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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIPApril 3, 2014Michelle Wie WestRANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA KELLY THESIER: Good afternoon, everyone. We'd like to welcome Michelle Wie into the interview room. Michelle, thank you so much for joining us. Great 5‑under par round today. A great start to this event. Just take me through the day. We saw some great shots out there, but what was really working well for you? MICHELLE WIE: I just felt comfortable out there today. I think Duncan and I did a really good job of course management today. I think he did a really great job. Just was aggressive on the holes I needed to be and conservative on the other holes. Q. We've talked a lot about your great play so far at the start of the year. These rounds, these great rounds just seem to be coming more consistently for you. What's been the biggest thing for you in being able to do this day‑in and day‑out so far this year? MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. Like I said before in the press conference, my goal is to be consistent. Just trying to keep the same tempo every day. Trying to keep on doing the same things. I think it's been working so far, so I'm just going to keep on doing that. KELLY THESIER: I think everyone's been noting when we're watching you on the golf course, you look like you're having a lot of fun. Has that been the big difference for you this year? You just look like you're enjoying yourself. MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I've been having some really fun groups. It's really nice to have Duncan on the bag. He's a really good friend, so it's nice. We can talk about anything else, not golf. So it's just fun out there. Q. Michelle, can you talk about the difference between being in contention as a young teenager where you don't really kind of know what pressure is and understanding the importance of being in contention in a major as a mature woman who understands how difficult it is? MICHELLE WIE: I wouldn't quite go as far as mature, but I think I'm much more appreciative of it. I think when you're younger I think I was like, oh, wow, yeah, that's cool. Then being in contention now I think I'm a lot more appreciative of the fact that I have the chance. Q. After you had that great birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie run, you made four really good par saves in a row to keep the momentum going. Is that finding a new gear in your game? Is that a new toughness out there? MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I had that good stretch, and the next couple holes I had some funky yardages. I was really in between. It went all towards the hole, but some were short, some were long. Good short game and made the putts. Just it worked well today. Q. You shot 66 here twice. This is a 67. Is this as good a round as you played here or are there other rounds you think you played better here? MICHELLE WIE: I'll take it. I'll take a 67 here. Q. What were the conditions really like? The rough is down, but the greens sound like they're difficult. MICHELLE WIE: It's still a tough golf course. They moved a couple tee boxes back as well. Mission Hills is still Mission Hills where the rough is up or down. Obviously, it made it a little bit easier having the rough a little bit down. But it's still a tough golf course. The greens are really firm. I was expecting the wind to be a little bit stronger today, so it was a little bit of a treat. Q. Karrie was saying the other day that it's harder as you get older and you experience failure, because then it gets into your head and you develop fear, whereas you have no fear when you're young. Have you found that to be the case? Is that what makes you more appreciative of rounds on days like today? MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I totally agree with that. I think when you're younger you're kind of fearless. You don't know what failure is. I've definitely had my ups and downs. My downs have been down. But at that I'm just so grateful. I'm so grateful to have rounds like these. I'm so grateful just to be here. I'm grateful that I can do what I love to do. I had a blast today, and I think you just have to get over your fears and you have to face them straight on. You can't really run away from them. You just have to face them straight on. Q. Michelle, David was saying that if you look back at your record from last year, the Solheim Cup since then, you've been playing well building up to this. Can you revisit what the Solheim Cup seems to do for you? MICHELLE WIE: It just‑‑ I don't know. There is something so special about the Solheim. I think it just really brings out something so different in me that I don't have in the other tournaments. I play harder. I just want it more. I don't know. I think I'm so nervous, I think the fact that the talk about failure and facing your fears straight on, I mean that first tee shot, everything about Solheim, you're just a nervous wreck all week. In hindsight, it's like is this really fun? At the same time when you hit that good shot and you face your fear, I think it really brings confidence to myself that I can really do it. I think it's definitely a confidence boosting week. I know it was a tough Solheim last year, but at the same time I really felt like I played hard and hit a lot of good shots. Q. You've weathered a lot of criticism about the putting stance, and obviously you've kind of gotten the last laugh as well as you're rolling it. But everybody has attempted to notice some adjustments. We've gone from the table top, drafting table to now somewhere in between. Are you‑‑ is this an intentional change? Is it just something that you're out there and trying to get to where you feel comfortable with it? MICHELLE WIE: I mean, it moves. Sometimes I think it's just what I feel comfortable with that day. Sometimes it's a little bit higher feels comfortable. Sometimes I want to touch my toes when I putt. So it really depends on what day it is and what I feel comfortable. Q. Does drafting table seem like a good thing for you, as we know your artist skills? Does that seem like a good fitting description? MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. It still shocks me every time I see it on TV, so I can only imagine. Q. Are there one or two specific fears you've had to face down on the course, maybe even today? MICHELLE WIE: I think failure. I think just not doing well. Just kind of letting myself down, and you just kind of have to go out there and accept that you're nervous, accept that there is a chance. But just go out there and do everything that you need to do. If you kind of do the things that you need to do and check things off, you'll be fine. I've kind of been telling myself that, yes. Q. There was a 15‑year‑old in here earlier today who said that you were the player she'd always looked up to, and if you sat down next to her and said hi, she might run away. Does it seem that long ago that you were that person or does it really seem a lifetime ago? MICHELLE WIE: It's crazy. It's pretty insane. These girls are starting to make me feel really old, and I'm not old by any means. But it's fun. I just have a lot of great memories, and it's kind of cool to see these young kids come up and get to play in this event. It's just cool to see. Q. What would have made you turn around and run when you were 15 years old? MICHELLE WIE: Oh, I don't know. I think I was star struck a lot of times. You know, my first time here I was just so excited about the whole like food area. That's real really all I cared about when I got here. But out on the range, I was like oh, my God, and hitting behind Meg Mallon and hitting behind Beth Daniel. She kind of scared me a little bit when I first came out here. But even today, even so, I've gotten to know a lot of players. But at the same time I'm still hitting behind. When I hit balls next to Karrie or get to play with her and the older players, it's still pretty cool. KELLY THESIER: Michelle, you've now hit the point where the 15‑year‑olds are saying that they've been watching you your entire career, and now you're one of those players who is looked up to, so wishing you the best of luck the rest of the week. MICHELLE WIE: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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