	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

KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 31, 2009

Michelle Wie West

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

MIKE SCANLAN: All right, Michelle. Thanks so much for coming in. Welcome to the Kraft Nabisco Championship, obviously a place you're very familiar with, played here a few times before with some very good finishes, including a tie for third in 2006. If you would, just talk about being here in Palm Springs -- I know you spend a lot of time here -- and about being back at Mission Hills Country Club.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. I'm really excited to be here. The weather is great, and I've never seen the golf course in such great condition before. They've done a really great job of getting the golf course ready, and I'm really excited to play here again.
MIKE SCANLAN: Questions for Michelle. Please use the mic because we have a transcription service on the phone.

Q. It seems like every time you come here something good has happened. Could you talk about maybe one or two things you remember about your time here that stands out in all the time you've spent here?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, there's a lot of memorable things. I think a couple of really -- I guess the 18th hole is really unusual. Walking down the 18th hole, walking to the green, that long walk where people are clapping for you. It's a really good feeling. It's a great feeling.
Just everything about this golf course. All the good shots that I've had. I have a lot of good memories, so I'm really thankful about that.

Q. Michelle, if you can go back in time when you were 14, 13 years old, I was wondering if you can tell us if there's anything that you would like to change or you would change from that time on out to this point in your career.
MICHELLE WIE: I don't think I would change anything. I think things happen for a reason.
I had a lot of fun times. I wish I didn't hurt my wrist. That's one big thing. But that already happened, and I don't like looking into the past.
No matter how much you want to change it or you don't want to change it, you can't change it. All I want to do is focus on the present, and I have a lot of good friends and a lot of plans. I want to try my hardest and look into the future.

Q. Michelle, what's your game like right now?
MICHELLE WIE: I'm working at it. It's always a work in progress, but I feel pretty confident.

Q. Are you done with school?
MICHELLE WIE: Yes.

Q. And how did that go for you?
MICHELLE WIE: It went pretty well. I got my grades back, and I'm very happy about it.

Q. What kind of grades did you get?
MICHELLE WIE: I got A's and B's. I had a really hard -- not really hard for engineers, but I took an engineering class on like material designs and mass, so that one was a killer, but I actually did pretty well on it, so I'm pretty excited about that.
And there's a lot of interesting classes. I took a writing class on neuroscience and sound, and I took like an introductory class on like arts and ideas looking at performances, so really different type of classes.
I also took a Korean drama class, you watch Korean drama and we worked on our Korean. So really different classes. It was a pretty hard course for me, especially engineering class.

Q. Last time you played in a tournament, you missed a playoff by one shot, and in '07 and '08 you beat...(inaudible). What was it like? Did you watch the tournament a few years?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, truthfully not really. I just wanted to be here so bad, so I couldn't watch it.
But I can't believe that it's been already two years since I haven't played here, so after I got home, and it's weird not playing here, but playing here again this year I'm actually excited to play.

Q. If you were to win on Sunday, would you jump into the water and would your parents jump with you?
MICHELLE WIE: Me and Tim were actually trying to figure that out the other day on the 18th. We did a little greens map. We coursed out the greens, and I told Timmy I have to course out the water and which way is the deepest part.
I'm pretty sure -- I hopefully want it to be a graceful jump, but it'll probably turn out to be a really ugly one, unfortunately, but I don't really care as long as I get to. (Laughs).

Q. Who will jump with you?
MICHELLE WIE: Anyone that wants to jump with me is fine with me. I just have to get the deepest part.

Q. Michelle, I didn't see your parents yesterday on the greens with you and not here, and I was wondering what is the role of your parents now in your lives and your career, just your parents or are they active in your game or anything else?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. Obviously they're my parents. They're going to be parents, but they're obviously also a very big part of my game as well because they've seen me play all my life.
But mostly just, you know, let me handle it on my own now because I feel like I know a lot about my game as well, but me and Timmy have been working very hard on my game. So we've been really working hard at it.

Q. You mentioned about looking ahead and not in the past. What ways have you done that?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I guess I just take a different outlook on my life, I guess. Just trying to stop worrying about stuff that I can't handle, like I mean I can't -- I've stopped worrying about things that I can't have any control over.
I think I'm going to -- I think I'm just going to change my outlook to I'm just going to try my hardest in everything that I do and how I play, and if it works out, then great. If it doesn't, then I know I've tried my hardest, and I think it's a lot less stress on me. It's a lot less pressure.
I still want to play really great. I want to win, but I can't really control that. All I can control is how I play and how hard I try.
So I'm just focusing on that, so it's a lot easier for me.

Q. How important was it to be able to go play a tournament before you came here?
MICHELLE WIE: I think very important. Obviously last week wasn't my greatest week, but I feel like I learned a lot. I learned a lot about my game. I haven't played for a month or so, so it's good to get some of the rust off, so I think it's very beneficial.

Q. What is it specifically about this golf course that seems to make you play so well here? I know you played well here before.
MICHELLE WIE: I'm not really sure. I mean I feel comfortable here, but I hope I play well again, so.

Q. ...have been fooling around with the distance on 18, whether it's 531 or 485. Has 485 been an automatic goal for you for that green?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I remember last year I went on it on two, so it just all depends on the wind and the condition and how comfortable I feel because it's not the easiest green to hit. So I guess it depends on the day.

Q. Michelle, what have you learned about your game, and what are you learning?
MICHELLE WIE: Just like about my how I'm playing, about just certain things. I don't really know how to explain it, per se, but just getting the rust off, learning how to play in tournaments again and learning how to score.

Q. The last time you were here can you talk about what it was like playing the course without the greens and the weather and how much it means to be back?
MICHELLE WIE: It was really hot then. That's all I remember really, and it's weird not having the grandstand.
The whole entire course is different. There's hardly any rough, but it's still a nice golf course, so it's fun to play.
They moved the tee up on a couple of holes, so it's different. But mostly I think the grandstands on 18 and all the boards and the pins and the food.
But it's so great to be back. I'm glad that I played it. It seems really fresh in my memory. But it's a lot of fun. I'm really happy that I'm here this week.
MIKE SCANLAN: Anything else? Michelle, thanks so much and good luck this week.
MICHELLE WIE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297