too.  And it was very challenge for us because every week you have a chance to get on top, but how are you going to stay, you don't know because everybody was just working so hard.  It's very, very challenging now on the LPGA.  And I just figured, well, finally it's my turn.  Like last year I've been waiting, waiting, every tournament, I just couldn't get on top; and now finally this year I win the three tournaments and I become No. 1.  It feels like a dream come true for me from when I was 12.  That's the first time I came to States, and at that time that's the first time I say I want to be on the LPGA to compete with the best golfers in the world.

Q.  But you never think about all of this while you're playing; right?  That's something you think about after you play?
YANI TSENG:  Yeah, because I just focus on what can I do right now and after that it will come.

Q.  Do you find it any easier to play in the present and really pay attention to what's going on on the golf course now that you have the sort of sense of satisfaction that you're the No. 1 player in the world?  Does it make it any easier for you to concentrate?
YANI TSENG:  No.  I think it's about the same.  I just feel a little more confidence right now, and then I know I can win tournaments.  Like this week I came here, and I'm enjoying, and I walk on the golf course.  I can see the golf course.  I can see my shot, and just feel much more confidence right now.

THE MODERATOR:  Cristie, welcome.  Let's start it off this morning kind of by talking a little bit about the spirit of the event and then also the charity you're playing for and why you chose it.
CRISTIE KERR:  Sure.  Well, the format this week is we're playing for charity, and we have a chance to win money for our individual charities, and there's a lot of people out there walking around, actually, and it's a little different feel than a regular tournament weekend.  I think it feels very good.  I think it's a very positive vibe from all the people that are following around, and we've had a lot of "thank yous" for coming and playing, and you know, raising money for charity.  So it's going to be a special week.  I am playing half for my own charity, Birdies For Breast Cancer, which supports breast cancer research, and also half for the Mohammad Ali Parkinson's Foundation because, you know, they're having an event this week, and I'm part of it, and I think it would be really cool to be able to give back to that event as well.
           
THE MODERATOR:  Yeah, you're getting an award is it Friday night or Saturday night?
CRISTIE KERR:  Yeah, the Mohammad Ali Athlete of the Year Award.  I think I'm the first female in 16 years to get it, so it's quite an honor.  I get to sit with Halle Berry, at a table with Halle Berry and with The Champ.  And it's pretty special.  I've got to know Mohammad a little bit over the last couple years and done some stuff for his foundation, so I think it was natural to give back to his foundation this week.

THE MODERATOR:  And then just tell us a little bit about your time here so far.  How does the course look?
CRISTIE KERR:  The course is in great shape.  It actually is.  I played here a couple of years ago in an outing, and I was like, wow, how are they going to get the course in that good of shape, but they've done a phenomenal job with it.  Living part time in Phoenix, I come down quite a bit, and I've never seen the course in this good of shape, so they've done a great job.             

Q.  I guess you seem a little surprised maybe at the reaction of people for this charity.  Did you think they would think it was a lesser tournament because you guys aren't playing for a purse or?
CRISTIE KERR:  I don't know if I would have necessarily assumed that that's the way I feel based on what I said.  I think that I expected a positive reaction from people like this, and you know, it's very, very positive everything that we're doing here this week.  You know, I'll add to that by saying it's a little different; you know, normally we just go about our practice rounds and people just kind of watch.  But we've had a lot more interaction, there's a lot more kids out here in practice rounds, so it's been good to see.

Q.  Cristie, this event evolved very quickly and changed, and I think part of it was Mike Whan's reaction to some player concerns, and you had concerns.  Can you address the concerns you had and how you feel about how they were addressed?
CRISTIE KERR:  I think that we've worked with Mike beautifully for this event.  You know, we were just concerned because it did go from concept to an event on the schedule very quickly, and it was brought up at a few player meetings.  I think the players just wanted more details and wanted to find out where the money is going.  It's a charity event.  Is TV getting donated, a lot of different aspects of the event.  It's our job as players to play, and it's hard to be involved in every aspect sometimes, but we just wanted to be briefed on all that stuff, and he did a very good job with that.  And we wanted to just feel like we could give back by saying, hey, what about this idea, what about that idea, and Mike did actually a great job with that listening to us, and as a result it's better.  We are able to now play for our own charity as well, a charity that we choose.  So not only is girls' golf winning, but all the charities that the LPGA players have are winning, and you know, there's a chance to do stories on all those different charities that a lot of people don't know that we support.  So it's good to be able to get those kind of messages out.

Q.  So Cristie, how do you feel about your game right now?
CRISTIE KERR:  I'm in a good place with my game.  My coach was here the last couple days, Bryan Lebedevitch, and saw some very positive stuff.  I had a bit of a tough off season with some family health issues that I had to go and take care of, and I only had a few weeks to prepare for Thailand.  And I got over there and I was very, very rusty, so I feel like I'm in a much sharper place with my game.  I'm excited for this three-tournament stretch.

Q.  Are the holes in the tournament schedules, does that make it harder for you to prepare?
CRISTIE KERR:  It's a little bit more challenging because I'm the kind of player that likes to play a lot, and I like to be playing in competition to feel sharp.  So you know, this three-week stretch is good continuity, and then we have another hole in the schedule, and I would like to see four or five more tournaments.  A full schedule for me is to be 27, 28 events.  Now I play 22, 23 events.  So it does seem like there's a lot of down time.  In the summer we go crazy and play almost every week, but in the beginning and the end of the season we could have a few more for sure.

Q.  Can you give us a sense of how much of your edge you lose when you have these long gaps?
CRISTIE KERR:  There definitely is a little bit lost for me, I would say for everybody, because it's just hard to be tournament sharp unless you're playing tournament golf.  It's hard to put like a percentage number on it, but you know, hitting shots under pressure, knowing you played well, getting a round in the 60s under your belt, like those are all things that kind of lead to more successful tournaments, so it's hard when you're off for three weeks after having a three-week stretch in a row.  You just want to keep going if you're playing well.

Q.  So when you have a gap like this, as you start to build back up at home, how much time are you really going hard at it to get ready for a week like this?
CRISTIE KERR:  I mean for me it's hard for me to practice without having something to practice for, so when I have three weeks off, I mean I'll take a week off and then kind of ease into it and really go hard at it the last week and a half just because I need something in my sight line to be able to go after.

Q.  Cristie, can you talk about just the LPGA as a whole, how important this year is in rebounding and rebuilding and what you would like to see achieved by the Tour this year?
CRISTIE KERR:  Sure.  This is a very important year for us.  You know, Mike's had a year under his belt with the Tour to kind of see how things run and to get introduced to all the partners that we have.  And you know, I think that he's done a very good job for his first year, but I think now is a time, like you said, to build and to go after finding new sponsorships, and you know, foster new relationships and try and get more events, especially in the United States on the schedule.  We have plenty of events overseas, and yes, you have to go where the money is and you have to -- you know, we have great partners in Asia as well as Europe.  And you know, we have 10 or 11 events, you know, maybe at least half our schedule overseas now.  So you know, hopefully the economy keeps getting better here and we can find partnerships even if, you know, like a tournament title -- maybe it's like three and a half million dollars to run a full-field LPGA tournament.  Maybe one sponsor picks up half and the other so there's dual sponsors.  Whatever it takes to get it done.  We need to just try and keep building business.

Q.  So you put a special focus on the domestic part?
CRISTIE KERR:  Yeah.  We have a strong foothold in Asia, and it's only getting stronger; and that's fine, but we don't want to play all of our tournaments in Asia.  We want a significant portion, because we have a lot of sponsors and a lot of players from Asia on our Tour, and that's awesome.  We should add at least a couple, two or three -- we just lost State Farm after this year as well, so we need to at least replace the ones that we've lost.  And we've lost a couple of events in Hawaii.  I think it would be great if we could go back to Hawaii.  It would be great to be in markets like Chicago, you know, some of the markets that we've traditionally done very well in.  I think that's what everybody wants.  I think that's what you guys want.  You want something to write about, too.

Q.  Just a followup.  When you were talking about going hard in practice and losing your edge from not playing, how much of that are you talking mentally?  And when you talk about going hard in a practice, what is the difference there?
CRISTIE KERR:  Well, yeah, you have to work on your mental game as well, but you have to work on all aspects of your game when you're off.  You know, mental stuff is more, you know, just before you leave for a tournament; and when you get on site to a tournament, you know, a lot of the work is physical, physical practice, hitting balls and chipping and putting and working out when you're off.

THE MODERATOR:  Karrie, welcome.  Thanks for joining us.  Just start off by talking a little bit about the charity that you chose and why you chose that.
KARRIE WEBB:  Christopher Reeve's Paralysis Foundation is my charity, and I've been involved with them since '98, the LPGA Skins Game, was the charity that I chose to represent then; and the foundation was quite young.  Christopher Reeve obviously only had his spinal cord injury probably a few years before that, three years before that, I think.  And the reason why I'm involved in that is my lifelong coach, Kelvin Haller, is a quadriplegic and has been since I was 16 years old.  So it was just something -- I told myself if I ever was successful playing golf, that I wanted to be involved with a paralysis foundation.  And you know, I think things happen for a reason, even bad things, and I think Christopher Reeve brought to light, you know, brought a lot of interest to spinal cord injury, and a lot of progress has been made in the last 15 years.
           
THE MODERATOR:  And then also just some comments on your time here so far.  How does the course look; how does your game look?
KARRIE WEBB:  My time's been pretty short.  I got in yesterday afternoon, so just played nine holes in the Pro Am.  The course is nice.  It's in good shape.  I haven't seen obviously the back nine, but I think it sets up for, you know, pretty low scoring, I think, if we don't get too much wind.  I think the greens, once you get to the greens, are fairly flat.  So I see lots of birdies out there.

Q.  Did you like the fact that it was changed so that you could have some of the money go toward the charity of your choice?  Did you like that change and the fact that the money doubled as well?
KARRIE WEBB:  Yeah.  I mean I never -- I've always thought the concept of this tournament was great.  So I never had a problem with it.  Obviously, now that if I play well this week, I'm also able to give back to a charity I've been involved with for a long time, you know, that just makes it even more special.

Q.  How is your game right now?
KARRIE WEBB:  Well, it's pretty good.  The last time I played things went pretty well for me, so no, it feels pretty good.  You know, it's nice to get a win early in the season.  Hopefully that sets things up for a big year for me, but you know, we'll have to wait and see for that.

Q.  So how do you find managing the gaps in the schedule to stay sharp from a great victory like that to coming into this week?
KARRIE WEBB:  Yeah.  Well, I've played four in a row because I played two in Australia, so I needed two weeks off.  And actually, my two weeks went pretty quickly because I went back to Australia, Singapore and then flew back to Florida last Wednesday and then flew out here today.  So I've been on a plane for probably three or four days of that two weeks also.  You know, it is what it is.  You know, I still will play the exact same amount of tournaments that I have for probably the past five or six years, so you know, I don't play 30 tournaments a year.  I try to play about 20 LPGA events, and you know, always play the two in Australia and maybe one or two somewhere else.  So you know, that's my schedule.  So I've dealt with big gaps in schedules, the way I've set my schedule up before.  So it's just a matter of when you come back out being sharp and ready to go.  But for me, as an older or veteran player, as I'm often described, I need to be fresh to be out there anyway.  And that's why I don't play as much as the other girls would like to.

Q.  So in coming back, you're fresh.  What was your lead time to ramp up this week to be ready for this week?  Couple days?
KARRIE WEBB:  Well, I only got back in the country on Wednesday.  So you know, I practiced a couple of days when I was in Australia, but just practiced over the weekend.  So you know, it's not my ideal preparation, but you know, I'd planned to be in Australia before this tournament was announced.  So you know, my schedule is a little different than the way it probably would have been.

Q.  Would you like to see those Aussie events on the LPGA schedule?
KARRIE WEBB:  Yeah, I would because that would mean that there's some money in the Australian sport.  You know, I think it's an all-around struggle in Australia for supporting any sport.  I mean all sports are struggling down there.  But yeah, I mean if that were to be the case, that would mean that they'd found a couple million dollars from two companies for two weeks.

Q.  Do you think also the Olympics will get more government money in Australia to golf development programs?
KARRIE WEBB:  I hope so.  I mean, you know, that was one of the exciting things for me when the Olympics were announced.  I think you know -- and Australia -- I mean our Olympic athletes are probably the most celebrated athletes in our country.  So you know, I would hope that, you know, there will be some more money going towards golf.  I think golf gets quite a bit now, but you know, you see, like even for the men to play the Australian Masters in Melbourne and to pay Tiger three million dollars to go there, you know, that money comes from the Victorian government.  You know, the governments do put in some money now, but I'm hoping the grass roots part of it gets a bit more.

Q.  Karrie, you didn't get to defend your title when you won in Phoenix in '09; right?
KARRIE WEBB:  Right.  Right.  Yeah.

Q.  Is there at least good vibes in returning to the area?  Can you talk about coming back here?
KARRIE WEBB:  Yeah.  I've always enjoyed playing Phoenix.  You know, obviously I won a few years ago, but I also won here in either '99 or 2000.  So I've played well in the desert -- and I think it was '99.  And you know, I enjoy coming out here.  I think it's a beautiful time of the year to be out here.  It's generally not too cold and just a perfect temperature really.  So you know, I enjoy us being out here and hope that we continue to be out here for years to come.

Q.  Couple questions:  One, with the pro football players on strike and locked out, can you talk about the unity of the LPGA to come together for this charity event, to give all the money away to charity would be the first question.  And also, I'm here to do a story on Shirley Spork and the founders.  What do the founders of the LPGA mean to you and your game now?
KARRIE WEBB:  Okay.  I think I'll start with the founders question first.  You know, I don't -- I fortunately have been around, again, the veteran player, but long enough where I've met more of the founders than some of the young girls have, because a few of them have passed away in the past five or so years.  So you know, I've always enjoyed -- you know, I'm good friends with Louise Suggs and keep in contact with her during the year, and I've always loved hearing their stories.  You know, because I can't even imagine doing what they did, you know, and if they didn't do what they did for us, we wouldn't be here.  We wouldn't have the opportunity, to answer your second question, to play for charity and to honor them and to put the money toward the future of women's golf.

So you know, I really hope the young players get the opportunity to meet Shirley, Louise Suggs and Marilynn Smith who are here this week.  And you know, I think it's hard when, you know, their grandparents probably aren't as old as our founders, but you know, just to sit down and talk to them and to listen to some of their stories, because really, you can't believe what they did and were able to play good golf as well.  So you know, and any of the other -- all the Hall-of-Famers, like Kathy Whitworth or any of those ladies that are here this week, you know, I would love for some of the young players to sit down and talk with them, because you really do appreciate them, where we've come from.  And I think sometimes, you know, even our tour gets away from that.  You know, you get in the now and the future rather than, hey, we're pretty lucky to be where we're at.  Yeah, at times it's tough, but you know, we need to dig our heels in like they did 60 years ago.

Q.  As a new member of the board now, do you feel like you have a certain mandate or what's the priority for you and the future of the Tour?
KARRIE WEBB:  I'm sort of feeling my way in.  My first official board meeting is next Monday.  So I haven't -- you know, I'm sort of getting to know the way everything works.  I think, you know, even -- I keep talking about how old I am, but being out here for 15 years, you think you know how things are done, but I think when you actually sit on the other side of it, I think -- you know, I'm really learning a lot already.            So you know, obviously I'd like to see the Tour grow and I'd like to see it grow to where we're playing a lot more events in the U. S.  You know, and I'd like an even balance in that, but I think you could talk to the 144 players that are here and I think just about every one would say that, too.  You know, I don't think it's as easy as saying that that's what we want to achieve.  It's a tough marketplace out there, and that's the part that I'm learning, you know, when you're on the other side of it.

Q.  Could you just give a quick assessment of where you think the Tour is at right now?  Is this in any way a pivotal year or an important year?
KARRIE WEBB:  I think last year was a very important year, and I think Mike did a really good job in his first year.  I think this year and maybe next year are years where, you know, he can get down to the business of selling us rather than, you know, trying to, you know, stabilize the ship and try and find a direction of where we're headed.  I think now we sort of have that direction, and now it's to try and put that plan into place.  And you know, I don't think, you know, it's all out on this year, but I think the next two years are quite important.  So I actually am quite excited to be on the board at this time and for the LPGA.  I think rather than being the player that hears things secondhand, you know, and then you know, where they turn into rumors and speculation, you know, I'll sort of have a good understanding about where we really are.

Q.  You mentioned Louise, and I'm just curious if there is a great story that you have about Louise or any advice, or any of the founders in general, but since she's fairly hilarious.
KARRIE WEBB:  Yeah.  I actually have a couple of great saved voice mail messages on my home.  I want to erase them, and actually I nearly erased them the other day and I almost started crying.  But the best story, I may have told it before, but was my rookie year, and I won the Sprint Title Holders in Daytona Beach, and at that time, besides the U. S. Open, that was our biggest purse, and I won $ 180,000.  And it wasn't the first time I met Louise, but it was really the first time I'd ever -- I'd met her, but this was the first time I'd really ever had a conversation with her.  And you know, she came up and she congratulated me, and she said, you just won more money than I won in all the years and all the wins that I had, times 10, you know.  And you know, I didn't really know what to say, because you know, if you don't know Louise, she can be quite abrupt in what she says to you, and I didn't want to insult her by saying anything wrong. But as I've gotten to know her, the voice mail messages I have at home, like even after I won Singapore, she's like, great going.  It was great to watch.  You played great and you're almost catching up to me in wins.  You might catch me one day.  So you know, I have to find a way of keeping those messages somehow down the road.