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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII


January 15, 2004


Michelle Wie West


HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Michelle Wie into the interview room.

Michelle, thanks for coming by. 2-over par 72. Nice start to the tournament. If we can get to you assess your round today, please.

MICHELLE WIE: I think I played pretty good today. My driver was very good. I found fairways a lot today, and I thought my irons would be a little bit closer to the hole, but they were on the green, so I was happy. I think I was putting very well today but they just wouldn't go in.

JOHN BUSH: How important was the last birdie that you got there on the last hole?

MICHELLE WIE: I think mentally and score-wise it was very important because I just got off to -- I mean, I think I ended on a really good way, and then hopefully that will mean I will start in a good way, too.

JOHN BUSH: Can you talk about the crowd support that you had today?

MICHELLE WIE: It was wonderful. There were so many people out there today. They were really good, supporting me, and whenever I made a putt, they were just awesome.

JOHN BUSH: Thank you. We'll get started with questions.

Q. You said you were not going to be nervous and you did not appear to be nervous, did you feel you were pretty much in your element?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I was pretty much okay today. The first hole I was a little bit shaky. It was my first time in a PGA event. But I know what's going to happen if I go left or I know what's going to happen if I go right. All I had to do was hit it. I knew what was going to happen. I felt like I was going to hit my first shot good, and after I hit my first shot, just the nervousness went away.

Q. Stepping up on that first tee, tell us about that experience, going out there with the big boys today.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it was okay, stepping on the first tee, it was a wonderful feeling. It was kind of like the Kraft Nabisco; I couldn't believe I was going to play. I was just awestruck that I'm here playing. I always follow and then I'm like: "Some day, you're going to be here."

Uncle Kevin (Hayashi) was like, "You're going to be here next year." And I am. So it was great.

Q. You mentioned that you thought you felt a little more nervous at the Nabisco or some of the women's events. I wonder if on TV you said that, how come, or was there any explanation as to why you felt more comfortable today?

MICHELLE WIE: I think that I got more -- I know the people that are supporting me right now on the crowds and I think I know the course better. I don't know, I just -- it's kind of different. It's like I don't really treat the PGA tournament to be a different tournament. I just felt like the same old tournament, it's the same golf course that I practice on and I don't really feel -- I felt a little bit nervous and shaky on the first hole. But after the first shot it, was all gone, yeah.

Q. The group you were with seemed really supportive of what you were trying to do and accomplish. Did that help ease you down through the round?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think so. They were just really good. I know Uncle Kevin very well and Craig Bowden was very nice. They were really nice to me today.

Q. Were you conscious of the crowd? There was a huge gallery following you, did that make you nervous at first? Were you aware of so many people, so many eyes on you at once?

MICHELLE WIE: No. I feel less nervous the more people there are. I mean, I feel like I play better when there's more spotlight and more people following me. I think I feel more nervous than people not watching me.

Q. What did you learn about yourself today?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I learned that I can play here, I think I could play here, but I have to work harder on my game to be in the winner's circle. I never felt like I was out of place.

Q. A lot of people are talking about how this was a very respectable round for you; is respectable what you were looking for?

MICHELLE WIE: My game felt respectable, but my score, it felt less respectable. Because how I played was very good, but I think the results weren't as good as I wanted to be because the putts just didn't drop today. But I felt like I played good.

Q. The most satisfying shot and the most disappointing shot, putt or stroke from the fairway?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know.

Q. I assume the birdie putt after the bogey on 6, a long hole and you came out of the rough?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think that was a really good hole for me. I just came back, and, I don't know, I had a lot of great drives. I had a lot of good putts. But I think my putts were kind of disappointing, but I hit them good. So it's not like I wasn't pushing my putts or hitting them left. I've been hitting them straight. They just haven't fallen in.

Q. What's your lowest score that you've ever shot here? And then considering the way the course is set up now, under TOUR conditions, if you had another day like this, how low do you think you could probably go here under these conditions?

MICHELLE WIE: I think my lowest score was 65 here. But but I think if the scores played like today and if I hit the kind of same shots I hit today and if my putts just fell in, I think I could hit another 65 or another 67 I think.

Q. After your first birdie at 12, there was a delay in the fairway at 13. Did that disrupt your rhythm at all?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't remember.

Q. I guess it didn't.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. (Laughter.)

Q. What were you trying to do today? Were you trying to just post a respectable score, or were you trying to go at every flag or what was your mindset? Were you trying to win a tournament?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think I was trying to win a tournament. But at the same time I was more cautious, like hit the middle of the green, just get on the green and 2-putt. I think I was playing more safe today. To make it to Saturday, I'm going to go at every flag.

Q. As a follow-up to that, are you confident of making the cut?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think so. If I play the way I did today and a couple of putts falling in, I think I could make the cut, because I think I can shoot under par tomorrow.

Q. If you had the round to play again today, what would you do differently now?

MICHELLE WIE: I think I would work on my irons a little bit more and get them closer, not 45 feet, but like 15 feet, 30 feet at least.

Q. So if you could have a replay, that's what you would do, you would go more for the flag than you did?

MICHELLE WIE: I kind of went more for the flag but I didn't hit them the way I wanted to. So I think if I played again, I would concentrate more on my irons, getting them not more on the green but closer to the hole.

Q. What was the toughest shot you looked at all day?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. I think it was --

Q. The bunker shot ?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, the bunker shot on the par 3, that was pretty tough.

And on No. 7, the par 3 again, I went left and it was in the rough. I had a pretty tough lie there.

Q. Can you talk about the shot on 6 after the 3-putt bogey on 5 and then you're in the left rough. It looked like a pretty long way to the hole.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I hit a 3-iron in the rough. But I was lying pretty good. The ball was not sitting down. It was kind of on top but sort of down. But I hit a 3-iron knock-down shot. There was nothing in front so I just rolled it up.

Q. Earlier David Ishii spoke of the significance of your success for Hawaii. From your perspective, how has Hawaii shaped and you there anything unique about this community that has put you in the position where you are?

MICHELLE WIE: I think since Hawaii is like an island, we're like all closer together. If I do good, then there's like so many supporters out there. I think just like the land shape, it's an island so we are all more closer together.

I think, yeah, there's a lot of effect on me being in Hawaii because there's a lot of support and I felt less nervous today.

Q. What will you do this afternoon?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. I think I'll hit some balls and then go home, hope the electricity works. (Laughter.) I think I'll rest a little, watch some TV.

Q. What program did you miss last night?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. I think -- I wouldn't have watched TV last night because we came home last night really late. We're in the parking lot and suddenly the lights were flickering and then it went down. And we're like: Oh, no. How are we going to cook and eat?" We were like panicking. Then we went like out to eat in a restaurant and we were gone and the lights suddenly came up. So we went back home and the lights went down again. So we went to the Chinese buffet, yeah.

Q. Given the week and where you are, are you more tired going into today's round than you had been in previous tournaments you played?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think so, because I played the Monday Pro-Am and Wednesday Pro-Am. I had a really exciting Tuesday. I think I was a little bit tired going in today, but as my adrenaline was going, I think I got less tired.

Q. What score do you feel you need to post tomorrow to make the cut?

MICHELLE WIE: I since the weather conditions are awesome, I think I have to shoot 1- or 2-under for my final score; so I think I have to shoot 4-under, 3-under. I think I can do it.

JOHN BUSH: Let's go through your birdies and bogeys, starting on No. 12.

MICHELLE WIE: No. 12, I hit a really good drive from the fairway. I hit like a kind of nine kind of softish and it went left than I wanted it, but I still had an easy putt and I made that putt. It was about 12 feet.

13, I hit a really good drive, too. But I felt like I grabbed my club too early and I kind of waited a little bit. I guess I was disturbed a little bit. I grabbed my club too early and I hit it a little right. There was a lot of sand in the bunker so I kind of fluffed it out. Then I hit a good chip and I had three-foot for a par.

Then the next hole, I hit -- oh, I hit it right into the rough and then I hit it again right into the bunker. That one I hit a really good bunker shot. It wasn't as much as sand and I hit like a 48 out of the sand. I had 9-foot for a par.

I also hit that, a really good putt; it just didn't drop. It was just right outside the edge.

No. 1, I hit a really good drive there, too. I hit a pretty good 4-iron onto the right edge, and then I knew it was fast but I hit my pitching wedge, it just went really far. It jumped out because I had a really good lie. I had about seven feet for par. Then that, again, I hit a really good putt, I hit it solid but just didn't drop.

Q. You saved 4 on par out of the bunker.

MICHELLE WIE: The hole before that, I hit out of the fairway and then I was on the green. Then I had about 45 feet. But more like 50. I hit a really good putt. It just didn't drop. I think that was the most like close to the hole that I got. It shot right on the edge.

So I think I went to the par 3 with the kind of attitude that I need to make birdie. So I just got a little anxious and I kind of pulled into the left bunker.

I hit a pretty good shot. I was like, just get on the green, have a putt for a par. And then I just made that putt. It just went in.

Q. About 20 feet?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, 20 feet.

No. 5, that one I 3-putted from like 60 feet I think. That was a really tricky putt because it was like a big ridge. I hit it good but I read it wrong, I guess.

6, that one I hit about 12 feet and I made that. It was an almost-straight putt.

7, I went to the left. I was really deep and I hit a really good chip shot, but I had about six feet. I hit a really good putt but I didn't make it.

9, I had a 5-wood into the par 5 and then I hit into the left bunker. And then I hit it right a little bit. But I left myself a really easy putt, straight putt and it went in, about nine feet.

Q. What was the club when you said, "I grabbed my club too early," on 13, you had about 180?

MICHELLE WIE: No. I think I had about 200. I had a 4-iron.

JOHN BUSH: Michelle, thank you for coming by and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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