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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 5, 2011

Michelle Wie West

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased to have with us Michelle Wie who seems like we've known forever, since she was ten years old, since she won the Women's Amateur Public Links at the age of 13.
Michelle has two more quarters in college to complete her degree, and yet she is still playing the LPGA Tour, as you well know.
Michelle, let me ask you, first of all, you're out for the summer. Does that make it easier on you rather than having the divided loyalties of going to school and trying to play professional golf.
MICHELLE WIE: It is nice to come back from a round and just relax and not do anything. Um, but it's nice. You know, I'm proud of myself for sticking through with it, and I'm going to be especially proud of myself when I finish.
I can't wait, um, but I'm like kinda like at the time where college is great, but I can't wait to graduate. I think it will be good.
THE MODERATOR: How about the golf course? 7,047 yards, longest Women's Open course in history, par 71. How has it treated you so far in your practice rounds?
MICHELLE WIE: Um, it's pretty long, I have to say. You know, the altitude is pretty tricky because you have to hit it solid for it to kick in. If you just mishit a driver a little bit, even though it goes straight, it's not going to go anywhere and you're going to have a long shoot into these greens.
The greens are pretty wide, they're pretty big, but they're going to play small, because you have to be in the right section. It's a good U.S. Open golf course. It's going to play a lot of clubs in my bag. Par-3s are particularly tricky.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Questions?

Q. Everybody talks about 10 through 15; is that living up to its reputation?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I think all the golf courses, from 1 to 18, are pretty challenging. Um, even like the shorter holes you still have the greens to work with. They're kinda the greens where from the fairway they don't look very daunting. They don't look very slopey, but you have to be on the right part of the green. Because if you're not, you're going to have a hell of a putt trying to get par.
You know, I think it's a great golf course. It's definitely the longest one I've encountered so far at a U.S. Open.
THE MODERATOR: How about with other tournaments? Of course you've played in the men's events, so it's not so long compared to that, right? How does it stack up against those courses you've played in the PGA events?
MICHELLE WIE: I think it plays pretty long, because the greens are pretty tricky, you know. You have 5-irons where, you know, you kinda want a semishort putt because you don't want over a 30-foot putt really on these greens.
But I think it's a good golf course. You know, the rough is definitely a lot thicker than it was on Sunday when I played. Um, I think it's just in really great condition, so I'm really excited to play it.

Q. I know you play the golf course and you don't kinda keep track of your competitors so much, but the way Yani has been playing, do you kind of keep an eye on her and see if she's going low or anything like that?
MICHELLE WIE: I think when you go into a tournament you kind only have to think about your round and what you can do. You know, there's too much to handle even just thinking about that, so thinking about other players is just too much.
You know, the only thing you can do out there is really control your own game and really try and play the best you can.

Q. Can you talk about 2005 down at Cherry Hills being in contingency and what that was like and a little bit about Sunday and what happened there?
MICHELLE WIE: I think Cherry Hills is a really great golf course. I have a lot of good memories. Obviously I try to forget about Sunday, but Thursday to Saturday it was pretty fantastic. It was a really good, really good memory.
I think I learned a lot from it. I think I was like 14 at the time, so obviously I -- hopefully I've learned a lot since then. But it was a good experience. You know, obviously I do keep that in my mind. You know, I have learned from it, and hopefully learned from my mistakes, and moved forward from that.
THE MODERATOR: Sound kinda like Rory McIlroy when you say that.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you know, kinda going into the last day leading and falling apart, you do learn a lot from it. You learn a lot from your mistakes, because obviously I made a lot that day.
I learned from my experience, and hopefully I can use that experience to my advantage.

Q. What exactly did you learn from that experience?
THE MODERATOR: What exactly did you learn?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think I was pretty young at the time, so it was kinda a new experience for me and you kinda, you know -- I don't know, I think I just got really excited, and, you know, just made a lot of mistakes that day. Just learned how to keep your tempo and kinda slow it down and not get rushed into anything.
Just a lot of little things, I think.

Q. What changes to your game are you having to make in order to get around a course like the Broadmoor?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, especially on a U.S. Open golf course, it's not one where you're going to make birdie on every hole. We're not looking forward to making birdies on every hole. It's kinda a golf course where you get kinda just get into the middle of the green and kinda make the putts when we have to, when you have short irons or wedges in.
Um, but, you know, just kinda the same thing as always: always think about tempo, always think about the same rhythm, and just taking it one shot at a time. It's gonna be a long day out there; it's gonna be a long week.
All I can think about or try to think about is that one shot that's ahead of me.

Q. We had Yani in here earlier. You already had one question on her. Playing with her and observing her, what makes her such a good player?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I've played with her since a long time since the Public Links back in the day, and she's gotten, you know, I mean, obviously a lot better. You know, she's a very long ball-striker. She putts very well. She has all around a very solid game, which I think makes her play well.
THE MODERATOR: They met in the finals of the 2004 Women's Amateur Publinks Championship where Michelle was defending champion, and Yani won, what, 1-up in 36 holes?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. I know you're still very young. Do you start feeling any pressure about winning a major yet? Does that creep in your mind, or are you too young to start feeling that pressure?
MICHELLE WIE: I mean, I don't feel like I'm too young for anything anymore. Obviously you see Yani winning all four by 22. I think I was the oldest one in my practice round today by a couple years at least. So I definitely don't think I'm too young anymore. I don't think age a factor really out here.
Um, you know, I do put pressure on myself, but there's only a certain amount of pressure I can put on myself. I'm just really excited for the week and the opportunity I have.
I'm really excited to even be here, so this week as I go out there I'm just gonna try my hardest. Obviously I really do want to win a major, and obviously winning a U.S. Open is one of the most important things for me.
So I'm just gonna go out there and give it my all.

Q. Have you had a chance to meet Marielle Galdano?
THE MODERATOR: Who?

Q. Marielle? From Hawaii?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, no.
THE MODERATOR: Oh, the real youngster.

Q. She just turned 13.
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, no, not yet, unfortunately.

Q. When and if you do, what advice would you give her?
MICHELLE WIE: Um, just to have fun. I mean, it's a great experience playing in a U.S. Open when you're 13 or 14. You know, at that age it's just an honor I think just to bask in the whole experience of the U.S. Open. It's a truly unique experience for anyone to experience no matter how old a player is.
Um, but to play at such a young age, I think just have fun. Really enjoy it.

Q. How do you feel your career has gone to this point? How do you feel where you're at, your progress, everything like that? Just kind of an update where you feel where your career has gone.
MICHELLE WIE: Um, you know, I think obviously I've had a lot of ups and downs. But that's, you know, really how everyone's career is going. I just feel like -- I've been proud of myself that I kept with it and kept trying to get better. Every year I feel like I'm getting more and more motivated to win and do better, to become a better player.
So, you know, saying at that point, I feel like I have a lot more to do, I have a lot more to accomplish. But I'm still proud of myself. I still have fun out there. I still try my hardest every single day, even when I practice when I'm at tournaments. So looking at that, I'm pretty proud of myself.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for coming in. Good luck this week.
MICHELLE WIE: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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