CHICK-FIL-A CHARITY CHAMPIONSHIP

April 24, 2003

Michelle Wie West

Q. Thanks for joining us Michelle. You said you got into Atlanta about 9:30 this morning; is that right?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the last 24 hours for you, what you've been doing and how you feel coming into today here.

MICHELLE WIE: We left Hawaii on Wednesday at 5:30 -- we left Hawaii about 5:30 and we got upgraded to first class, so it was a long flight from there. We came -- we stopped in St. Louis and it was a one-hour flight to here.

Q. So you're going to play this afternoon?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. Okay. Were you thinking about the course or anything?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really. I saw the broadcasting from last year so I know a little.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the Kraft Nabisco, your finish in the top ten there, your memories from that week?

MICHELLE WIE: Kraft Nabisco was really great week, I had a lot of fun. It gave me a lot of confidence so I think I can play well.

Q. What do you think about this media attention that you've received?

MICHELLE WIE: It was a lot more than I expected, so -- it was great.

Q. Are you having fun with all of this going on?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, just a little bit confused right now, I don't know where everything is but I'm getting used to it.

Q. Can you talk about how your life has changed lately?

MICHELLE WIE: I got a lot of exposure before Nabisco but it went up a lot and a lot of people know who I am so it surprises me, but nothing really changed about me and stuff.

Q. How have you found time to manage the media?

MICHELLE WIE: When you're on the golf course you don't really think about media, you just think about your score and your next shot. You just block everything out.

Q. How many media requests do you get a day or a week?

MICHELLE WIE: A lot.

Q. Has your game changed much lately in the past year or so since you've been playing in LPGA events?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, when I was 11 and 12 and now it's a lot different. I was working with my coach more on my swing, and my putting and short game and overall game, so my level of golf is a lot better.

Q. What was working for you at the Kraft Nabisco Championship?

MICHELLE WIE: In Nabisco my driver and my long game were working well but I'm trying to work on everything else, and I got a new putter so I hope it's working this week.

Q. (Inaudible).

MICHELLE WIE: That score, so --

Q. How do you handle all of this with the classes you're taking this year?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. I just do everything in the car and, like, they tell me I'm a really fast learner so, like, other people, they take like two hours to do their homework, I finish in like 15 minutes. I don't know how I do that.

Q. You're taking mostly honors classes, right?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm taking one honors course this year, math, but that's the only honors course, and next year I get into Chinese and math honors.

Q. What do you think about Annika Sorenstam playing in the Bank of America Colonial on the PGA Tour?

MICHELLE WIE: It's, like, really great to play over there, and she proved what she's made out of, and I wish she would do good over there because I played with her in the final group in Nabisco and she's a really great player so I think she'll do fine.

Q. Would you like to do something like what she's doing?

MICHELLE WIE: Sure.

Q. Are you going to play in the U.S. Public Links Championship this year?

MICHELLE WIE: If my schedule is open I'm trying to qualify, but the one in Hawaii, the U.S. Open, I mean, (inaudible) qualifier is the same date as the women's currently, so I think I'm going to miss it this year.

Q. Is winning that event and playing in the Masters something you've thought of?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. So, you're thinking about it as an option?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, there is a lot of -- there is an amateur, there is also the British (inaudible) so I'm looking at all my choices.

Q. What about playing in the British Amateur or Women's British Amateur?

MICHELLE WIE: It's fun to play golf in other countries that I never played before so that would be cool.

Q. How do you feel about the LPGA and PGA Tour players that have praised you in the media?

MICHELLE WIE: It surprises me because a lot of people think highly of me and when I'm reading the paper, oh, wait, they actually said that, so it's pretty cool hearing someone say that about me.

Q. There are a lot of people who expect things from you, but what do you expect from yourself?

MICHELLE WIE: I practice and play good and focus on every shot and do the best I can.

Q. Do you think you can win this event?

MICHELLE WIE: I have the same chance as everyone else, so maybe.

Q. What do other eighth-graders think of you?

MICHELLE WIE: It is still the same whether I go to school or miss school, so it's an 8th grade life.

Q. Do you still go to the mall and do other things like that?

MICHELLE WIE: I do that less and practice more, but I try to get that in.

Q. What part of Hawaii are you from?

MICHELLE WIE: Honolulu.

Q. So, you do have fun and do other things?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, but I guess less, and I have to do it in the night because in the day I'm on the golf course.

Q. How's your short game compared to your long game?

MICHELLE WIE: It's being a lot better. I guess not as good as my driver and stuff, but at Kraft Nabisco -- I'm a pretty good, okay, short-game player, but at Nabisco it didn't really work out, so I'm working on it. It may go better this time.

Q. How much do you know about Nancy Lopez?

MICHELLE WIE: Not that much, but I heard from my parents, actually, she's a great player awhile ago. She was a really pretty person and I'd like to be like her.

Q. Did you say a long time ago?

MICHELLE WIE: Did I say that?

Q. You met her at Nabisco, right?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. Are you still planning on going to college?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. Are you worried you won't be as excited about playing golf in 10 years or so when you'll be done with college?

MICHELLE WIE: I can get six month exemption so that's a pretty good taste of it.

Q. How much fun was it to be in the final group at the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Sunday?

MICHELLE WIE: I never had that experience before and it was really great. I could go back there and play again even if I shot a 76. It was really great playing with the great players.

Q. Were you more nervous or did you feel any different that day out there?

MICHELLE WIE: I guess it was different but I wouldn't say I was nervous but it was definitely different.

Q. Had you ever played on television before then?

MICHELLE WIE: I think at Takefuji last year, yeah.

Q. Did you realize that everyone was watching your every move?

MICHELLE WIE: No.

Q. What classes are you taking at school?

MICHELLE WIE: I take honors math and English, science, just all the basic courses including home ec, I took shop last semester, PE, and I think that's --

Q. How did you like shop class?

MICHELLE WIE: It was pretty fun. We made like a foldable chair out of wood.

Q. Earlier the talk was that you were going to play in a couple of Canadian PGA events. Are you still going to do that?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm playing in the Canadian PGA event, yes.

Q. Have you talked to Tiger or met him yet?

MICHELLE WIE: No, I didn't yet.

Q. What was it like for you at the Sony tournament hitting balls next to all of the PGA Tour players?

MICHELLE WIE: I couldn't really hit the ball really straight. My knees were, like, shaking I was, like, nervous, and last year I said hi to David Toms and I couldn't even hit the ball after that.

Q. Were you surprised that it's not warmer here in Atlanta when you got here?

MICHELLE WIE: I was expecting it to be colder.

Q. How tough will it be for you to get right off a nine-hour flight, do this press conference and then go play golf?

MICHELLE WIE: It was my first time doing it and I get tired really easy for a 13-year old.

Q. What is the golf scene like in Hawaii? What was it like for you starting out there?

MICHELLE WIE: I grew up around lot of courses, Monday and Thursday, Olomana, they have a junior membership program, and if you pay a lot of money you can go out free and on Fridays or Mondays. When it's busy I go to Pearl Country and then we go to Koolina on the weekend.

Q. How old were you when you first started playing?

MICHELLE WIE: I was four, but I wasn't really into golf at that time, I was just hitting balls, and at the time I started really concentrating on golf I was about seven or eight, and my first tournament was at nine.

Q. Do you have plans to qualify for any more PGA Tour events other than Sony, or just try for Sony?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I'm going to try Sony because I don't think we have the time to go other places and try.

Q. Would you be interested in a sponsor exemption for a PGA Tour event?

MICHELLE WIE: Would you be interested in a sponsor exemption for a PGA Tour event?

Q. Is your summer schedule set for this year?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I learn what my schedule is but if I qualify for Sony, it's the U.S. Amateur and Open, then it's scheduled, but if I don't qualify it's kind of different.

Q. How many are junior events?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I'm only going to play the U.S. Junior Girls then I play in the Women's Amateur and the U.S. Women's Open and the other four LPGA events.

Q. So, those and the Canadian PGA event?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, and the Canadian.

Q. Would you play in the Women's British?

MICHELLE WIE: If they gave me an invitation then I'll go, but then it would be seven sponsors, so maybe next year.

Q. What do you think about being a role model for other young girls?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know people who want to invite me and stuff because it's kind of weird because I'm not that kind of superhero kind of person so it's kind of weird, but it's cool.

Q. Have you given much thought to playing in the men's events and how that will be?

MICHELLE WIE: I didn't really put a thought into it. It's kind of natural for me. When I was really young, when I was five, I was the only girl on the boy's baseball team so it came natural to me, I just wanted to play with the boys.

Q. So, maybe in the future you might want to play some on the PGA Tour?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, or maybe full time or just try to play both.

Q. What other sports do you like to play?

MICHELLE WIE: I like to play volleyball, yeah, volleyball and basketball and just stuff.

Q. You practice at the Leadbetter Academy and have the same coaches as Ernie Els. Do you think you have some of his takeaway in your swing?

MICHELLE WIE: I like Ernie's swing a lot, so it's a really great thing to look after and doesn't have a lot of bad stuff in it. It's a swing you could play a long time with.

Q. Why did you decide to play in this event?

MICHELLE WIE: Because it's hosted by Nancy Lopez.

Q. So, Nancy had something to do with your decision?

MICHELLE WIE: I think so, yes.

Q. What made you pick this one over other events?

MICHELLE WIE: I got six months exemptions and you got get six exemptions so I didn't really have to choose.

Q. Have you had any offers since then that you have had to turn down?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. My dad handles all that.

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