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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 11, 2007

Michelle Wie West

HONOLULU, HAWAII

TODD BUDNICK: We'd like to thank Michelle Wie for stopping by after her first round here at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Michelle, it looked like you had a difficult day off the tee today.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I mean, it was very frustrating because I knew if I got the ball in the fairway, I really could have shot really low today because my irons felt really great and my short game felt great and my putting felt great, which is usually the one that is usually let me down, but it was really weird, it was really frustrating because I knew that I had it in me.
And even though I was playing bad I knew I could always come back if I get the ball in the fairway. I was really proud of myself in the end for making those three birdies.

Q. What were you thinking coming off 9 at 8-over?
MICHELLE WIE: I was obviously very not happy with myself. It was also like I had nine more holes and I know the course, I know the golf course. So I really felt like I could, you know, kind of get things going if my shots held up.
You know, I felt like my irons were great today, my short game was great and I made a lot of really good saves on the back nine, made a lot of really good putts for birdie on the back nine. I think that I left the golf course, you know, shooting better, so I felt good.

Q. So do you feel like you left-with-your-head-held-high-type thing?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think so, definitely. Obviously at first it was just, who knows what happened. But at the end, I actually feel like I'm playing golf.

Q. Some of your playing partners said they thought your wrist meeting hurting more than you're letting on, can you tell us where it hurts and how it hurt?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I mean, it's just every kind of injury hurts a little bit. It's always in the back of your mind.
But, you know, it is what it is and I'm not going to make any excuses. It hurt a little bit but it is what it is.

Q. Whatever it is.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. Have you been assured that you can't injure it any more if you continue to play?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I'm going to acupuncture every day, and I'm going to the physical therapy every day, and I'm putting ice pack on it before and hot back before and I'm doing everything I can.
It's feel a lot better. It feels like it's progressing and I'm determined to play through this week.

Q. What do you have left for tomorrow? What kind of round do you think you have in you for tomorrow?
MICHELLE WIE: I definitely feel like I left a lot of golf shots out there with my drive shot. Looking forward, I feel like I have a lot of game still left in me, a lot more than today. I felt like if I get my ball in the fairway, my irons feel awesome. My driver actually felt really good going in. It was like one little careless mistake that I did with my setup that I kind of corrected in the last nine holes. I think if I just get everything right, get the ball in the fairway, get the ball anywhere in play, actually, I think that I can definitely, you know, tear this golf course up.

Q. You were missing everything left off the tee early on. Why was that, and when you talked about correcting the mistake in your setup what exactly was it?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I mean, it was like a little careless mistake. I don't really want to go into detail about it. It was just a little careless mistake that I overlooked or didn't even think about.
You know it felt good coming into the last couple of holes. Obviously the ball, the shape of my ball was like 100% better, and I felt like I can actually start it online. So I actually feel really confident about my swing. I totally forgot about the front nine because that wasn't even worth thinking about. I mean, it was pretty bad.
The last nine holes, I felt like I really got my game going and I can really shoot a low score tomorrow.

Q. What did you think when you first went left?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I've been left before, so I'm like, I still have a shot. It was in-bounds. I was very grateful for that. And I just took it from there.

Q. At the point on the first nine when you were really struggling, what was the lowest point and how did you pull yourself out of that?
MICHELLE WIE: I have to say my lowest point was the 6th hole, two doubles in a row. I just had a lot of things going on. But, you know, I just thought I'm not going to let this get away from me because I still have it in me. It's not like I couldn't -- it's not like my irons were bad or my putting, I was missing every putt. It was not like my short game was horrible. It was just that I just need to get my first shot in play so I could do it, and I kind of thought that I could do it.

Q. Can you give us the details on your birdies?
MICHELLE WIE: The 12th hole, I hit it right and I hit a 6-iron kind of over the tree, under the tree. It was actually a really good shot. I'm sad you missed it. I hit a 6-iron to about 18 feet and I made the putt.
And then 17, I hit a 5-iron to about 18 feet -- no, actually 20 feet.

Q. Once again, you've got the largest gallery out here. What do you say to all of these folks that are following you around?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I'm just really grateful that they actually came out and followed me. You know, I wasn't playing my greatest today. They still followed me to the end, and I did feel very grateful for them coming out and it felt really good when they cheered me on.

Q. How was the caddying?
MICHELLE WIE: It was interesting. (Laughing) I have to say my ball was a little bit dirty on the greens sometimes. (Laughter) But it was okay. He was a good caddie. It was actually quite surprising.

Q. You've had some rounds here, whatever, that have not been good. Scores are scores. What would you say is the closest you've ever come to giving up?
MICHELLE WIE: I would say pretty darned close. I mean, when you're out there, you're just like, oh, God, just can't get anything going.

Q. Are you talking about today, or just curious.
MICHELLE WIE: Overall. Like any tournament you're not hitting the ball well, you're hitting left, right; you just don't know what's happening. It's like, God, why am I doing this.
Then I think about why I'm doing it in the first place, and that overcomes whatever feeling that I have at that moment because it's what I want to do. And whether I'm playing good or not, the opportunity that I have, the fact that I'm actually here and playing is amazing and I'm going to take this chance whether I play good or bad. It's just another round.

Q. Before you were really hitting it well off the tee, and that was probably the strength of your game, and some of the comments were, you know, you had to work on your short game. Now it seems it's the flip; have you overcompensated by doing a lot of work on your short game? What's happened?
MICHELLE WIE: I think that's always what happens. I mean, you have a strength and you have a weakness, and then it never really comes to like your weakness becomes stronger as your strength is still the same. There's always going to be like a flipflop and a whatnot and an up-and-down. It's a learning process.
I'm not going to get it right, perfectly right, at 17. That would be crazy actually. It's a learning progress. It's growing pains. I feel like my short game and putting and irons are fantastic right now. I just have to get my ball in the fairway and in play.
I feel like after that, I can really shoot a low score.

Q. When did you switch to that putter?
MICHELLE WIE: I switched after Samsung.

Q. So you had it at Casio?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.
TODD BUDNICK: Michelle, thank you for coming in today.

End of FastScripts

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