MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 10, 2006

Michelle Wie West

MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bulle Rock Golf Course
Havre de Grace, Maryland

An interview with:

PAUL ROVNAK: Michelle, thanks for coming in. Great birdie there on 18 to get to 67 under, I believe you're one shot off the lead going into tomorrow in a Major championship. You're in a great spot to have a chance to win. Go ahead and talk about your day and then we'll take some questions.

MICHELLE WIE: It was a pretty frustrating day out there. I felt like I played very well, but I didn't, I kind of made a little bit made a couple stupid mistakes out there. But my game feels very solid right now. I'm very confident about my game and tomorrow I want to just shoot a really good score and see what happens.

Q. I hate to bring this up, but the 17th, can you talk about that putt on the 17th hole?

MICHELLE WIE: Well it was just a bad putt. I just kind of pulled it to the left. I just didn't hit it good. It was a bad putt.

Q. And how were you able to regroup after that and come back on 18?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I was pretty pissed off after 17. I was ready to bite someone's head off. So I think I kind of channeled that frustration into a good hole on 18 because I felt really good all day and I felt like this is what I need for tomorrow.

Q. You had a few drives that went to the left, which you had been doing the last couple of days. Can you explain why?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I just had a couple of just bad swings here and there. But it wasn't really that, I don't think it's really that serious. I hit a good shot on 18. I'm still feeling good, comfortable with my swing. So I just, it was just a couple bad swings here or there, but I don't think it's a big problem.

Q. On No. 11, how far did you hit your drive and could you take us through those first shots there.

MICHELLE WIE: Well, it was downwind so I hit a driver. I think it went about like 310. I was looking at the yardage guide, or 320, I don't know. It felt really good. I hit it really good. And I hit a 5 wood for my second shot. But I was completely on a downhill slope so a 5 wood was the only play could I get. I couldn't really get to the green, but if I had hit a 3 wood there, I didn't know where the line was.

So I think I played very strategically. I left myself with about like 20 yards short of the green and I chipped up and got it up and down.

Q. You were in contention in this tournament last year and finished second. Does it feel any different this year? Do you feel more confident about your chances this year? Obviously you have a year experience. Do you feel better?

MICHELLE WIE: I think this year I feel a lot more confident with my game right now and I'm feeling like this golf course owes me a good round. So I'm feeling really good about it.

Q. When you started did you feel like you were kind of hanging on by your fingernails for awhile? Was there a point where you kind of got your rhythm?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I made a good birdie on 1 and then I kind of made a couple of bad I just had a couple of bad holes.

But I just felt like it was very up and down. I didn't really feel like I had really any momentum going in.

But I felt like I was playing very solidly, I was hitting the ball great except for a couple of tee shots here and there. But I think the birdie on 18 really rounded out my round today and I really look forward going into tomorrow. I think it really helped a lot.

Q. Outside of 17, it looked to me like you putted pretty solidly. Did you do anything different? Can you talk about your putting today?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I just think I'm getting used to reading these greens. These greens are very tricky and I just feel it was my third round here and I feel like I'm getting more used to the greens.

Q. Did you learn anything the last few tournaments when you were in contention as you are now that you can take with you tomorrow?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think I learned a lot from the Kraft Nabisco, I learned a lot from the Fields Open and I feel this is going to be, this is my, I mean, it's not going to be the first time that I'm in contention going into the final round.

So I'm going to use all the experience that I have had and tomorrow is just another round of golf. I'm just going to try my hardest and see what happens out there.

Q. It's obviously been a long day, long couple days and a long week. First, how tired are you right now and then second, tomorrow, do you plan on looking at the leaderboard at all, especially on the back nine?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm not tired at all. I'm just a little hungry. It is 8:30.

I haven't eaten dinner yet. But I'm feeling really good energy wise. I've been sleeping well. Tee time was not that early, I mean today, so you got to sleep in a little bit. So I'm feeling really good. And I'll try not to really look at the scoreboard tomorrow. I just have a score in my head that I want to shoot and I just want to just hit every shot as best as I can tomorrow.

Q. What is that score?

MICHELLE WIE: I can't tell you. You'll see tomorrow.

Q. Will you be honest tomorrow afterwards?

MICHELLE WIE: I'll try.

Q. I'm curious. If you take Pat Hurst out of the equation the whole top of the leaderboard seems to be filled with 20 year old girls, 20 year old women. Does that register with you or make you a little more comfortable or does it not? You don't even notice it?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't think age really matters. It's just, I don't really look at really who is above me. I'm just, like I said, I'm just going to be out there. I have a score in my head that I want to shoot and that's what I'm just aiming towards. I'm not really looking at anyone above me.

Q. But speaking to the game in general, the women's game, is that impressive?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think it's very impressive. Women golfers are getting better and better and they're just getting more and more talented at a younger age and they're just playing really well out here. I think a lot of these players have a lot of tournament experience. Even though they're very young they play a lot of tournaments. So I think they have a lot of experience, even though they're not that old.

Q. Do you think you're going to have to play the par 5s, go a little lower on them tomorrow to be there?

MICHELLE WIE: I think that a couple par 5s owe me a lot today. You know, I feel like I have to play strategically and I'm just going to I just can't predict anything right now. But I want to play a lot lower on the par 5s and the par 4s and par 3s, so but we'll just see tomorrow. I'll try my hardest. If I make birdie, that's great, but if I don't, but hopefully I'll make some tomorrow.

PAUL ROVNAK: Start with the birdie on 1.

MICHELLE WIE: 1, I pulled my 3 wood left into the rough. Actually didn't really pull it, it just, I hit it a little bit fat and the wind took it left. But I hit a 9 iron off the uphill lie and then I had about like 15 feet.

Bogey 2. Hit my driver left into the water hazard. I hit an 8 iron and I laid up and I had about like a 140 yard shot. I hit a pitching wedge to about like 15 feet and again missed it.

PAUL ROVNAK: Number 3.

MICHELLE WIE: 3, I hit a 9 iron like three quarter 9 iron. It was very surprising. That went a long way. And I had about like a 40 foot putt and I kind of hit my first putt kind of long. I had about six feet coming back and I missed it.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 4.

MICHELLE WIE: 4, I hit a 3 wood and then I hit a gap wedge to about 12 feet and made it.

PAUL ROVNAK: Bogey on 5.

MICHELLE WIE: Hit a 3 wood off the tee, hit a 6 iron to about 24 feet. Hit my first putt a little bit long, I had about like six feet coming back and missed it.

PAUL ROVNAK: Birdie on 9.

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver and then I hit my pitching wedge no. Gap wedge, gap wedge a little bit long, really long, actually, to about like 30 feet and made it.

PAUL ROVNAK: 11, par 5.

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a driver, 5 wood and a lob wedge to about three feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: What did you hit on 17?

MICHELLE WIE: 17? No, I was actually on the green. I hit a 7 iron about like 30 feet short of the hole and I hit my first putt about three feet short and I missed a really short putt.

PAUL ROVNAK: And then you finished with a birdie on 18.

MICHELLE WIE: I hit a 3 wood, 9 iron no, I hit a 7 iron there to about like 12 feet.

PAUL ROVNAK: Any more questions for Michelle? Okay. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.