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HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 4, 2006

Michelle Wie West

VIRGINIA WATERS, ENGLAND

PAM WARNER: Thank you for coming in and joining us today. This is your first time here at the HSBC World Match Play. Do you just want to talk about being here first?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I mean I think it's very exciting, first time in a match-play event as a professional in a professional arena. I'm very excited for this week. It's a beautiful golf course. I played 18 this morning. I'm going to have a lot of fun.

PAM WARNER: Would you like to talk a little bit more about the golf course?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I mean, I came here yesterday. Unfortunately I was too tired to go out and play yesterday. I played 18 this morning and the golf course is in absolutely perfect shape. The fairways are like carpet. The greens are like absolutely perfect. So, you know, the course is like a lot of fun and I'm going to enjoy it.

Q. How do you like the match-play format?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I like it a lot. I played in a lot of match-play as an amateur. I played a lot of like U.S. Amateur and the Men's Public Links last year, so obviously I really enjoy match play. I think it's another form of the game that's very challenging and I think it's a lot of fun. I really enjoy it.

Q. I suppose the golf fans in New Jersey haven't seen you since the ShopRite Classic about three years ago. Can you talk about how your game has evolved since then?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know what, I came here three years ago, I was a lot younger. Just my game wasn't really mature and I felt like over the last three years I've been really working on my game a lot. I've been working with David Leadbetter on my game, and then I've got a trainer, Paul, and my sports psychologist, Jim Loehr. I've been working with them a lot. I feel like my game has become a lot more mature. I feel like I've been -- like I've become a lot more mature and grown up. I feel like my game is improving steadily over the years.

Q. Last time you were in New Jersey at Canoe Brook, you were received quite well. Are you looking forward to playing in front the fans in this area this week?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, very much so. The people were great at Canoe Brook and the fans were great. I know the fans will be very awesome this week, too, so I'm looking forward to it this week.

Q. You played two majors since Canoe Brook, have you learned anything about yourself, your game and what you need to do in that ensuing month?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, playing two majors, McDonald's and the U.S. Open are two really good tournaments. I mean, obviously the U.S. Open and McDonald's.

I feel like I'm getting really close. My game feels very solid. My game wasn't perfect, but, you know, I've been working on a lot of stuff like my wedges, my short game, my putting, consistency on my drivers. I've been working a lot on my game and I feel like my game is getting there. It's improving, it's becoming more and more solid and hopefully I can break through.

Q. What do you feel has been holding you back from a win?

MICHELLE WIE: You know, it changes every week. It's not -- it hasn't been one consistent thing. It's just been one little tweak, one more bounce here. Maybe a couple more putts could drop in, a couple of bounces here or there, it would have made a lot of difference, you know. I think that I've been playing really well lately, my game has felt really solid. I think all I have to do this week is try my hardest again. You know, it's a lot of driver, wedge, driver, wedges so if I can really tune in on my wedges, I'll do well.

Q. Last time you were in this area, you were competing with a men. Was it a different kind of pressure for you this week, or do you just embrace all these different kind of pressures you put on yourself?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't really put a lot of pressure on myself and I don't really feel the pressure that people put on me. I enjoyed it when I played the Monday qualifying, the U.S. Open Qualifying; it was a lot of fun. Obviously there was some pressure on me to make it, but I still enjoyed it. This week is going to be a lot of fun, too. My first time playing match lay against the LPGA players, I think it will be very interesting. You know, I'm looking forward to it. It's not going to be an easy week.

Q. Whether it's match play or stroke lay, any difference in your strategy, more attacking this week?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I'm not really putting any different strategy on my game. Obviously because it's match lay, you have to be really consistent. I'm just going, like I said before, I'm going to try my hardest, play my hardest. There is no guarantee in this tournament. There is no guarantee that you're going to play all four days. I'm just going to take one match at a time, one hole at a time, one shot at a time and try my hardest.

Q. What can you take from the U.S. Open into this week?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, obviously the confidence that I have from the U.S. Open, I played very solidly, my putting -- my speed on my putts was very good last week and I feel like I can really use the confidence into this week. But the conditions were so different from last week to this week, and then the weather is like 50 degrees hotter here, and, you know, there wasn't really a lot of wind when I played here; that might change.

You know, the conditions are very different from the U.S. Open to this tournament, but I think I can use the confidence that I gained last week and just my game is really solid like I said before. You know, I'll try hard.

Q. Do you ever look 15, 20 years down the road and think about whether you'll still be out here competing? Some of the older players I talked to today said maybe some of the younger players are going to burn out by the time they get to be Juli Inkster's age for instance and no longer be competing in U.S. Women's Opens or majors. When you look down the road, what do you see for yourself that far down?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm not really sure right now. I feel like I'm unfortunate enjoying every single bit right now and there are other things I want to do in my life. I want to go to college and I want to try other things. You know, definitely play golf.

But 20 years down the road is a long time, I mean, a lot can happen till then. You know, I can't think about that kind of stuff. I just have to enjoy every part, not worry if I'm going to burn out by the time I'm like 40 or something. I just can't think about that kind of stuff. Right now I'm just doing what I want to do and if I want to do something else later on in my life, I'll just do it. But right now, this is what I want to do.

Q. Match-play, you said you enjoy it, there seems to be a little, maybe there isn't, is there a difference between the way men and women play match play? Is there any gamesmanship out there between the women when you play match play?

MICHELLE WIE: Not really. There isn't like, oh, women play this way, men play this way. Every single player is different. One player can be very, you know, very aggressive and another can be very tentative. They all are very different. They all have their weaknesses they all have their strengths. I can't really focus on that. It doesn't really matter how well or how bad your opponent plays. The only thing you can control in match play is how you play.

Q. Do you know Candy Hannemann that you play tomorrow?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I don't really look at the, you know, the name of the player that I'm playing.

You know, like I said before, you can't really control what, you know, your opponent does, you know, Candy, for example. You know, she's a great player, look forward to, you know, playing against her. All I can do is prepare myself for Thursday and play the hardest I can, and, you know, see what happens.

Q. Are you sort of itching to win that first tournament to sort of get over the hump? Is there pressure mounting because it hasn't happened yet? You said earlier you don't really worry about pressure much, but do you feel that itching to get it over with?

MICHELLE WIE: I'm not itching to get it over with. You know, I feel like, you know, I'm going to enjoy it when it happens. I think that it will happen when it's time, you know, to happen. Right now, like I said, you just can't force anything. You know, you just won't enjoy anything by forcing anything. Right now, like I said, like I've always said, you know, the only thing I can do is play my hardest, try my hardest and when the time is right it will happen.

I mean, I'm not putting extra pressure on myself. If it hasn't happened yet. If you look at my performance in the last majors, I've been playing really solid and it's bound to happen. Like I said before, all I have to do is play hard and try my hardest and, you know, if the time is right, if, you know, a couple bounces go my way, you know, if it's time to happen, it will happen. I won't force anything.

Q. You're used to playing in front of such large crowds. Does an opponent have an advantage or disadvantage playing in front of that big crowd, too; maybe if they are ready for it, can they sneak under the radar a little bit? How is it being an opponent against you in this sort of format?

MICHELLE WIE: I mean, I don't know, everyone is different. All of these players are professionals out here. I'm definitely sure they played in front of a big crowd before. If they couldn't handle the crowd, they wouldn't be professionals. I think that it makes no difference. You know, just like I said, in match play, I mean, there are so many factors in it, but all I can control is how well I play.

Q. A lot's been made of Tiger e-mailing and texting Annika. Does he e-mail and text you, or do you know Tiger; have you played with him?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I only met him like once like four or five years ago. I mean, you know, I mean, I don't really talk to him, I haven't talked to him since. I would love to play with him. Unfortunately it hasn't happened yet and I would love to.

Q. When you talk about getting over the hump and you say it's going to happen, it's going to happen, how come your response to that has never been: "I'm only 16, why don't you cut me some slack?"

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I don't believe in cutting slack. You know, I'm 16, obviously, I am not really playing that many tournaments. I can make a list of excuses for you right now if I wanted it to, but I'm not going to do that. All I'm responsible for right now is playing well.

I know there are people out there critiquing me saying I haven't won or blah, blah, blah, but I don't really care about that kind of stuff. I mean, I'm not here to make it easy for myself. I'm not here to cut slack for myself. I'm not here to put myself higher than I am. I'm just here to play as well as I can, and if I'm going to win, then I'm going to win. If I don't win, I just want to play solid and know that I enjoyed myself this week, know that I played my hardest, and that's all I wanted to do by the end of the week.

PAM WARNER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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