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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 7, 2015Michelle Wie WestLANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA MICHELLE WIE MIKE TROSTEL: It's my pleasure to introduce the defending champion, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open champion, Michelle Wie, who won at Pinehurst No. 2 last year, a two-stroke victory over Stacy Lewis. Michelle playing in her 12th U.S. Open this year. Hard to believe it's already 12. Michelle, take us back last year, the last three holes at Pinehurst No. 2, what's going through your head-on 16, 17 and 18? MICHELLE WIE: A lot happened. A roller coaster of emotions, I think. It was just kind of -- it was pretty exciting, I think. I think the proudest I've ever felt of myself about controlling my emotions and just staying positive was hole No. 16. I know that a lot of people talk about hole No. 17 when I birdied, but I think the moment I was most proud of was when I made that double bogey putt on 16. That for me was the moment that I felt like I was the most in control that I've ever been. It was a lot of fun. It definitely was amazing. The amazing feeling that I felt on 18 was incredible and I feel extremely honored to be in this position and to be introduced that way, as the defending champion. It's a truly honor. MIKE TROSTEL: And you always have that title as you go forward. How has the last year been as the U.S. Women's Open champion? MICHELLE WIE: It's great being called that. It doesn't get old. It's pretty amazing. I think the first couple of months it really didn't sink in. It didn't really feel like reality. It still felt like a dream. It's slowly starting to sink in, I think. Seeing my trophy, getting the ring has definitely been inspiring, it's definitely been a huge motivation for me moving forward. But it's been fun. It's been a fun journey. MIKE TROSTEL: You won twice last year, and this year you've had some injury and illness issues. How are you feeling and how is your game coming in this week in Lancaster? MICHELLE WIE: It's definitely been a tough year with my game. It's definitely not been as good as I want to be. I've been struggling with a couple of injuries and illnesses. But at the same time, I'm taking it day-by-day. Every day feels better than the day before. I'm definitely feeling better than I have been before. It feels good. I'm staying positive and just trying to improve a little bit here and there every day. Q. The golf course at Pinehurst a year ago very different from the one you're going to play this week. Would you talk a little bit about that, a little bit about this golf course, how you feel about it, how it suits your game, perhaps? MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think that's what's so great about the USGA, you never know what you're going to get for golf courses. And obviously the weather conditions, it's a lot different from last year. And it's definitely a different beast this week. It has its challenges, it has its difficulties, but I think it's a great golf course. It's a great layout. You've definitely have a good mix of holes where you have long irons into some holes, you have very long par-3s, you have short par-3s, you have reachable par-4s. It's going to be a really great mix of holes. The golf course is in great condition. It's doing really well despite all the rain that it's been getting and I'm excited for this week. Q. Lancaster has really been fired up about hosting this event really for the last four or five years. Knowing that, does that really kind of make you look forward to getting out there and playing knowing the reception that you're going to be receiving here? MICHELLE WIE: Oh, yeah, for sure. You can already feel the welcoming of everyone here. I've heard that we've already broken the ticket sales from this year. And it's going to be really exciting. Yesterday playing a practice round, and I was amazed by how many people came out to watch yesterday. It's the most people I've ever seen on a golf course on a Monday of a tournament. It's pretty exciting. You drive in from Philly, you see the welcoming signs, welcome LPGA players, every restaurant, every store. It feels really great to be welcomed here. We're really excited to be playing in front of a crowd. I hope this week we can provide great entertainment for the crowd. I hope a lot of people come out, the weather is good, and everyone has fun. Q. You tend to have the biggest crowds following you, not just during the tournament, itself, but in the practice rounds leading up to it. And I'm just wondering what is the biggest challenge when you're trying to practice and get ready for the week to have these huge galleries following you around? MICHELLE WIE: You know, I honestly think the big galleries help. It kind of gets you into that mindset of tournament play. To feel that little bit of a nervousness on the first tee when they call your name. It's good preparation for the golf tournament, actually, I think. I think the USGA, the way they do it in the practice rounds, they have a set tee time, you play with people, they announce your name on the first tee, I think it all helps in preparation for that first shot on Thursday. Q. Just a quick follow-up, apart of having the biggest crowds, you also tend to have a lot of young girls following you around, too. You're only 25 years old, but what is it like to kind of have that mantle as the one that everyone kind of I guess the younger generation looks up to on the Tour? MICHELLE WIE: It's a lot of pressure for sure, but at the same time I feel very honored and very privileged that girls come out and watch me play and hopefully want to do the same. It feels amazing every time, either a parent comes up to me or a little girl or boy comes up to me, I just want to play out here like you. It's the reason why I play. It's just the reason why I play is to inspire other people, and it feels great. Q. It looked like in Arkansas you actually were hitting the ball a lot better. The swing changes seemed to have taken effect. How do you feel about your game? How do you feel the last couple of weeks have helped you get ready for this week? MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think the results really haven't been showing, but every week, it's been feeling more and more comfortable. Every time you do a big overhaul of anything, it takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes it does, but most of the time it takes time to change your swing. In Arkansas, it actually felt very comfortable. I mean, on Friday, it's hard to be aggressive when you're kind of near the cut line. And I just couldn't get anything going. But the putting felt good. Everything felt pretty solid. I feel like every day I'm getting more comfortable with the swing changes. Just with everything in general, I'm feeling healthier and healthier. My hip felt better in Arkansas than it has been the pass couple of weeks. And I think I'm taking it day-by-day and taking it slowly. Q. Just wondering, a week after the U.S. World Cup team wins the World Cup, does that inspire you or make you think that women's golf could do the same, capturing that much attention across the country and the world? MICHELLE WIE: It was pretty amazing. I was pretty stoked on that, especially how the game went, scoring two goals in the first 17 minutes, that was pretty incredible. I remember we had a couple of group texts going with our Solheim team. Really great motivation, especially this year being the Solheim year. We definitely looked to them for inspiration and motivation. And it's pretty cool. It definitely gave me goose bumps. Q. The days leading up to Thursday's round, are you doing anything not golf related in your free time, going out to see the sights, just sort of keep your mind off of the golf and try not to get too mentally drained so early in the week? MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you definitely have to pace yourself. I think a lot of times at the U.S. Open, I put a lot of pressure on myself, I try to do too much and I think about it too much. Definitely taking your mind off of it works. I watch TV shows in my room, especially with my hip right now, I need to keep my legs elevated and keep it rested. So that's kind of my main focus this week is keeping it fresh, keeping my body fresh for the week. Definitely been eating some good food, which is always exciting. But just resting and working out and trying not to think about golf. Q. For the local fans here, this might be the first tournament they ever go to. You might be one of the only players they recognize. If they're not here watching you, is there something else they can see that you can tell them that maybe you're really zoned in? Is it a certain type of shot that you're really hitting well? What can they look for if they are following you around? MICHELLE WIE: That's hard. For new golf fans? I've always heard my friends say it's fun watching golf tournaments because you're outside, and it's a beautiful golf course. Some great walks. It would be good exercise. But mostly I think it's just the atmosphere. USGA tournaments, the atmosphere is just truly incredible. You're at the U.S. Open. It's just a fun atmosphere to have fun and enjoy the golf and maybe stay in the grandstand on 18 and see all the shots coming in. It's definitely going to be fun. Q. How long does it take you to get zoned in, when do you know it's going to be a good round? MICHELLE WIE: You know, I just, I think when I feel the most zoned in is when I feel the most present. And I feel like when I'm having fun out there, when I'm smiling and calm and collected that's when I feel the most zoned in. Q. Are you going to attack the course with your driver? What's your game plan? MICHELLE WIE: It depends, obviously, on the conditions. It's pretty soft right now. They can use different tee boxes, shorten it up, make it longer, what not. But if the tee boxes stay the same as the way it is right now, the course is playing pretty long, because it's soft, I will hit a lot of drivers. Q. What hole do you find the most challenging out here after the practice round? MICHELLE WIE: That's a hard question to answer because like I said there's a lot of scenarios where they can use different tee boxes. But they're all pretty tricky. The greens make it tricky. They're pretty slopey back to front. They are pretty challenging. Q. Two-part question, specifically about the stance change you've had to make because of your hip issues, playing with a narrower stance. Number one, the times that you've been under pressure, have you felt you've been able to play well with that stance, because it is a pretty big change for you given your history with a wider stance? Second part, with the softer conditions, have you found it difficult with some of the side hill, uphill or downhill lies with balance given that change in your stance? MICHELLE WIE: You know, obviously you have to fight some instinct when you're out there. When you've done something for so long, it's definitely hard to break a habit. But like I said, it's just been -- I've been taking it slowly, just taking it, trying to be more comfortable with it, more confident with it each and every day. So now I think it would be weird for me to stand a little bit wider. I think I'm getting really comfortable with it. And with the side hill, downhills, I will stand a little bit wider, because you need that extra balance. MIKE TROSTEL: Michelle Wie, 7:51 off the first tee on Thursday. Best of luck. MICHELLE WIE: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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