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FIELDS OPEN IN HAWAII

February 25, 2006

Michelle Wie West

KAPOLEI, HAWAII

PAUL ROVNAK: Michelle, thanks for coming in and speaking to us. Great tournament, you finished 14 under. You played specifically well, especially today. Talk about your the tournament and your high finish.

MICHELLE WIE: I played awesome today. I felt I played very solid today, but unfortunately, not the way I wanted it to turn out. I'm happy with the way I played. I played solid and I know what to work on for the next tournament so I feel ready.

Q. How closely were you following what was going on at the end there with the leaderboard and the changes?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really that closely. Basically I was checking out what time it was. My watch is so cool. I was asking my caddie, "Do you know what time it is?" The scoreboard, I didn't pay that much attention to.

Fortunately when I looked up at the scoreboard they didn't really show the score much. It was only showing like the 14th place score and that. Toward the end I saw the scoreboard and I was tied for the lead and I thought, Right on. I felt comfortable out there it was very nice.

Q. You talked a little bit about the crowd on TV. What was your sense that you were getting from them?

MICHELLE WIE: It was awesome. The positive energy I received from the crowd today was awesome. I felt like I basically knew half the people in the gallery. It was awesome. Just the people following me, rooting for me, especially walking down the 18th hole. It felt awesome.

Q. Was it on 16 you knew you were tied or somewhere else?

MICHELLE WIE: I think it was 16.

Q. And you saw that from the scoreboard?

MICHELLE WIE: Mm hm.

Q. How bad do you wish this was a 72 hole event so you could have another crack at them? And second, how many times have you seen that putt on 18?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, really, right now sitting here I really wish it was a 72 hole event. And that putt on 18, I basically hit that a lot. I mean, I play here, and I putted that putt a lot. So I felt comfortable over it. And then once I hit it it went in the completely opposite direction I wanted it to. It was supposed to go left to right almost straight, but that thing curved left. So I guess that wasn't meant to be.

Q. At what point today did you really feel you could make a serious run at it?

MICHELLE WIE: Starting from the first hole I felt awesome. Today I didn't put my 5 wood to left, it went straight today. I'm hitting the ball very solid and I think that's the thing I was very proud of myself. I just kept on the shot. I didn't look ahead. And I've been working on that a lot and I just felt very solid today. I felt very comfortable out there.

Q. What would you do over if you could play the par 5 where you bogeyed? What would you change there?

MICHELLE WIE: I didn't hit one fairway on that hole the whole tournament. So if I had one more time I would probably want to hit the fairway, so I would have a chance to get on the green and 2 putt at it.

Q. How do you like what you did today? Of course a lot of people counted the strokes yesterday and said, I don't know if she's going to be able to do it tomorrow. Your showing today proved otherwise.

MICHELLE WIE: I felt awesome that I came back from a kind of so so round yesterday and my game was very solid today. I felt like I was nailing every putt, every shot and I think that's very important for the next tournament, the confidence that I have.

Q. What did Turner and Morgan say to you at the end of 18 when you guys all hugged and everything?

MICHELLE WIE: They said "good job" and "nice round" and stuff like that. They were very encouraging. It was very nice.

Q. Did you have fun playing with Morgan?

MICHELLE WIE: Yes, it was great. She is a nice girl. She played good. Carla struggled a bit at the end, but she's a very talented player. I think she'll do really well this year.

Q. After you guys both tapped in for birdies on the first hole, it looks like you were chatting a little bit walking up the second fairway. Do you feel like sharing that at all?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't really remember. I kind of feel a little flabbergasted right now. I don't know what happened on the second hole really.

Q. Your scores this week are so impressive, is it more reflective of how your game is maturing or your confidence on this course or both?

MICHELLE WIE: Both. It's how much I worked on my game, mentally and physically. And you know, I felt like my endurance was higher than other tournaments. I felt like I finished strong, and I've been working with Jim Meier, my psychologist, and I have been working on trying to make me feel good and things like that, and he's been dog a good job.

I've been working really hard day in and day out and I think it shows, and Ko Olina is almost my home course, basically, and I feel comfortable here. The gallery was great. Everything was awesome.

Q. Do you think that's a big part of it, the metal strategy? Now you're really starting to hone in on your game. Just what you do mentally, is that a big part for you?

MICHELLE WIE: Yes, I think so. The mental part of the game is very important in golf, especially because it's four and a half, five hours long and you have a lot of breaks in between the shots. And I think the mental part of the game was very was a very important part, and hopefully I can get better as I get older and have more experience under my belt.

PAUL ROVNAK: Take us over your scorecard. Start with the birdie on 1.

MICHELLE WIE: Driver down the middle, 3 wood today, and I got it just short of the green and I chipped with a 9 iron and I tapped in for birdie.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 3?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit my driver down to the right side of the fairway, hit a sand wedge to about 15, 16 feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on par 5?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver down the middle, hit a 6 iron. My putt was about 20 feet long, missed, two putts.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 6?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver down the middle, hit a gap wedge to the hole and had about like 5 feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 11?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a 3 wood and then I hit a sand wedge to about like 12 feet and made it.

PAUL ROVNAK: Bogey on 13?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver to the left rough. I laid up to about like 78 yards, was short of the ridge and I three putted.

PAUL ROVNAK: From how far?

MICHELLE WIE: From about like 40 feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Do you know how far the par putt was?

MICHELLE WIE: About four feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 14?

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver, hit a 6 iron onto the green. It was a little longer than the fringe, about 20 feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: 17?

MICHELLE WIE: Hit a 3 wood and then I hit a 9 iron and then it was like 17 feet.

Q. How far?

MICHELLE WIE: About 18 feet, give or take actually, it was longer than that. I don't know, somewhere around there.

Q. Your next event is the Nabisco, which is four or five weeks from now. Anything you'll work on between now and then? And how difficult is it to play well when you have such gaps in between?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, with this round I want to play next week because I feel I'm right on my game. I'll work on my driver, my short game, wedges, putting, I can improve on that. And I have a lot to work on. I'm looking forward to working on it for the Kraft.

Q. How nice would it have been to have won here and not have to listen to that anymore?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I mean, there is a lot of what if, what if, would have been, it would be nice. I would have been awesome if I had won, but unfortunately it didn't happen this week, but hopefully it will happen in the next one.

Q. Was there a point when you and Morgan were going on and you thought this is what it's going to be like for the next 5, 10, 15 years?

MICHELLE WIE: That really never crossed my mind. I was focused on making birdies. I was focused on the present. It's hard to think about what's going to happen, 10, 15 years down the road.

End of FastScripts.

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