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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 8, 2005

Michelle Wie West

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay, Michelle, thanks for coming in, even par 71 today. You gave it a very valiant effort. Maybe some general thoughts about your round compared to yesterday, and talk about playing in the 2005 John Deere Classic.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I played great the front nine, but just got kind of slow the back nine, just two holes kind of went like that. It was pretty killer. But it was still fun. My playing partners were awesome, they were so nice and fun, and hopefully I can come back.

Q. Can you just go over your round really quick, your birdies and then the double at No. 6?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, okay, No. 10, I hit a driver into the right rough, and then I hit 4 iron and then a sand wedge, and then I had about three feet for birdie. And then No. 12, I chipped in from the left rough.

Then 14, I hit a driver, and I was in the back fringe and I putted it.

Then No. 15, I hit it to the right rough and then I didn't up and down.

I birdied 18, I hit into the fairway and then I hit a 7 iron and it was a tap in birdie.

Then double at 6, I hit into the left bunker, kind of had a bad lie, and I just hit into the right bunker, and then I was about 20 feet short, and I guess I was too aggressive with my putt.

And then bogey on 7, I totally just pushed my 4 iron on the right, and I just kind of went over the green and I two putted for bogey.

Q. Club selection on 6, what did you use yesterday and what did you use today?

MICHELLE WIE: Same, today and yesterday.

Q. What were you trying to move it to the right?

MICHELLE WIE: No, I just pulled it both times.

Q. Did you feel yourself rushing at all when you got on the green on the 6th at all during the three putt sequence?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really. I mean, I felt pretty good. I guess I was too aggressive with it, and I should have just lagged it near the hole, but it was kind of hard to do that at that time.

Q. Does what happened on 6 contribute to your tee shot on 7?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really. I felt really comfortable on that tee shot. It just was a bad swing.

Q. What does the 68 stand for, and after the way you played this week, is it just a matter of not if but when you make one of these cuts?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, 68 was the number that I was trying to shoot today. Well, even on the LPGA, I made my cut on my fourth try. You know, my fourth try is coming up, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Q. Michelle, were you aware of what the cut number was as you played down the stretch?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I passed the scoreboard on 9. It was very low, 3 under, and I still felt like I was playing great. I was hoping to shoot a lower score and get on the leaderboard, but none of my putts went in on the back nine.

Q. When you were playing well on your front nine and got it to 4 under, it seemed almost that the bogeys that you didn't make and the pars that you saved were almost more important than the birdies you made. Did you feel yourself scrambling and making tough five and six footers?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really. I was hitting most of the greens.

Q. Talk about the chip on 12, how far, what you were thinking and everything.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, left was the one place I did not want to go on that hole, and I went left, and I made a birdie.

Q. How far was the chip?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know. It was about I don't know. It was kind of floppy. Like I hit a flop shot.

Q. Did you get that belt made especially for today, and if so, how did you get that done?

MICHELLE WIE: No, I got it in France. I mean, I thought it was a really cool number (laughter).

Q. How disappointed are you missing the cut, and how much pressure did you feel being on the cut line the last four holes?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think I'm more disappointed in the fact that I was shooting so well and then the two holes just kind of screwed me over. I mean, I wasn't really that nervous. I mean, after those two holes I was really just trying to make two birdies, and my putts just kind of slid by the lip.

Q. What did you get out of this experience compared to the two tournaments that you played in Hawaii?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, same thing as the last time. You know, I just really realized how important the last six holes are. I just have to think about that from now on.

Q. The approach shot on 18 that you almost put in and the crowd gave the big cheer, the big ovation, what was going through your head and what did that feel like?

MICHELLE WIE: That felt great. It was awesome, them cheering for me like that. I thought I was going deaf it was so loud. I mean, it was awesome. It was such a wonderful feeling.

Q. Did you know when you hit it it was that good?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I mean, when I hit it, after I hit it, my caddie scared me. Jimmy was like, go, go. I mean, I thought it was in the water because he was telling it to go, but it was perfect so it was good.

Q. You said you'd like to come back. What did you like about this tournament and what did you like about this golf course? Do you feel like you can have success here?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I like the golf course and I like the people. It's a great place, and I'd just love to come back if I had the chance.

Q. Is it getting easier competing against the man each time you do it?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely. I mean, there's a lot well, not pressure in a way, but I'm getting a lot more used to it as I'm playing and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable.

Q. You said you have to think more about the last six holes. How will you do that? What will you do to make yourself in a better position?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I just have to I don't know, I'll just have to notice that it's really important and tighten my screws up a little bit.

Q. You shot 5 under on the back over two days and 4 over on the front.

MICHELLE WIE: Yes.

Q. Were the back nine, did that just fit your eye better?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know, because when I was playing the practice rounds it seemed like the front nine was the bogey holes and the back nine were the par holes. I guess that nine worked better for me, so when I play next year hopefully I'll be under par that nine, too.

Q. Back to your chip on 12, were you aware that your ball hit a gentleman and that's why it was there?

MICHELLE WIE: Oh, I'm sorry (laughter). Oh, I didn't know that. I feel bad now.

Q. Well, he was happy actually because I think it might have gone somewhere worse.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I know. Oh, thankfully. If he's reading the newspaper I want to say "Thank you. Sorry for your pain." (Laughter). It turned out great.

Q. Going back to the 6th hole, was perhaps the reason you were so aggressive on this bogey putt that you felt you had to make that to make the cut at that point?

MICHELLE WIE: No, not really. I mean, I just had a bogey and I didn't want it. It didn't seem like it was a downhill putt or anything. I mean, it felt like a straightforward putt. I mean, if I just hit it a little softer, it would have gone in.

Q. Will you talk a little bit about the crowd support, fan support? Seemed like every little girl and little boy were just rooting you on.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it was great. It's just wonderful when a lot of people come out, especially a lot of kids. It's really supportive.

Q. What will you do tomorrow? Do you have any plans?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think I'm going to hit the movie theater.

Q. Do you have anything you want to see in particular, and how do you feel going into the Public Links next week?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, first question, I want to see "Fantastic Four," and second question, I mean, I feel really good about the Public Links. I've done really well, and hopefully I can carry on into the Apple. Yeah, it feels good. After seeing that I shot under par here, it feels that I can really compete there, and if I can get to match play, it's a toss up from there.

Q. Does being under par feel like do you feel like you accomplished something?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I feel like I played a lot better than the Sony Open this year, as you can tell score wise, but it was a lot different there. Even though I didn't make the cut, I mean, even though I finished under par it feels like crap because I played so well the front nine and then I just totally messed up the back nine.

Q. Do you feel in general that you have better control of your game more and more as time goes on?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely. I feel like my game is a lot more consistent. I feel like I'm in the little control room pressing the buttons now. It feels good.

Q. You put in a lot of prep work before the tournament actually started. Any thoughts on how that helped you, especially on the front nine, like you said, it kind of went the opposite way once the tournament started?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I felt like I practiced very well before the tournament. I used my time really efficiently, and I feel I practiced well.

Q. You said a fourth try is coming up. When will that be?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know.

Q. Nothing has been offered or

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I'm not really sure right now.

Q. How do you are you the kind of person that it's easy to put something behind you? Will you have a good cry or how do you deal with it?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know. I don't really think about it afterwards. Sometimes I'll cry, sometimes I'll punch (laughter), sometimes I won't even care. I mean, it's different every time.

Q. Will you care about this one?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I mean, definitely I'll care but I won't cry.

Q. On 6, would you use an iron if you had that shot again or was wood the right club?

MICHELLE WIE: No, I think I'd probably use a 5 wood if I knew I was going to go in the bunker.

Q. You used a 3 wood this time?

MICHELLE WIE: Yes.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Michelle, thank you.

Q. On Tuesday you told us every time you've played in a guys' event you've always learned things from them. What do you think you learned from this week that you'll take forward with you now?

MICHELLE WIE: I mean, definitely, like I said, the last six holes are really important, and Scott played great the last nine holes, and I think that's what I have to look at and say I mean, tell myself that's what I have to do next time because I have to even though I played great the front nine, I just have to start all over and play great the back nine, too, and that's not what I did today.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Thanks, Michelle. Good luck.

End of FastScripts.

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