KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 25, 2004

Michelle Wie West

THE MODERATOR: Michelle, thanks for coming in, joining us. 3-under 69, a great way to start. Tell us about your day. We'll take questions from there.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, today I played pretty good, I guess. But my driving could have been a little bit better. But I'm still happy the way my score turned out to be.

I'm also glad that I found the problem with my swing, and I found it so I could hit three good drives on the last three holes. The thing I was proud of myself, even though I was in the rough, I made a lot of pars out of the rough today, and I felt really good about that.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.

Q. I'm not sure I heard what you said about your swing. You found a problem with your swing?

MICHELLE WIE: Just today I wasn't swinging it the way I wanted to. The first couple drives, I was swinging good. I don't know, something was wrong with my swing. I think I was taking it too deep, so I had those hookers again.

But I think I fixed it. I knew what the problem was, so I was glad.

Q. You made the bogey on 9. You probably weren't too happy. Did you have to give yourself a pep talk? You wound up birdie-ing 16 and 18 for a big finish. Was it a mental adjustment?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I made a pretty good bogey there. I just hit two bad shots, but the rest were pretty good. I don't know. I kind of hit my 3-wood a little bit low because last year I had a four plus, so that went a little bit higher. I had about like three more degrees of loft. I could easily carry those trees with my 3-wood. I kind of had to stress to get over the trees. Tomorrow I'm going to hit a 5-wood maybe.

When I was in the rough, I was in a hard lie. I made a pretty good bogey. That 60-yard shot, I kind of chunked it. I had a pretty hard shot from there and I think I did pretty good. I didn't really have to give myself a pep talk or anything because I think that was a pretty good bogey.

Q. 10, 11, 12, you were hooking the ball off the tee. Pre-shot routine, you're almost doing a drill to find your rhythm. What specifically did you fix in your swing? Did you have a thought that came into your head? Was it something mechanical that your caddie stressed?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I mean, every shot that I hooked, there's something wrong with it. It wasn't like one consistent problem. It was like many different kind of problems. Like No. 10 hole, when I hooked it, my rhythm was too quick. No. 11, I tried to get the rhythm back. But then I hooked that one, too. That one was because I went too deep. So I tried to fix that.

I changed my routine a little bit. I'm not really hitting -- practicing hard the full shot, because I get tired. I like my routine right now. It's really only about half the swing. It's pretty good.

Q. Did the heat bother you?

MICHELLE WIE: It actually wasn't that bad today. It was a little bit more humid than usual, a little bit more hot. It's really not that hot when you're playing good. It feels a lot more worse when you're playing bad.

Q. Does it feel differently out there this year compared to last year? Now that you have those four rounds under your belt last year, does it feel differently? Do you feel more confident? Do you feel more confident with playing the specific shots of this golf course? Is it different?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I guess not just only playing this tournament, I think the whole last year, I gained a lot of confidence. I gained a lot of confidence. I just feel more mature out there. I missed a lot of drives into the rough, but I made par from there. I think that's the difference from last year. I mean, last year if I went into the rough, I just tried to like hit it so hard, tried to hit like a high shot. But I can't, it's impossible. So this year I know like the outcome of what's going to happen.

I think last year I played, so I'm more familiar with the golf course and I feel more comfortable.

Q. Did you feel similar to the last round of Sony where you fought through some swing problems?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it was a lot like Sony. Sony, second round, my swing was so terrible, I couldn't hit the ball at all. But I fought through it. I think that's the difference from last year. I'm just grinding it out. I think today I did a good job of doing that.

Q. How aware were you of Aree back when she was playing in this tournament? Were you a fan? Did you think, "Maybe that's me in a few years"? What were your thoughts on her back then when she was 13 playing in this?

MICHELLE WIE: I thought it was pretty awesome. I was like, It's so awesome, she's playing out there, she's so young, she's so good. Yeah, I mean, it was like I was a big fan of her back then. Her last name was a W, Wongluekiet. Tiger Woods was a W. I'm like, "Hey, I'm a W, too. I can be like them." I like them.

Q. (No microphone. )

MICHELLE WIE: Yes, a little bit. She was young out there. I was young. I'm still young, but...

Yeah, I guess I identify with her a little bit.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHELLE WIE: No, not really. I just talk to her. I don't really talk to her about like being out here. I don't know.

Q. How long have you had your caddie line you up as far as your aim?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I have this trouble with like I can't see straight lines. Everything looks curved. There's something wrong with my eye or something. I just sometimes aim way right or way left. It just helps me.

Q. How long has that been going on?

MICHELLE WIE: My dad did that like long before.

Q. How aware are you of the crowd, that you might be getting larger ovations than your playing partners or anybody else on the golf course when you hit a good shot?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't really pay attention to that. If I hit a good shot, I'm in my own world. I'm happy I hit a good shot. I don't really think about anything else.

But when they applaud, it kind of spices up a bit. I love it. I like when people come out and follow me. When I hit a good drive, I just love to hear them like applaud and stuff. It's really cool.

THE MODERATOR: Take us over the score card. Start with the birdie on 2, par 5.

MICHELLE WIE: That one, I hit a good drive. I had about 190 to the hole. But I had a tough lie. I mean, it was like downhill, side hill. I tried to hit it, my knock-down shot. I didn't catch the ball very well, so I was about 40 yards short of the hole. I hit the 56 and I had about a 6-footer for birdie.

THE MODERATOR: Birdie on 5, par 3.

MICHELLE WIE: That one, I hit like a 7-iron, like three-quarter shot. I hit it about 15 feet.

THE MODERATOR: Bogey on 9.

MICHELLE WIE: That one, I hit a 3-wood into the trees, just dropped down. I punched out with a 5 to the other side of the rough. Then I punched out again with a 5. I had about 60 yards. I chunked that wedge into the bunker. It would have been better if it was in the bunker, but it was like right on the edge. I had a good shot. I had about a 5-footer for bogey.

THE MODERATOR: 16.

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a great drive. I had about 108 to the hole. I hit it about 100. I had about a 9-footer for a birdie.

THE MODERATOR: What club did you hit in?

MICHELLE WIE: 52.

THE MODERATOR: 18?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit my 3-wood into the rough. Then I hit a 7-iron. I had about 83 to the hole. I hit a 56. I had about seven feet for a birdie.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHELLE WIE: I did. I don't know. I reached it, but it's too much to risk. You could easily make a birdie from there, I mean, laying up. It's not worth it, I don't think.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.