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WEETABIX WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 27, 2005

Michelle Wie West

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND

PAUL ROVNAK: Michelle, thanks for coming in and speaking with us. You've had a very busy summer playing all over the world, you finished second in France last week. In six LPGA events this year, you have three runner up finishes so you've been playing really well. Different course this week and different conditions; you played over here at the Curtis Cup, maybe just talk about how familiar you are with the courses.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I drove up here feeling like, "Hey, I know this place, I ate lunch here." So it's pretty exciting. It's really fun to come back here and it's a different kind of golf course, it's really different. It's great. I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. How does it compare to the other course you've played?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, they are very unique like in their own way. You can't really compare them but they are both really great courses.

Q. Nancy Lopez says you would be better served playing and beating your peers, how do you look at that?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, a lot of people don't know about how I won every single one in Hawaii, and I can't like pay to go to Geneva and pay to play in these kind of events. It's the same deal. It was that I tried to play in AJGA events. They wouldn't let me. I was too young and so I qualified for it and I really started liking it and I started playing it. I mean, you can learn the art of winning out here, too, and that's what I'm trying to do out here, too.

Q. People have a sense that you spend so much time playing golf inaudible?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, if golf was something I hated to do, but this is what I really love to do, and if I didn't do it, then I would be missing a big part.

Q. Do you know whether you'll turn professional or to college?

MICHELLE WIE: Going to college and turning professional are two different matters. I don't connect them, anyways. I want to go to college and turn professional, I'm not really sure.

Q. You could do both?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I could.

Q. Can you tell us what you'd like to study?

MICHELLE WIE: Business.

Q. What do you like to do when you're not playing, and what would you do with the money you would have won; you love to shop?

MICHELLE WIE: Yes, I do. It's a lot of money for someone for someone my age. If you think about how old I am right now, it's a little too much money right now for me. I'm having so much fun as an amateur, just going to tournaments, not having that much pressure money wise and stuff like that, it's really fun.

Q. Do you see your ambitions to be competing at the top of the women's game or against the men?

MICHELLE WIE: I'd like to do both.

Q. Inaudible?

MICHELLE WIE: I can't hear you, the cameras are going off.

Q. What will you do in Europe besides play golf?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I've really taken a liking to tea recently, so I've been drinking a lot of tea recently. (Laughter).

Q. What kind?

MICHELLE WIE: Regular tea. I'm like addicted to it now.

Q. Do you think you learn a different lesson from the professional women than the men?

MICHELLE WIE: They are both very different. You just can't really explain in words. It's just something that you pick up subconsciously. It's very little things that add up to a big thing that you learn differently, like when I play in a men's event. I just love doing it because they are so different and I get the best of both worlds.

I can't really tell the difference, I can't really explain in words what the differences are.

Q. Can you just pick out one thing, something that's crept into your game and what you think it's done for you?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know, the golf courses are different and the conditions that we play in are different. I don't know, I can't really pick one thing out.

Q. What was the reaction of the three men that you competed in the Public Links, were they gracious?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, they were very gracious. They tried their best. I tried my best. You can't feel sorry for anyone in match play, because if you do, they will beat you. It's like survival. You just have to you have to beat them no matter what. It was tough and I'm glad I beat them.

Q. Did they say anything at the end of it?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, they were very gracious. They were like, "congratulations," all the normal stuff.

Q. Do you feel any obligation to promote women's golf, the fact that you're playing against some of the women?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't feel any obligation. I'm just doing what I want to do. I never really thought about it. I'm not really the Commissioner or anything. I'm just really doing what I enjoy to do.

Q. You've said that you wanted to change the women's profession and what they can do in golf

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know. It was quite a long time ago when I said that, but I just want to change what everyone thinks about women's golf. I mean, not just women's golf, but change what they think.

I don't know, I can't I kind of forgot what I said, but I think, you know, just think outside the box.

Q. You're wearing a wind protector; is that a problem?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I like it. I like it very much. I think it's very pretty. Before I game here, I forgot to pack warm clothes because I wasn't smart enough to know it was cold here. So I didn't have any sweaters or anything like that. So when I came here, I found a box sent by Jesper Parnevik and I'm like, oh, this is so neat, I'll wear it.

Q. Is it warm?

MICHELLE WIE: I just have this jacket and I have a couple more.

Q. How do you feel so far about your season?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think, it's just that I've been so close all year long. It's just that I'm so close to being like, being a success, I don't know which one I'm more proud of.

Q. Have the results this year identified to you any areas where you need to improve?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely. You know, I think that a couple of tournaments this year, like the John Deere the John Deere, and the stroke play at the Public Links made me realize how important the last five, six holes are, and you just can't really take anything for granted. Basically I would say lots of short game, lots of putting.

Q. Do you have to stick to your

MICHELLE WIE: No, I really don't have long and strong hands. Actually they are quite short and pudgy. (Laughter) I don't know, I don't think they are anything special.

Q. Any preparations you've made specifically this week?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I'm playing a lot of low shots. Basically, just keep the ball in play, a lot of low shots instead of high, flop shots.

Q. Is that some things you learned from the Curtis Cup?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, all of my friends who played Curtis Cup last year in the course, and also my experiences in Hawaii with a lot of wind and stuff like that.

Q. How do you feel when you read the stuff that we write or listen to on the radio, not the tactical stuff but the general stuff about how good that you are, how comfortable do you feel hearing people say the extremely flattering things about you?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't really read it. I really don't sometimes it's really flattering. It's kind of weird for me to kind of like hear about it and stuff like that. It's really flattering, but, you know ...

Q. What do you hear?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know, it's kind of strange.

Q. You do believe that what we say is right about you?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I'd like to believe it.

Q. But you think that you are the best and arguably the best?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't really say like I mean, I think that, you know, when I play that obviously I can you know, my mind set is that I can beat everyone. I don't really think that I'm the best yet.

Q. Do you think you might be?

MICHELLE WIE: If I practice hard enough, I don't know.

Q. How would you feel if you won the tournament?

MICHELLE WIE: Very happy if I won the tournament, I'd be very happy. You know, it's so hard, it's still four days ahead, it's going to be stuff.

Q. Is your father caddying for you again?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. I thought you said a couple of years ago he wasn't going to caddie for you ever again, wondering what happened to change that?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I just really didn't have anyone. I feel really comfortable with him and it's great to have someone on the bag that really knows you and makes you feel comfortable, so it's nice having him back on the bag.

Q. Something you said before about being a success, is that something that you would be interested in?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think it was an success overall, but, you know, it always could be better.

Q. What is it about golf that really attracts you? What is it you love about the game?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think the fact that, you know, it's just so hard. Like, I don't know, it's I don't know. It's just really hard I guess. It's challenging. So I really like it, you know, the challenges and the fact that you don't really have to run or anything. You just have a nice stroll down the golf course. It's quite nice.

Q. You always say you wish you could have done better but are you content with what you've achieved this year?

MICHELLE WIE: Content in some ways and not content in some ways.

Q. What are you not content with?

MICHELLE WIE: The fact that I was so close and, you know ...

Q. Are you not playing the U.S. Women's Amateur?

MICHELLE WIE: No.

Q. Why not?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, the tournament ends on Sunday and the Women's Amateur starts on Monday, and there's no night flights; if you can put that two things together.

Q. I know you were working on sort of a private.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, they were talking about it. No one really told me.

Q. And was that a no brainer to choose that tournament?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, it's tough, but I think since I played in the Women's Amateur last year and I never played in this tournament before that I'm glad I'm here.

Q. Traveling like you do, what will be the first thing you do when you get back home?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think I'm going to go to the beach.

Q. Just hang out with your friends?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. When were you last in Hawaii?

MICHELLE WIE: End of May.

Q. Do you talk to your friends when your away?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I do, but I can't talk with them while n I'm in Europe, so it's kind of a bummer. My dad's hogging the computer, so I don't really have any time.

Q. When will you return?

MICHELLE WIE: End of August.

Q. Is there any other way that you can get obviously if you won the public links, but is there anyway coming up to get you in Augusta?

MICHELLE WIE: No. Like winning the U.S. Amateur I mean, if I turn pro, then I'd have to be in like the Top 50 World Ranking or something, I don't know.

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you, Michelle.

End of FastScripts.

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