KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 26, 2004

Michelle Wie West

THE MODERATOR: Michelle, thanks for coming in and joining us. Three birdies, three bogeys today, even round of 72. The wind was kicking up a bit out there. Tell us about today and we'll take questions.

MICHELLE WIE: It was quite windy out there. I mean, it was cold, too, this morning, and I don't know, I wasn't really ready for it, but I put in a lot of good punch shots and I think I was pretty good in the wind today. I was scoring to shoot 70 or 71 or 72, and I'm happy I shot even par because it could have been a lot worse.

Q. Earlier this week you talked about playing in Hawaii in the wind. Is wind something that doesn't scare you as a player because you've practiced in it so much?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, not as much, I don't think. I still get intimidated in the wind, because the dead calm is better than a gusty wind, but over here the wind is a little bit different. On No. 17 I was standing there, 155 to the front and I just wanted to hit it 155 and it was dead calm and I was like a 7-iron is perfect. It was 30 yards short because the wind was above the trees. I usually look at trees for wind, but there was wind above the trees and we're walking towards the hole and it was blowing super hard.

Q. You're still five shots better than you were last year at this point. Does that mean something to you? Are you happy with that?

MICHELLE WIE: Yes, I'm happy with that. This year's conditions feels a lot harder than last year. Last year it was perfect conditions, but this year it's a little windy today, and I'm very proud of myself.

Q. The other night you stayed here with your parents. You practically closed the driving range at 6:15 p.m.. Is it some kind of a superstition or something you wanted to practice that late?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, we're trying something different. After a round we go straight home and rest a little while and come in at 5:00. I think that's better because it's nice and cool and no one is around so you're not really bothered or anything. I think after you're rested you practice a lot better. I think after a round you're full of adrenaline and you're just really hyper, and if you practice more you totally crash at home and you're really tired the next day. Also, I think practicing at 5:00, 6:00, it stays in your brain a lot better than practicing at like 3:00, because I have really bad short-term memory and I just need to practice late at night. It's a lot better this way, I think.

Q. Was there a time maybe a few years back when you wouldn't adjust or try to adjust to the conditions? Regardless of how windy it was outside, you would still be more aggressive? Is that something you've learned over time, to know when to scale back?

MICHELLE WIE: I think that's what I learned. Like if the wind is blowing this much and I have like a 400 yard par 4, I would try to hit a knockdown driver. That's kind of impossible to hit without putting a lot of back spin on it. So now I learned if I hit a 3-wood it still goes the same distance, so why not be in the fairway. I've learned a lot in the past few years. I know when to judge the wind and when to lay-up.

I think I made a really good decision on 10 where I was in the right rough and the pin was a sucker pin, it was right on the front, and I can't hit a pitching wedge and stop it so I was like why not hit a 9-iron, hit it 30 yards short of the hole and run it up. I think that's what I learned.

Q. Talking to some of the other younger players, they admit they're intimidated at a major. Since you did this last year and played at the Sony Open, is the intimidation over? Are you at ease or still in awe of the players like Annika playing in this major with you?

MICHELLE WIE: I hardly get intimidated. I'm not the kind of person who judges a tournament if it's a major or not. They're still the same tournament. They still have equal value to me. I think I don't really get intimidated even at the Sony Open, even playing in a PGA event, I hardly get intimidated. I hardly was ever nervous. But when I'm playing here, I feel privileged to get to know these players. It's so awesome to meet all these players. They're just awesome. It's great.

Q. Some of the golfers on the men's tour said their kids for the first time are watching the game because of you. How does it feel, you're still young, you're still a kid, so to speak, forgive me, but how does it feel to motivate or inspire other kids to play golf?

MICHELLE WIE: It's neat. I don't feel like I'm doing that. I think it's a lot of other factors, like Tiger and Annika. The game of golf got a lot bigger because of them. It's not only because of me they're watching, but I think it's pretty cool that I've drawn in a couple of players.

Q. How many drivers did you hit today? How did you decide when to hit it and when not to?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit 2 or 3 drivers. I only hit drivers when there is no wind at all -- or there was hardly any, and if it was straight downwind. That was the only two conditions that I would allow myself to hit driver. My driver, I changed lofts and now it goes higher than usual. Last year I used a 7.5 and it still goes pretty long against the wind. Now I have more back spin on it, it's higher. So if I hit it into the wind I have no idea where it's going to end up. A three-wood, I have a 13 degree so it goes pretty low so I feel comfortable.

Q. Saturday was the day last year you shot 66, what are we going to have tomorrow?

MICHELLE WIE: Hopefully if the wind calms down a little bit, hopefully I will be happy with anything better than 69, I will be very happy. I would take 70 too. Anything under par, I would take it, basically.

Q. Take us over your score card.

MICHELLE WIE: I bogeyed No. 1. I hit a 3-wood perfectly in the middle of the fairway. I hit a pitching wedge or something. And then, I don't know, I landed right where I wanted to, but the greens are so perfect, they were rolling 20 yards, even if I hit a wedge into there. I had a hard chip and had about nine feet for par and missed it.

I birdied No. 4. I hit a really great 3-wood in the middle of the fairway, and I hit about an 8-iron into the green. It was only about 120, but it was uphill into the wind, so I hit two clubs more, and then I had seven feet for birdie.

Then I birdied No. 6. I hit a 3-wood, like a knockdown shot. Then I had about 137, and I hit a 6-iron, knockdown shot, and it went right close to the hole, but I had a really tough putt. It was above the hole and it was downwind and it was downgrain, so I just touched it and it went in. I was really happy.

Q. How far do you think that putt was?

MICHELLE WIE: 15 feet.

Then I bogeyed No. 8. I hit a perfect 6-iron into there -- no, 7-iron. I landed right where I wanted to, but it just rolled too much. I thought the chipping -- I thought the chip would be pretty fast because it was downhill, downgrain, it stopped pretty quickly. I guess I put too much spin on it and I had eight feet for a par.

Then I birdied No. 11, the par 5. I hit a 5-wood over the tree, and I had about 250 to the hole. I put it on the green, 2-putted for a birdie. That was about 30 feet.

Q. What club did you hit to get on the green?

MICHELLE WIE: 3-wood. 3-wood kind of low runner.

And then No. 17, I bogeyed. I was like 30 yards short of the hole and I kind of -- I hit my chip too hard. It was into the wind and I was uphill, so I didn't want to be short and not be on the green, so I hit it too hard. I thought it was going in, but I had about a 15-footer for par.

Q. What changed with your putting since last year when you were here?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I was rolling the ball pretty badly. It was like after I hit it, I put a lot of spin on it. It wouldn't go where I wanted it to. I think I've been hitting the putts too hard. These greens are so perfect, you have to hit it the perfect speed to drop it in the hole. If you hit it a little too hard, it catches the edge and lips out. So I taught myself how to gauge my speed a little bit better.

Q. You're passing up a considerable amount of money at this age to be an amateur, does that concern you since you're remaining amateur?

MICHELLE WIE: It takes a lot of pressure off of me, because if I was playing for money, then, I don't know, I haven't experienced it before, so I think -- I don't know, I think at this young age, if I'm playing for money, I don't think I would be able to handle it. It's a little bit hard to play for a living when I'm 14. I like being an amateur, being carefree out there.

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