Michelle Wie Fields Open 2008 Interview Round 1

Fields Open 2008

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Interview - after 1st Round

DANA GROSS-RHODE: Congratulations, Michelle. Good round: 69, 3-under par. Just talk about how you were feeling out there today. Seemed to be in a pretty good rhythm, especially starting off your back 9 with four birdies on the first five holes.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely. It just felt a lot better out there. I felt like I accomplished my goal of staying in the present. I just thought about each shot, and every good shot put in my memory bank and gained confidence. Just really enjoying being out there again.

Q. Can we go over your scorecard real quick, starting on 11.
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. On 11 I hit a 3-wood, and then I hit like a gap wedge, 52 degree to about four feet; made it.
Bogey on 15, I hit a 3-wood into the bunker and then I hit like a 9-wood left and then hit a chip shot, sand wedge, about like 40 feet long.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Okay. You birdied 1.
MICHELLE WIE: On 1 I hit a driver then a hybrid about got like 40 yards short, and then I hit it to about tap-in..
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Okay.
MICHELLE WIE: I hit a 3-wood on the second hole, and then I hit a 4-iron to about 12 feet. I hit 6-iron to about 15 feet again.
I hit a driver and then I had a 5-iron just on the right fringe like about a 29-foot putt.
And then hit a driver and then hit like a 9-iron left into the bunker. Had a tough lie. Kind of went over the green, so hit like a sand wedge and then like a 10-foot putt for par -- for bogey.
Hit an 8-iron to about 12 feet and made it. And then nine, put my drive into the bunker and hit a 4-iron about like 40 yards short. Then hit a lob wedge to about ten feet; missed it.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Questions for Michelle, please.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely. I thought it was in all the way. You know, it looked like it was going in. I was quite surprised actually.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. I mean, I just feel confident with my putting today. You know, just working at it. Like I said, with every stroke that I have, with every putt that I made, with every shot that I got onto the fairway, every shot that I got next to a hole, just gaining confidence with every one. Definitely helped with the short game today.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I think I really did a good job of that today. Like I said, I stayed in the present. I wasn't looking at the leaderboard that much. You know, like I keep saying, I just thinking about the current shot and thinking about my current position.
You know, just enjoying being out there again and not really focusing on the results. Just focusing on how I'm getting there.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: The winds weren't blowing as hard. Obviously the winds can really pick up. But the golf course is in great shape. Ko Olina does a great job of keeping the greens in really good shape. I think it's better shape this year than it was two years ago.
They're definitely doing a lot of good work on the golf course. And, you know, conditions are really awesome.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: You know, it was actually a good feeling because, you know, that shot was definitely put in the memory banks. It felt like a really solid shot and a pretty good shot. First hole, kind of tough driving hole and I got tonight fairway, so that shot was definitely a confidence booster.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: It's going really well.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Definitely, you know, I played really good. I mean, last time I played here I only had four bogeys the whole three days.
Obviously I've done a lot of good work the last -- I mean, two years ago I did a lot of good stuff, so just banking off of that. But also I had a lot of good shots early in the round, so I was banking off of that.
Like the first hole shot, the first birdie that I made, and really looking forward from there.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: I think it's really relaxing to play at home. Obviously I've been back since May, so when I just came back here it was like a really good feeling coming back here. So playing today in front of the crowd, I basically knew like half of the gallery members. It's nice to play in front of your friends and family. It was really fun playing today.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: It's really good. Felt really good to be back into it. It felt good to make positive shots and make positive putts and to have that feeling where you're going under par and you're going low and you can produce any kind of shot you want.
So like I said, it's definitely -- this round is definitely a confidence booster, and hopefully over the next few days it'll just get better and better.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I had a great group today. Erica and Llano, it was awesome. I've known them before. Obviously played Curtis Cup with Erica, so I know her. They played awesome today.
And it was good playing in the morning, after I got over the fac that I woke up at 4:50. It was quite nice.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I felt like I basically -- it was like me and my caddie were a good team out there. We were each other's cheerleaders. Just basically kept rooting for each other. I felt like we were a good team out there, and hopefully in the next few days we'll get back into the same rhythm I was in today and keep using the positive shots and moving forward.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Obviously today there was a lot of things I want to work on, just a couple shots. Getting a little bit more consistent. Same ole, same ole.
I'm really satisfied my current situation. Going to work on a couple things at the range. Keep putting and keep chipping. Keep my energy up and just move forward.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, my goal, like I keep repeating, was just to stay in the present. I feel like I accomplished that goal today. It feels really good to go low. Any good golfer, any golfer period would tell you that it feels good to play good.
Today was obviously a confidence booster. Like I said, my goal is just to slowly get back into it. Today was a very positive round for me, and I'm just going to keep staying in the present, not getting too far ahead and hike it up too much. Just going to, you, groove along.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: I really felt like from the first hole, that first tee shot, you know, under pressure, just kind of nervous. Really just pulled through and got on to the fairway. So from that one I just felt really confident.
Like I said, even though I got into a rhythm and I was making birdies, I didn't get ahead of myself. Just kept hitting shots and making putts and just playing like I used to, so I felt like I was in a really good rhythm.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I don't really feel like I have to prove myself to anyone. I just was really proud of myself today that I didn't think about anything but just playing. I just played today. I felt like I was enjoying being back in the security and just being back playing, especially at home.
Like I said, I just stayed in the present. Just stayed with my shots. Hit a good drive, okay, and that's a good thing about the next shot. Just felt like I was very in the present mode and I was very proud of that.

Q. (No microphone.)
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I don't really want to like bank -- remember last year, so I felt like moving forward from today I felt like every shot just gained a lot of confidence.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you al very much for coming in. Good luck tomorrow, Michelle.