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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSICJune 4, 2009Michelle Wie WestSPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS JASON TAYLOR: Want to knock out the scorecard? You started on the back. You birdied No. 16, par 5. MICHELE WIE: I hit a driver into the right rough. Hit a 5-wood over the green. Chipped to about nine feet. Made the putt. JASON TAYLOR: 17, birdie, par 3. MICHELE WIE: Hit a 7-iron to about 15 feet. JASON TAYLOR: Birdie on No. 1. MICHELE WIE: Driver, 5-wood, 2-putt from about 35 feet. JASON TAYLOR: No. 2, birdie. MICHELE WIE: 8-iron to about 20 feet or so. JASON TAYLOR: And then a couple of bogeys. No. 8. MICHELE WIE: I hit 5-wood off the tee, then I hit a 7-iron. Tried to cut it around the trees, but it hit just that one branch that was kind of leaning over. So, uhm, hit like a 45-yard pitch shot about 15 feet short, then missed the putt. I hit 3-wood and then 5-iron. I was on the back fringe. About a 40-foot putt. I 3-putted. JASON TAYLOR: Thank you for coming in. You finished 2-under today. Not the best finish you were hoping for. Overall, are you pleased with how you played today? MICHELE WIE: It was a little tougher wind today so it was different. I feel like I played solidly. If I can get my irons to go straighter towards the hole, that would be better. A real solid first round. Red score is always a good one. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully I'll shoot a lot more under par. JASON TAYLOR: Questions. Q. I know the scorecard thing last year was a negative. Was it also a positive for you, and that week sort of turned your season around a little bit, a stepping off point in terms of you played really well? Is it fair to sort of characterize it that way? MICHELE WIE: You know, it was a very unfortunate event. But, you know, I played very well. So, you know, I gained a lot of confidence from that. It's not like I, you know, played really badly, and that's the reason why I lost the tournament. It's just a careless mistake that I'll never do ever again. You know, because of that, I had to go through Q School. I learned so much going through Q School. You know, here I am now. I'm still alive. I'm still breathing. So it's great. I probably won't do it again. So it's a hard lesson learned. But, you know, moving forward I think it's gonna -- I think it will be positive, for sure. Q. On No. 8, you mentioned you clipped a branch. Was that on the right side? MICHELE WIE: Yes, it was. Yeah, I thought it was perfect. I thought I was cutting perfectly. It wasn't even a big branch. It was like a little branch. I was like, Where did that come from? It wasn't nice (laughter). Q. You played here last year. Last year I think a 63 was leading after the first day. Generally lower scores. Are there just several factors out there as far as making the course play a little tougher? MICHELE WIE: Well, I definitely think the winds were a little bit tougher today. You know, it makes for a couple of tougher holes. I think overall it's playing a little bit harder than last year. Last year you got the shorter golf course, firmer fairways and everything. But I thought I shot a pretty solid round today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll open up the floodgates. Q. How much is the Solheim Cup on your radar? How much are the women talking about it? How much is that a goal in your mind this year? MICHELE WIE: It's definitely one of the biggest goals this year. You know, I would be absolutely honored to represent my country. You know, I just had so much fun doing it at the Curtis Cup. Doing it again at the Solheim Cup would just be phenomenal. This is an individual sport, but at least for one week, week and a half, however long it is, you know, you all become one team. So I think it's great. It's definitely one of my biggest goals. Q. Walking with you today, watching you and Natalie, you seemed to be talking every fairway. Is that a comfortable pairing for you? What is it like to be friendly with someone and trying to win as well? MICHELE WIE: I love playing with Natalie. I think she's one of the coolest persons I know. It's funny because my first tournament I played with her as well. It's like our eighth year playing together. We always get paired together, as well. We were just laughing about that. You know, we just have some great stories about from way back when, you know, a couple pranks that she pulled on me. But it's great playing with her. I always have so much fun. Ji Young is great, as well. She's just so mellow and so calm that she probably just brings a calmness in the group. Q. Hole 13, the par 5, has been lengthened. Playing into the wind today. You bombed your drive 293. Looked like you laid up. Was that green reachable in two for you? Do you think you could have reached it in two? MICHELE WIE: I mean, I could have reached it. I did actually go for it. It went a little bit more right than I wanted to. But, you know, it could get there, it could not. It's very iffy. Hopefully the wind will change tomorrow and it will be a lot more fun (laughter). Q. What's the best prank she pulled on you? MICHELE WIE: Oh, it's just a long story. Let me just say I almost cried. I was 13. Thanks, Natalie. Thanks a lot (laughter). No, but it was great. It was just, you know, a lot of great memories. You know, it's a lot of fun. Q. Did you get even? MICHELE WIE: No, I have yet to get even. I'm thinking. It's brewing in my mind. It's been taking me five years, but I'll get there. Q. You set the standard so high for yourself when you were younger, maybe your own worst enemy to a certain extent. You had a couple of tough years. How much more comfortable are you this year? There's such high expectations from other people for you. Have you ever lost perspective yourself of what to expect, what can you accomplish? MICHELE WIE: Well, I think, uhm, you know, there's always going to be a curve that goes up and down. Unfortunately, there was an injury, as well as that. But I think that, you know, it's a learning curve. I learned so much from playing well. I learned so much from playing bad. But, you know, I do know that there are high standards. I have very high standards of myself. So I think it's great that people have high expectations of me. You know, when those expectations start to drop, then I'll start to have a problem. But I like the high expectations. You know, like I said, I could be my own worst enemy, but at the same time I am my biggest supporter and biggest really-er. I do believe in myself and I think I can do it. Q. You said Gary Matthews is caddying for you this week. He has worked for a couple of guys on the PGA TOUR? Is he also working for them? MICHELE WIE: No, he's working for Sergio now. Q. But he's here with you this week. I don't know how you phrased it. Sort of trying a couple different caddies over these couple weeks? MICHELE WIE: No, he's just helping me out. I don't think I can steal him away from Sergio. I mean, if he wants to come, that's great (laughter). No, I mean, he's just been helping me out for the last couple weeks. He's been nice enough to try to contact other caddies. But, you know, it's an interesting fit. You know, you spend so much time with them, so you have to be compatible with them on a personality level. You're a team out there. It's your one and only teammate. So it's a hard fit. You know, hopefully I'll sign a good one. Q. Will he be caddying for you at the McDonald's next week? MICHELE WIE: No, he won't. Q. Is that to be determined then? MICHELE WIE: Yes. I don't know. I guess I'll find out when I get there (laughter). JASON TAYLOR: Thank you, Michelle. End of FastScripts |
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