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KIA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY J GOLF

March 26, 2010

Michelle Wie West

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA

HEATHER DALY-DONOFRIO: Welcome Michelle, congratulations on a fabulous 5-under par round today. Would you take us through your round a little bit?
MICHELLE WIE: I had fun out there today. The conditions were nice in the morning and got a couple of putts rolling in, so it was fun.

Q. How does this course suit your game? I know the players have been talking about the course is long, the rough is high and the greens are small. How does it suit you?
MICHELLE WIE: It is long, the greens are small and the rough is high, but it's an old-fashioned golf course and it's in nice condition, so hopefully during the weekend I can make a lot more birdies.

Q. During the pretournament interview you talked about how every golf course suits your game, you just have to figure out how. Does this second round signify that you have found your way around?
MICHELLE WIE: I think my irons were better today. I think that was one thing that improved from yesterday, and there are a couple of more things I can improve on but hopefully during the weekend I can play better.

Q. Michelle, we always talk to people who think their round could have been better. Obviously you had a great round but is this one of those, as well as you hit your iron and as close as you put it to the hole, it could have been better?
MICHELLE WIE: For sure, but I think it goes both ways, I made a lot of good par saves today so the birdie putts I missed I made up for it in the par putts, but it was better than yesterday, which I'm happy about, and hopefully tomorrow will be the same story.

Q. What was the difference between today's round and yesterday's round?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think the big key was the irons. I guess the putting ws a little bit. I think just having one round under my belt; I haven't played for about three weeks after Singapore, so I was a little bit rusty yesterday, but it was better today.

Q. Did you feel like you were hitting your irons as well as you have in a while? It seemed like you hit the driver well, you were strong off the tee and obviously hitting greens. Did you feel good out there with them?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I definitely felt confident and comfortable. It's just go out there -- it's not really --
I don't have time to think when you're over the ball; it just happens. Hopefully tomorrow and the day after I can keep that going where I don't think about much and just play.

Q. The birdie putt on 18, did you get a read off Inkster and how bad did you want that putt?
MICHELLE WIE: I definitely got a read off of her. I knew it was going right to left but unfortunately it hit something in the middle and went right, but I hit a good putt, a lot of putts out there like that, but I did want to make it obviously, but maybe tomorrow.

Q. The bunker shot on 18, your 9, Michelle --
MICHELLE WIE: That was pretty good.

Q. You had to drop it there. I assume you were looking to go drop it just into the rough so you wouldn't get too big of a kick. Was that as close to your spot as you would like?
MICHELLE WIE: I was pretty close, that was pretty close to that spot.

Q. What affect, if any, did starting on 10 have for you today?
MICHELLE WIE: I don't think it really made that much of a difference. But it was nice playing those holes when it was in the morning.

Q. You were playing with Jiyai today, and after the turn she made a couple of birdies at 1 and 2, you made 'em at 3 and 4. When you're playing with somebody like that, they get hot, does that inspire you?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I love playing with Jiyai and Juli; it was fun playing out there. It's nice seeing them play. I learned a lot from them, and it was just really enjoyable, actually.

Q. Michelle, can you run through your birdies?
MICHELLE WIE: Fairway, gab wedge, maybe, maybe a 5-foot putt, I think.
Driver, 3-wood, then I chipped and it was about 4 feet.

Q. Seventeen?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, yeah, I hit a driver and then a lob wedge, and I hit it 10 yards further than I usually do, and I 3-putted from 30 feet.
18, I hit a driver and a 5-wood to the right bunker and then a tap-in.
3, I hit a driver and then a 5-wood, and then I chipped with a 9-iron to about -- it was not that great, 12, 15 feet.
5, I hit a driver, then hit from the right rough, hit with a pitching wedge to about 9, 12 feet.
Oh, I hit a driver, then I hit an 8-iron to about 15 feet.

Q. Michelle, going into the weekend in contention, is your mindset any different after having that win under your belt? Do you approach the weekend any differently, is there less pressure, more pressure? What's going through your mind?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, it's kind of a little bit of a confidence factor, like I know I've done it before so maybe I can do it again kind of thing.
I'm just taking it one hole at a time. I'm done with this round; I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have a nice afternoon off and will get ready for tomorrow.

Q. Michelle, you talked about the chip you hit on 3, which wasn't very good, but you rolled in a putt from the fringe. Can you take us through your mind set about how you can overcome a bad shot like that?
MICHELLE WIE: It really wasn't a bad shot, it was that I misjudged the green a little bit, but you kinda forget about it and you have to make the putt so you have to focus on that.

Q. Michelle, you said a couple times about having fun out there. Is that a conscious effort? Do you tell yourself to have fun or is that a way to relax? Is that a mechanism that you use to --
MICHELLE WIE: Sometimes it is a really conscious effort, sometimes you have to tell yourself, you know, just relax out there, but today and most of the times it is just fun out there, you know?
It's a nice day, nice golf course, nice company. It's enjoyable.

Q. Can you tell us about the par saves? You mentioned earlier that some of those were as good as the birdie chances. What were the key par saves?
MICHELLE WIE: The one that I can remember right now has to be the cart path shot. I hit it over the green on 15, I think, and my best option was the cart path. So I hit it off the cart path, I was bumping it through the rough, but it landed on the wrong part of rough and I was short of the green, and I chipped it in for par.

Q. How long was the chip?
MICHELLE WIE: 15, 20 feet.
HEATHER DALY-DONOFRIO: Thank you, Michelle.

End of FastScripts

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