KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2021

Michelle Wie West

Kent Bazemore

Atlanta Athletic Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're here with Michelle Wie West and Kent Bazemore, fresh off the course from the KPMG Pro-Am. What was the day like playing with this one next to you?

MICHELLE WIE: It's always fun playing with Kent. This golf course is amazing. We had a great time. I'm glad the storm stayed away. We got all 18 in. I didn't know that was going to happen.

THE MODERATOR: Kent, longtime Atlanta Hawk. Everyone is excited to have you. Had you played here before? What was the experience like?

KENT BAZEMORE: I played back in the day about two, three years ago, but it's been a while since I've been out here. Amazing event. Glad I could be out and be a part with Michelle. I came and watched Michelle up at the U.S. Open at Olympic. She said, hey, can you play? I was like, what? Am I in town? Of course. I'm glad I could be a part. A big fan of a lot of ladies out here. Glad I could kind of see them in person. I'm a fan just like everybody else.

THE MODERATOR: We're a fan of you. We're especially a fan of a nice picture we saw up there on Instagram, back in April with you wearing Michelle's second pride-and-joy after Kenna, the cotton candy, tie-dyed hoodie. How did you get hooked into this program, and what are your thoughts on what Michelle has done with this hoodie?

KENT BAZEMORE: Actually, her husband Johnny, we're colleagues of sort. We worked together this year, and he ran the idea by us. I love supporting anyone, first of all, but I've been a big fan of Michelle's for a very long time way back in the day when she was a premier Nike athlete on the golf course. I've been a big fan. Just that one degree of separation put me right there next to her, and I was excited to kind of wear the hoodie and get it out there.

It took off actually. I was really floored by the response.

Q. That leads me to my question, Michelle. We'll have some details for people later this week about sales and everything. I think this has been bigger than any of us imagined. A lot of it comes back to Kent and Damian and everyone who's been supporting it. What has this last couple months been like?

MICHELLE WIE: It's been wild. I remember calling Roberta, I have this crazy idea. She's like okay. She jumped right on board from the get-go, and Roberta and her team at the LPGA worked day and night trying to get this figured out. I did not make it easy for them.

It's amazing when you have such a great item and especially going towards such a great cause, and seeing how everyone has supported it. The craziest thing about it is that the large and extra larges were sold out first, and they keep selling out over and over again. It's just so amazing to see the support of dads wearing it, male figures wearing it.

I remember just waking up to a hundred messages, and when Kent and Damian wore it going on the plane, it just really blew up in the most viral way possible, and really got the word out there, so we're really grateful for support from NBA players and friends and such.

Q. It was at this event in Minneapolis when a lot of people thought, wow, we might never see her again. How refreshing is it, and how inspiring is it, not just to be back at this event, but to be back period?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm glad that KPMG travels, and we're not back at Hazeltine because that would have brought up some memories. I'm grateful. I'm grateful to be back out here. I know I'm on borrowed time. I know that every shot matters to me more than anyone can ever imagine.

When I last played at KPMG, it really just struck me now that that was the last time. I really didn't think I'd ever touch a golf club ever again, so to be back out here playing for fun, and more on top of that, to be competitive again, that's just wild to me, and I'm just eternally grateful for the opportunity to do this again.

Q. Is it liberating, Michelle, to play without the burden of expectations that you carried for so long?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. It doesn't feel any different. I still carry the same expectations for myself, but it does have a different feel to it knowing that you might have not played ever again. So just coming out with a fresh start, a fresh perspective on everything, it really makes it a lot more fun.

Q. Kent, can you talk about coming back as an athlete, whether it's from an injury or anything like that? Kind of the grit that it takes to do that.

KENT BAZEMORE: Yeah, it's real. Anytime you're trying to get back, myself too the last three years, on three teams, had two kids, so you talk about the grind of just life. As a family, you're watching someone play golf or play baseball or play football, we just see them on the court, the field, the course, but there's so many other factors in your life that goes into the finished product.

Anytime you have a setback for something that you've put so much time into definitely dings you. You get going; you get in the groove; you find out who you are as a person and as an athlete, and when it gets taken away from you, and you've got to start from scratch, biting the bullet of putting your ego aside and really coming back up.

The word she used was "grateful." We get to play our sport at the highest level with the best of the best. Just being able to do that and the challenge of getting back to who you are suddenly takes over and makes it all fun again.

Q. We do a lot with young players who are obviously looking to play sports at the highest level. I'd be curious of your advice to either young golfers or just young athletes in general, Kent. What's your advice to them to get to the next level?

KENT BAZEMORE: It's a long journey filled with ups and downs. I think timing is everything, opportunity, but your preparation is key. There's so many different devices for kids today, so many different sports. The world has gotten so much smaller with social media. You see a kid get thrown, girl ball handling, now throwing on Instagram or SportsCenter Instagram, and she got 150,000 followers, people following her for the rest of her life.

Just stay true to who you are. The world is going to try to change you. People are going to tell you to be a certain way, try to paint a picture for you, try to tell you what you're thinking. Stay true to yourself, continue to grind, and believe in yourself.

MICHELLE WIE: Like Kent said, it's about opportunity. It's about timing and having the resources. That's why this hoodie is so important to me and the LPGA and to Roberta and to Renee Powell. Hopefully, it will help give more kids the opportunity to get access to this sport. As we all know, it's not the cheapest game to get into. There's a lot of walls to get past. Hopefully, this can break down some barriers and give more access and resources and opportunity.

If that opportunity wasn't given to me, if I didn't have the resources to fly to the mainland and play in the USGA events or go to the LPGA events, if I didn't have people that supported me, believed in me, I wouldn't be where I am today no matter how talented or good I was at the sport.

So it's all about equity into the game and into our youth.

Q. This is a question for both of you. Kent, as a longtime fan of Michelle, if Michelle were an NBA player, who would she be? And Michelle, the same question as a fan of Kent, if Kent were an LPGA player, who would he be? You can't use each other is my only other thing.

KENT BAZEMORE: I'll go Jeremy Lin, solid. Yeah, I'll go with J-Lin, great guy, really into the community, very invested, great heart, great spirit. A lot of parallels there.

MICHELLE WIE: Sorry, Jeremy Lin. Very unathletic. Just try to throw a ball at me. Okay, LPGA player -- do we have any lefties?

THE MODERATOR: Katelyn Dambaugh.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, that's a good one. Katelyn Dambaugh, lefty, great ball striker, great putter. He had some good putts today. Really powerful, great feel. Yeah, you had a great day today.

KENT BAZEMORE: I've got to meet Katelyn.

Q. Thank you so much for your leadership. You're so gracious about it. This campaign has really been on your back and your vision. It's been amazing. Thank you for bringing Kent out today. Kent, I've got to ask. If you could put together your ideal foursome, who would be on that?

KENT BAZEMORE: You want me to be specific?

Q. Answer it however you'd like.

KENT BAZEMORE: Since I'm at an LPGA event, I'll go all ladies. Obviously, Michelle. We'll do a Two v. Two versus the Korda sisters. I'm a big fan of them. We'll go Two v. Two versus them.

MICHELLE WIE: I like that. We got that.

THE MODERATOR: Speaking of the Kordas, we're going to say thanks to you because we've got Nelly waiting out here in the sun.

KENT BAZEMORE: It's going to be a great week. Hopefully this weather holds up. But welcome to Atlanta.