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SYBASE CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SHOPRITE

May 13, 2009

Michelle Wie West

CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY

MIKE SCANLAN: Michelle, thanks so much for coming in. Welcome to the Sybase Classic. If you would just tell us a little bit about your thoughts on the course, your thoughts on being here in New York City and how your year has been so far.
MICHELLE WIE: It's my first time here at this tournament, obviously, and just coming here, everyone is so welcoming, all the fans when you're walking to the tee and stuff like that, they're all just really welcoming and happy that I'm here. It makes me feel really happy, as well.
The golf course is in really nice shape. I heard there was a lot of rain last week, but they've done an amazing job with the golf course. It's in really good condition. It's a really old-fashioned golf course. I've played it twice, and it's a lot of fun to play. It's pretty tricky, but just really excited for this week. I love the fact that I'm so close to the city. I haven't been to the city yet, but hopefully I'll get to go there.

Q. How have you done this year? How do you feel you've done this year? How satisfied are you?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I guess I'm not 100 percent satisfied with how I've played, but I think that's always the case. You know, I've had some ups and downs a little bit, but it's always a work in progress. I feel like my game is getting better each week, and most of all I'm having a lot fun out there. I'm really enjoying myself playing every week and just really trying to win out there.

Q. Talk a little bit about going through Q-school, the decision to do that, and how much different you feel out here amongst your fellow Tour players as a full-time member and focusing in on women's golf.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think going to Q-school was a hard thing for me. Obviously going to Q-school is not the easiest thing. But I think it was one of my proudest moments, going through first stage, then second stage and really earning my way onto the Tour. It's been a lot of fun this year. All the players have been really nice to me, and getting to play every week has been a lot of fun.
I've played on the Tour a lot, but I've never really played every week. It's always been like play one tournament, not play for a month and then only play like six tournaments a year. So being able to play a lot of tournaments, being able to travel to new places, playing tournaments I've never played in before like this week, it's just really exciting for me, and it's just really enjoyable.

Q. Do you have feel like you have settled your golf life down a little bit by doing this, just by playing as much as you're talking about playing and going through Q-school?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I guess by having the card, it's kind of like a play-when-you-want card. You don't have like a set schedule for the rest of the year. You don't have to say I'm only going to play in these six tournaments, and if I get sick or something, then oh, my God, one out of six is gone. This week I can kind of judge how I feel that week and have more opportunities to play. That's exactly what I want; I want more opportunities, more opportunity to gain more experience and more opportunity to win.

Q. Do you feel having gone through Q-school that you have gained a little bit more respect amongst your peers out here?
MICHELLE WIE: I don't know about that, actually. I don't know how much respect they have, but I think I've gained a lot more respect for myself, actually. I think going through that kind of hard time and kind of coming, rising above that and kind of showing myself that I can do it, it just feels good.

Q. Does it feel good to have a home now at the LPGA rather than almost being an independent contractor and playing in a sponsor's exemption here, a men's event there? Do you feel like you've kind of stabilized yourself and you can call the LPGA your home?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I definitely feel like I've stabilized a lot more. Like I said, playing out here every week, it's just really enjoyable, just being able to play against the best women in the world every week and just having the opportunity. I feel very grateful for it.

Q. Has that helped your golf game?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think definitely it helps playing every week, playing in a rhythm, playing with a flow definitely helps, I think.

Q. The W question, do you think (inaudible)?
MICHELLE WIE: That's always a really tricky question. I always think I can do it, this is the week. I'm going to try my hardest. I try my hardest every week. I play my hardest. You never really know, though. You can't control the 144 players out there, but all I can control is how well I play and how hard I try.
I'm going to try to keep playing the best I can. Hopefully I am very close to a win. I feel like it's going to come. I have faith.

Q. A lot of the public got to know you through playing against the men, going through U.S. Open men's qualifying down the road at Canoe Brook. I'm curious, is there a part of you that misses that buzz and excitement, and is there a part of you that wants to do that again at some point in the future?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, for sure. That's definitely not past me. I think I'm just at the point in my life where I feel very happy where I am right now and I'm just going to keep trying to get better at my game, become a better player and see how good I get.
I definitely want to keep achieving my goals, keep doing what I want to do and play in men's tournaments.

Q. About Canoe Brook, what do you remember about that three years ago? What sticks out in your memory?
MICHELLE WIE: That was a long time ago. It was really exciting. 36 holes are always tough, especially if you play on a hard golf course, because I guess on like a shorter course you can play like half shots, you can play more three quarter, but on a longer course you're basically going at it every hole, so it's definitely a test of your stamina.
I remember I was -- was it hot? I'm not really sure. It was hot, wasn't it? It was a lot of fun. The U.S. Open means a lot to me, so just being able to do that, I gained a lot of experience, and it was a really nice golf course. I just remember it being a really long day, but it was definitely a fun experience.

Q. How have you changed since then as a person and as a player?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know. I guess -- I don't really know. I guess I've just been through a lot over the last three years, so I guess that changes a person accordingly. But I'm not a high school student anymore, so that's strange in itself. I still feel like I graduated from high school last year, so that's a little different. Hopefully I'm a lot better player than I was then. I think game-wise I feel like I've got a lot more mature. Hopefully that's the case. But definitely the game is still really fun for me, so that's good.

Q. I believe you've talked in the past about someday competing in the Masters. Is that still part of your vision for the future, and if so, do you see a realistic scenario of attaining that goal?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, for sure that's definitely one of my goals that I started out with, and I still have it.

Q. Is playing in men's tournaments also a part of your goals at this point, and how realistic do you think that is?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think that's definitely a part of my goals. You know, like I always say, dream high and stuff, set your goals up high, and I think it's definitely -- I'm not saying it's an easy goal to achieve. I'm not going to be like, oh, I'm going to go out and win a men's event, it's not like that, but it's one of those long-term goals where I see myself getting to. I see myself getting there, and it's one of those goals that really motivates me and pushes me to be a stronger player, a better player.

Q. If we can go back to Canoe Brook one more time, if I remember you birdied 18 or chipped in or something.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I did.

Q. Can you just remember what that felt like, at the midway point what you were thinking about? It looked like there was a chance you were going to make it into the Open. I'm just curious if you can recall what you were thinking about walking off the green.
MICHELLE WIE: I was pretty excited because it was a pretty hard chip and it was a potential bogey place. But I was pretty confident about it. I felt good about it and I just went with it, made it. It feels good when you put yourself in a position where you're trying to make par and then you find yourself making a birdie. So I was really excited, I was really pumped up. I actually didn't want to sit down and eat lunch. I was like, I just want to get out there again, this is so much fun. But overall it was a fun day.

Q. Have you allowed yourself to look ahead, like I'm close, maybe this is actually happening, when you make a shot like that? Does a part of you think, hey, 18 more holes and this could be a reality?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it's hard to keep yourself from thinking in the future. I think that's really human nature. We're like, I want to be in it already, I really think I can do it. But I really just tried to be, with 18 holes to go, just go out there and hit each shot like it's your last shot.
That's the things I work on the most is trying to stay in the present. Even now I don't try to look into the future. I don't try to look into the past. It's useless. You can't control the future or the past, you can only control what you can do in the moment. That's the thing that I'm really working on.

Q. How much did that wrist injury a couple years ago set back your game, and are you completely recovered?
MICHELLE WIE: I mean, I think I don't really want to look back into that part of my life. It's a part of my life I don't try to go back into. But it was definitely rough on me. Breaking three bones isn't fun, especially if it's your wrist. But I felt like I learned a lot in that period of time. They weren't my best moments, but I feel like I've learned a lot from struggling more than I have playing well.
I grew up a lot from that, and although it unfortunately did set me back a little bit, it motivated me even harder to work harder, and I learned a lot about my body. But now the past is the past and there's nothing I can do about it. All the bones are healed. I'm on the up road to recovery or kind of past it, so it's all good.

Q. When was the point when you actually felt, it's fine now and I can swing away and do everything I want to do?
MICHELLE WIE: I don't know, like I said, I just tried to block out that whole part of my life. I mean, I don't really know, actually.

Q. For a first-year player on the Tour, if there's a learning curve, what are some of the things you've had to learn both on and off the course?
MICHELLE WIE: I guess just playing every week, kind of controlling your energy level, and just controlling how good you feel and trying to maintain that high energy. Always when you play that one week, you go all out for one week and then you can rest for about two weeks. But playing three weeks in a row and stuff like that, you have to learn to maintain and really keep that energy level high.
I think definitely stamina-wise and maintaining the energy and playing out here every week is a good learning experience every week.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MICHELLE WIE: I really don't regret anything that I have done. But like I said, I don't want to go back into the past. There's nothing I can do to change the past if I wanted to. So all I can do is focus on the future, focus on now. It's a new start. It's a fresh new start for me. That's what it feels like. I'm moving forward now, and I feel pretty good about it, and I'm just having fun.
MIKE SCANLAN: Michelle, thanks so much for coming in.

End of FastScripts

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