home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 6, 2006

Michelle Wie West

HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND

PAUL ROVNAK: All right. We'll get started. Michelle, welcome to the media room. Thanks for taking the time. You had a very busy day yesterday and now you're playing in the McDonald's for the second year in a row. You were runner up here last year. Just talk about coming back playing Bulle Rock again for the McDonald's tournament.

MICHELLE WIE: It's really exciting. I came up to Bulle Rock I think on the weekend before, so like last Saturday or something Monday. Monday, whatever, I don't know what that was. But I came here on Monday and a lot of memories came back. I was like, oh, this is the hole, I was like, oh, this is so much fun, coming back to the golf course, coming back to a Major championship.

I had a lot of fun practicing here. Playing yesterday was a lot of fun. Now I'm even more motivated to play better this week.

PAUL ROVNAK: Okay. Questions?

Q. I know you were only here so far today, but what's been the reaction from some of your playing peers about what happened yesterday? What are people saying to you that has been mostly complimentary?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you know, right after I was done Christina texted me. She said, you did a really good job. I thought that was really sweet of her. And all my friends. All my guy friends in fact and all my girlfriends don't even know what happened to me. And but all the guys are the ones that watch Sports Center and ESPN and things like that. And they all texted me, you did a good job, do better this week. And it was all very positive.

I talked to Jim this morning. I talked to David yesterday and they all said I did a really good job, which was really good. And I'm just really excited.

Q. As it relates to the length of the course, the width of the fairways, how much do you think yesterday or prepared for yesterday is going to help you this week?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think it helped me a lot. Playing 36 holes yesterday, I think after that I think playing 18 holes for four days is going to be a breeze. It was really wet yesterday. So the first the whole day actually, my ball had no roll at all. So the course played extra long, I thought. I think that it's going to hopefully make this week seem a little bit easier.

The greens are very tricky, they have a lot of slope to them, even when they didn't have a lot of slope to them they were very subtle and tricky. So hopefully I can use that experience yesterday to read the greens better this week.

Q. You're playing an LPGA Championship today and it's obviously a contrast to yesterday trying to make a men's Open. Do you consider it your responsibility to play in the LPGA as much as possible and bring the goodwill that you embody and all of the media attention that you embody, to the LPGA Tour to help it grow?

MICHELLE WIE: No, I don't think it is my responsibility. It's what I want to do. My goal is to win an LPGA tournament. And to be able to win, you actually have to play in some tournaments. And I'm having a lot of fun playing the LPGA Championship this weekend and playing the playing as much tournaments as I can, a lot of sponsor exemptions and trying not to miss as much school as I can.

But I don't take it as a responsibility. I think the other players on this Tour are doing as good of a job as bringing media in, with the new players, and I think that I'm just being me. And I'm just playing wherever I want to play and I want to play on, play on the LPGA Tour as well as the men's and the European Tour, the Asian Tour, I mean, just all over the place. I love it.

Q. Yesterday you talked about specifically working on your putting after what happened. What do you do? What's the process you go through and what specifically will you work on for the putting?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I felt like I was stroking the ball very solidly yesterday. It was just a matter of reading the greens. Since I think it was because I was practicing on different speeds just at home and then here the greens are very different, Bermuda with the grain, and then you come here, yesterday with the poa annua, and it was really different. The greens were really different. So I think I just have to get used to these kind of greens and hopefully I'll use the experience yesterday to be able to read the greens better, but I think that I just have to putt on them more to be more used to the greens because they're really different from Hawaii.

Q. You mentioned you have kind of goals of playing everywhere and really enjoy it. As far as for the PGA, what are your career goals as far as playing on that Tour with the men?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, ever since I started playing golf I wanted to play on the PGA TOUR. I didn't really think that it was a men's Tour. I thought PGA TOUR, I mean, I thought that would be cool. And it's always been what I wanted to do. It's always been my goal to be able to compete with them. And it's always going to be. And I'm always going to try.

Q. How are you feeling today? Yesterday was a long, long day and is your energy level up? Are you ready for the week? Are you down a little bit? How do you feel?

MICHELLE WIE: I felt like I was 80 years old when I woke up this morning, because I couldn't move. I woke up this morning and I was like, oh, God, I feel so stiff. And I'm a little bit stiff today. I'm a little bit sore. And I'm a little bit sore today but I think if I stretch well today I think that I'm feeling my energy level is really up right now. I'm feeling really good. It's just I think I have to stretch a little bit more and eat well and I think I'll be fine.

Q. In regards to the PGA TOUR, could you talk a little bit about your decision to play in the event in Pittsburgh and how it was that you came to know the Hardy family?

MICHELLE WIE: Oh, the 84 Lumber. I just go to Nemacolin on my weeks off. It's a great resort. And we got to know the Hardy family. They're a really good family. They're really nice people. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with them and they're really nice and I enjoy spending time with them. And I played the golf course a couple of times, sometimes, but, I mean, many times and I feel like the golf course suits me.

Obviously it's probably going to be the longest course I'm ever going to play, ever played so far. But the golf course is very exciting to me. It's a little bit challenging because it's long, but I think it's going to be very fun week.

Q. I know you never played in it before, but was it at all disappointing to you that at the time that you will play will be the last time for that tournament?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's kind of sad that it won't be there the next year. But that's going to make this year even more special because it's going to be, I guess, I don't know if it may be the last time, so I'm going to cherish it. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Q. What was it that was so appealing about the PGA TOUR when you were a young girl? Was there a history of you competing against boys, was the LPGA, did you just not see them on it. How did that all come about?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I always had a thing, I guess, since I was a tomboy growing up, and my parents wanted me to be more of a girl, so they put me in ballet and I absolutely hated it, so I joined the baseball team. I was the only girl on the baseball team. I made the all star team. So I think that kind of shows from like when I was like four years old, even though it was pee wee baseball I still take pride that I made the all star team.

But it was a lot of fun. Playing with the guys, I mean, I remember when I was in school and at recess I would play basketball with the guys, so I was a tomboy, I was, I like playing with the guys. And this, it just kind of, I mean, when I first saw golf on TV, I never really realized that it was like the Masters, the first time, that was the first tournament I ever saw on TV, and I never really realized that it was only for men.

And the PGA TOUR stands for Professional Golf Association. There's no men in there. So I feel like I can play out there because I am a professional now, so I think that it's cool.

Q. Secondly, at what stage, from the time that you first qualified for the LPGA Tour at the Hawaiian event at age 12, at what point did you show up at a tournament thinking you could win, realistically win?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, out on the LPGA?

Q. Yeah.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, obviously the first couple of times I was there for experience. And I think that it was like maybe like the end of the second year going to the third year, I mean more of the third year, more of like last year, I forget. Yeah, it was last year. I kind of felt like during the summer I could really win. I felt like that I was playing well enough. I still knew that I need to practice a little bit more, gain a little bit more experience, but I felt like my ability was good enough and I had enough potential. And I felt like during the winter I worked hard enough so hopefully it will show this summer.

Q. Do you feel like there's a trickle down effect of the women's game when you're playing like in events like yesterday or playing in men's events that the women's game's being promoted by that?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. I don't know if me playing with the men is promoting anything. I haven't really I don't really pay attention to any of that stuff. I just, I'm out here to try my hardest, play my hardest and that's all that matters to me.

Q. Would you like though to have more, bring more attention to the women's game? Do you see that as up among your goals?

MICHELLE WIE: That's not really one, among my goals. I think it would be wonderful. I think the LPGA Tour is doing really well right now. I don't really feel like it is my goal to make the LPGA Tour better or anything, because I think they're really doing well right now. I think they're doing fine.

Q. My new question is why. This room is full. You had 300 people following you around yesterday. You were on the cover of the New York Times. Why do people care so much about you? Where's the fascination come from?

MICHELLE WIE: I guess the question is, why not? You know. I think it's pretty cool that I'm on the New York Times and I have no idea why people are fascinated by me. I'm just being me. I mean, I guess people are like, oh, I guess, I don't know, I don't know what people

Q. But why are 50 year old men interested in the golf pursuits of a 16 year old girl?

MICHELLE WIE: Do you want to know?

(Laughter.)

Q. How do you see your game changing over the past year from this point last year, I guess pretty good round out here, until now? How do you see your game changing?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think that, hopefully I feel like my game has got to more consistent. I feel like I've become a more mature person out there. I just feel like I can control myself better out there. I can control my mind a lot better out there. I feel like I have I'm more I have more control over myself.

Q. I guess, can you tell me real quick, the challenge of playing with Annika out here and you see yourself as one of the main challengers trying to knock her off from winning a fourth straight in this event?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm not really narrowing down on one person. I don't really think about the other players. Obviously she played very well here last year. She played magnificent. And this year I'm just going to play my hardest and see where it takes me. I'm not going to really think about anyone else.

Q. You've now played in nine LPGA Majors, you've got five Top 10s, a second year. Do you feel your game is in a place this week where you can go ahead and take the next step and win one?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. I mean, I feel like I can, you know, go to the next step. But it all depends on what happens this week. I'm not really sure. I feel really good about my game.

I want to try my hardest and play my hardest, but that's what I feel like now and I never know what's going to happen this week, so hopefully I'll play good. But you never know.

Q. You're a fairly young athlete. Do you feel that you can be a driving force behind getting a lot of younger fans involved in golf?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I'm not really sure. I think it would be cool to have a lot more kids playing golf, more into sports. But I think that that would be really good for you too.

Like I really felt yesterday, I mean, walking 36 holes is a workout. And I think that you can get your cardio done playing 18 holes and I think it would be good to get more kids into sports, more kids playing golf. And I think it would be great.

Q. You talked about the physical exhaustion of yesterday. I imagine it was a mental grind. Do you have any concerns about being able to get yourself mentally ready for this week after such a short period?

MICHELLE WIE: Not at all. I don't really feel tired. I just feel a little bit sore. I feel like I rested really well yesterday. I mean last night. I slept really well. So I feel like my mental energy level is back to normal. And I'm just super excited for this week. I'm really excited.

Q. You talked before the U.S. Open about putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. What was uncomfortable for you yesterday?

MICHELLE WIE: Actually, nothing really was uncomfortable for me. Yeah, it was really challenging. I guess not really uncomfortable, but the challenging part about yesterday was not really playing in a lot of 36 hole qualifying rounds. And those are my first U.S. Open sectional and qualifying. The courses weren't playing that easy because it was really wet and it was the first time for me. So I think that was the challenging part. But yesterday was a lot of fun. It was really a lot of fun.

Q. Kind of a moot point now, but if you could have chosen to have success or to have quote/unquote won at one of the events this week, would it have come on Monday at Canoe Brook or this week?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm not really sure.

Q. That's not an answer.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I am not really sure. It's hard. I think it would be to win this week. I think that it really, winning this week would be really awesome. And I guess, yeah, I would choose winning this week.

PAUL ROVNAK: Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle.

MICHELLE WIE: Thanks.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297