Kraft Nabisco: How to become a champion
THE RIGHT OUTLOOK
Every week I can picture myself winning. I don’t ever tee it up thinking that I can’t. When I was playing a lot of my good golf, my practice used to be really, really bad, and I would be just going into the tournament wondering what the hell what sort of game I was going to have for the tournament, and then I got a win.
Karrie Webb, winner in 2006
I just keep telling myself commit to the shot and keep my tempo right, and just keep smiling all 18 holes, however I play, if I make a three-putt or anything. Just keep smiling.
Yani Tseng, winner in 2010
THE ROLE OF THE CADDY
I wasn’t comfortable all day. I felt like I was going to throw up all day, and even walking up 18 I wasn’t really that comfortable but I definitely had a better sense by 17 that I had a chance to win it. I might have looked calm, but I wasn’t. My heart was racing. My caddy was great – he was talking about the numbers, talking about the shot, and he was talking so much about what I was actually doing that I couldn’t even think about anything else.
Stacy Lewis, whose three-shot win in 2011 was her first on Tour
My caddy really helped me get through some of those holes. I was so nervous, my heart was racing so many times.
I don’t even know how to describe the feeling I felt. At one point I thought that I could get sick at any moment because I was shaking and so nervous; or I was going to pass out because I was trying to breathe really heavy or slow my breath down but still take
really long breaths.
Brittany Lincicome, winner in 2009
FEEDING OFF YOUR PLAYING PARTNER
I had been struggling a bit with my short putting, and playing with Stacy Lewis helped as she is a very good putter. I was watching her hit short putts, not thinking about it, hitting them in the cup.
I remembered that’s how I used to putt. It made me think just go through it; you can make them.
Morgan Pressel, who became the youngest winner of a Major in 2007
THE BACK NINE
My caddy came to me and said we have nine holes to go and just try and concentrate 100 per cent more than ever, keep your head down, a lot of people are going to say things to you and saying Spanish or being funny or shouting your name, so just try to focus on what we’re doing.
That’s what we did.
Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa who won by five shots in 2008
I feel like a four-shot lead is not enough because this course is really tough. Just one hole you can make two shots different. And the back nine is always tough. That’s big pressure on a Major. So I really just told myself don’t look at my opponent, hit it on the green and play safe. Actually on the back nine I didn’t be aggressive on the back nine.
Yani Tseng, who won by one in 2010 for her second Major win
EXPERIENCE OVER INEXPERIENCE
When I birdied 10 and 11 and I was like, well, supposedly I’ve done this before, so I’m supposed to be the one that’s got all the experience.
Lorena has won but Michelle (Wie) and Natalie (Gulbis) hadn’t. So I was like, they’re not going to go out there and blitz the back nine, so try to post a score and see what happens.
I just knew I had a little bit of an edge over the three of them. There was more of a weight on their shoulders when they actually have to make a birdie to be in a play-off or win the tournament.
Australia’s Karrie Webb in 2006
HOW TO WIN BY EIGHT SHOTS
I drove the ball really well and I think that set up for some low scores. I was aggressive off the tee which left me with sand wedges. I think the only way you can play this golf course is to be able to attack the pins.
If you had asked me, are you going to be happy with no bogeys the last two days, I would have said definitely, yeah, you’re probably crazy. I really didn’t have any 3-putts until the last so I putted really solid.
There’s nothing like coming up the 18th hole and the fans are screaming and yelling. It’s electrifying. I get goosebumps every day whether it’s Thursday or Sunday.
Annika Sorenstam, runaway winner in 2005
STANDING ON THE 18TH TEE
My heart was racing and it was more just gathering my thoughts. I still had five more shots that I needed to hit and needed to make sure I paid attention to.
I told my caddy ‘we can do this, we can do this’.
He’s like, I know we can.
Stacy Lewis, 2011
THE SECOND TO THE 18TH
Anything 200, 210 max, to carry the water would be the cut-off point. If I was hitting a hybrid, I was going to go for it. If I was hitting 3-wood, I was going to have to lay up. It was 210 to the pin and 190 to carry the water and I hit a gripped hybrid.
My hands are shaking and my heart is racing. I’m trying to calm myself down by breathing or singing or whatever I can possibly do, and right when I hit it, it came off on the clubface exactly where we wanted to hit it and took the slope like I wanted it to and came really close, thank God.
Brittany Lincicome who made eagle to win in 2009
THE THIRD TO THE 18TH
It was straight at the pin and I wanted it to get close so I had a good birdie chance. And when it went in, I just couldn’t believe it. I think my heart just about jumped out of my chest, because it was aching for five minutes.
Karrie Webb, who holed a wedge approach to make a play-off that she won in 2006
