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CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 12, 2008

Michelle Wie West

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Michelle, thanks for coming in and joining us today. I know you've had a couple events this year on the LPGA Tour. This is your sixth and final sponsor's exemption. If you could, talk about your year so far and your expectations for this week.
MICHELLE WIE: It was interesting. Kind of had the up and downs. I felt like I was -- you know, my game has gotten better over the summer. Gradually feeling like I'm starting to feel more comfortable playing out here again. I'm starting to feel feeling Heathier and healthier.
I just feel like it's been a good summer. I've learned a lot about my game and myself this summer. I'm really excited to play here and I'm really excited to be here, too. It's a great golf course, and I think it's going to be a great last event.
ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Questions for Michelle.

Q. You mentioned you learned a lot of things about your game and yourself. What have you learned about yourself over this summer?
MICHELLE WIE: Just about perseverance, patience, hard work. Just, you know, I felt like I worked really hard preparing for the summer and during the summer as well.
I feel like I've, I don't know how to say it, but just kind of learned how to be patient with myself and, you know, kind of just accept things. Try not to be as perfect and just to enjoy the game again. Learning how to play pain-free again.

Q. There's been lots of advice I think probably offered in the media and suggestions as far as what you should do with your career. I'm curious what the LPGA Tour players have suggested to you, or if you've even asked them.
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, they just think that -- everyone has their own opinion of what I should do, but I think that, you know, it's kind of -- it's my life. I know that there might be wrong decisions that I've made and there might have been right decisions that I made. But all in all, they're decisions that I had made for myself.
I think the only decision I can make is to be 100% supportive of myself and to not doubt myself at all. I still think that -- you know, a lot of people have given me advice over this year. I listen to them, you know. I listen to the people that are important to me, close to me, that I respect. I listen to their advice.
But all in all in the end, I think it just comes down to my decision. You know, I feel it's part of my decision the decisions that I made, and it's just going along.

Q. Besides going to Stanford for your second year in the fall, what do you see in the future? Do you see yourself getting established on the women's tour, or do you want to try to continue to play both tours, the men's and the women's?
MICHELLE WIE: I haven't really decided anything yet. I think I'm just going to -- right now I'm too involved with me playing in the summer to think about the future. I think planning what's going to happen next year or this fall is going to happen after this week.
Right now all I'm thinking about is how am I going to play good this week? How am I maybe going to, you know, possibly win this? I think the planning and whatnot will happen after this week in the off-season.

Q. Would you be willing to go to qualifying school if that's what it took?
MICHELLE WIE: I think, like I said, I'm not going to think about the future right now.

Q. Do you wish most of the tour events would almost mind their own business when it comes to making comments about you? I know the British Open was a big one that seemed to cause a lot of stir. Do you ever think, Keep those comments to yourself?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't even know the comments because I haven't heard or read them. I don't really care actually, you know.
Like I said, people will have their opinion about me. Obviously a couple of those, whether it's criticism or compliments, they will come my way and I will, you know, hear about them or maybe possibly accidentally read about them.
I just feel like people will have their opinions. I'd rather them have an opinion about me than not have an opinion about me. That's just the way it is. I'm pretty used to it by now.

Q. Where you are right now in your career, looking back five years ago, what's good about where you are and what's maybe disappointing from your perspective?
MICHELLE WIE: I think my game matured a lot, I think. I'm very happy where I am with my college. I think going -- getting into Stanford, number one, was one of my biggest goals growing up. I always looked up to that and always looked up to, you know, playing well and doing what I want to do.
So far I've been doing what I want to do. I've been taking my career into my own hands and playing the tournaments that I want to play in and stuff like that.
Obviously the biggest disappointment is pretty obvious: my injuries. I feel like, you know, a lot of things could have happened if I didn't injure myself. It was a freak accident and stuff like that happens in life.
I feel like this is a good time where I reevaluate my game and, you know, look at what I done good and what I done bad. You know, it's a little dip, but I feel like that's going to launch me even bigger.

Q. How is the wrist?
MICHELLE WIE: It's a lot better. I'm starting to play pain-free. It comes back from time to time, but it's pretty good.

Q. Experiencing what you've experienced, if you could double back in time a few years - and you're talking about your goal of going to Stanford - would it have been nice to make that decision a while ago and you wouldn't have these uncomfortable questions and you wouldn't have to go through this now?
MICHELLE WIE: I don't know what you're asking.

Q. If you had that choice, if you could go back in time and do that, go to Stanford three years ago instead of turning pro...
MICHELLE WIE: I would still be in high school. I would have to graduate high school first to get to college, you know. That's how it works.

Q. I meant before turning pro. I'm sorry.
MICHELLE WIE: Like I said, it's a decision that I made and I don't regret it. At that time, I wanted to go to Stanford and play professional golf. I didn't want to give up one or the other. I have a lot of fun doing golf.

Q. Changing gears a little bit, how much have you been out on the golf course, and how do you feel it suits your game?
MICHELLE WIE: I love the golf course. It's very beautiful. The greens have a lot of undulation to them, but it's a very nice golf course. You have some holes where you can bomb the driver, and a couple holes where you just have to put it down the fairway.
I think that brings a lot of variety of shots onto the golf course, and it's in great shape. It's in really beautiful condition. The rough is, you know, kind of long, but the fairways are nice and the greens are really nice.
I think they have done a really good job of keeping up the condition of the golf course.

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