Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club Par: 36-36=72 Yardage: 6,620 Q: Michelle, thanks for coming and joining us, talking with us. This is your second LPGA event this year. You played in Hawaii a couple weeks ago, and you tied for second place, your best finish ever in an LPGA event. Can you just tell us about the state of your game coming in this week and what you need to do to be successful out here? A: Well, you know, obviously I did really good last week, so, you know, I'm just, my mind is on this tournament, is trying to play good, and my game feels pretty good right now, working on a couple of things, but, you know, hopefully it will all be good for the tournament. And hopefully the weather won't be too cold, all be bundled up in like scarves and wearing mittens and stuff. I'm just hoping for the weather to be good, and, you know, my game is coming along. Q: Michelle, since we saw you here last year, what have you worked on your game or how has your game evolved in that time? A: I think last year my game was mostly, you know, long game. I think that was what was very well known, you know, hitting long drives. I mean, they weren't the most consistent, so I think from last year to this year I'm trying to make my game a little bit more consistent. I've been working a lot on short game and putting, feel like that's been improved, and, you know, just try to make my game, try and be better at the game, just not try, you know, not just try to hit my shots hard and everything. Q: Michelle, can you talk about the difference this year in terms of your comfort level not only on the course but just in terms of the tournament, the players, do you feel more accepted in terms of being just one of the players out here as opposed to a big-name amateur coming in? A: Well, you know, this is something I was kind of joking with my parents. I mean, this is my fourth year out here, and, you know, over those four years -- well, over those years I got to know a lot of players and got to know a lot of the golf courses, the atmosphere, and, you know, it's actually really fun out here. And I think more of the players are looking at me as a competitor as of, I mean, not as like an amateur. Q: Michelle, Hawaii, taking second there, did that give you another confidence boost where you're thinking I really can win out here? A: Yeah, I mean, definitely. I was so close to winning it, but it definitely gave me a confidence boost. I kind of felt like my game wasn't the best in Hawaii, but I still saw that I finished pretty well, and it kind of shows what I can do, and, you know, hopefully just want to get better and better. Q: You're not the only teenager out here. Can you just talk about the influx of some of the other teenagers and how so many young players are coming up and doing well? A: Yeah, I mean, I think it's great. You know, everyone, I mean, all, a lot of the junior girls are coming out and playing here, and it's great. I think every sport is getting younger and younger, and it's great, because a lot of the younger people are going to play and that's always a good thing. Q: I don't know if this is a fair question, but can you look back in the four years and seen not so much as golf but as a person, how you matured, and can you relate to that? I don't know if that's even fair to ask you at this age, but do you see how you've grown in those years? A: I mean, it's actually pretty funny, people ask me, oh, how much have you matured? And I'm only 15 years old, and that's when I'm maturing. But, you know, I think I've actually grown a lot since I was 12 years old and since I played my first LPGA event, I mean, as a person and as a golfer. And I think I don't get mad as much on the golf course, I don't beat myself up as much, and, you know, I've grown up. Q: Michelle, there has been some talk that if you win a tournament this year you might petition the LPGA to turn pro. What are your plans if that does happen? You once talked about going to Stanford. I know you have Tiger Woods posters on your wall. What are your long-range plans right now? A: Well, you know, I mean, petitioning isn't really on my mind right now, and I still definitely want to go to college. And, you know, I never know, I mean, I really look forward to the day I win, but I don't know what's going to happen after that. Q: Can you talk about playing in the majors? Is there a different feel for you being in a major championship like next week Nabisco, later in the year the LPGA and the Open? A: Well, I mean, it's always a little bit different. I mean, it's not the same as a regular LPGA event. I mean, I guess that's why they call it a major, but, you know, I feel so excited to be playing in all four majors this year, I mean, especially the British Open and the LPGA Players Championship. I mean, it's great. I'm really looking forward to next week, too. Q: Were you surprised that you got a sponsor's exemption to the LPGA, given the fact that it's normally just been for professional players? A: Well, you know, I wasn't really that surprised. I mean, I guess I was surprised in a little way because of the Players Championship, but given the fact that it's sponsored by McDonald's and it is a sponsored event, I mean, you know, I wasn't really that surprised, but, you know, I'm really happy to get a chance to play in all four majors. Q: Michelle, at the Sony Open earlier this year in January, you said you wanted to think outside the box in terms of your professional career. Can you expand on what you were talking about? A: Well, I don't know really how to explain that. I guess the best way to explain that is try and think of what has never been done before. You know, it's always great to venture into new areas where I look -- you know, I love pioneering into new places, and, you know, it's great fun. I mean, I really like to challenge myself, and I really don't like to do really normal things. I guess playing in this tournament is really not normal, and, you know, if I wanted to be normal, I could have just been in school right now, probably be in -- what time is it? Well, actually, be out of school right now. But, you know, I never really wanted to be normal. Q: Hello, Michelle. You said you wanted to do things that have never been done before. Does that apply to golf, as well? A: Yeah, I mean, definitely. I mean, I always wanted to do un-normal things, and I guess that's one place I can do it, and I'm really enjoying it. And, you know, playing in the Sony, playing with the men, I mean, it's great fun. I always wanted to do that. And, I mean, I think I wanted to do that since I was little, because I was only girl on the baseball team. And I guess I just -- that's what I wanted to do. Q: When you talked about doing things that have never been done before, will you try to qualify this summer for the Masters next year by entering the U.S. Men's Amateur? A: Well, I don't know. A lot of the qualifying times conflict, but if there's a qualifying site where I can go to, I'll definitely try out for the Public Links or the Amateur, and, you know, try to achieve my goal. Q: Has Annika Sorenstam in any way inspired you in your career? A: Well, definitely. Looking at her game, I mean, her game is really good. I played with her twice, and, you know, she always inspires me to practice harder, and, you know, she's great fun to watch, and, you know, I've learned a lot from her. Q: What? A: Just I think the consistency of her game, the way she plays is just flawless, and, you know, it seems so easy but it isn't. Q: Michelle, taking what you said about thinking outside the box and doing things that have never even been done before, if ten years from now somebody said you're the best golfer in the LPGA tour, and that was where your career was at that point, would that be satisfactory to you or is there more you want to accomplish in ten years? A: I don't think, I mean, definitely being ranked No. 1 is satisfactory, but for me, I don't know, I don't think that's enough for me. I mean, I just, you know, I don't know how to say it, it sounds kind of ridiculous right now, but, you know, I just really, I don't know, winning 50 times and maybe winning 100 times, I mean, winning is fun, but, you know, I just want to try something new. I mean, I know it sounds kind of ridiculous right now, but playing in men's events, doing something different. I think it's a lot more exciting for me. Q: How do you handle all the attention? I mean, you will be sitting like this so many times in your career in the years that are coming. What do you think about that? A: Well, you know, when I was little, I always watched, I was watching like the Hollywood actors and I was like, oh, that must be so cool, and I feel really lucky right now. I mean, there's not a whole lot of 15-year-olds that can sit in this spot right now, and I feel very fortunate, and, you know, it's great fun. Q: Michelle, the Open this year is going to be up in Colorado, and you're known for your booming drives already. Have you thought about playing altitude and the 10 to 15 percent more you can get out of that? A: I've actually played in altitude before when I was at Sun River, and it was actually great fun. You can hit the ball and it will go miles, and I'm really looking forward to it. Q: Michelle, when you were here last year, someone asked you what the most difficult shot was, and you said hitting out from behind the tree. Have you been working on that shot, or have you found one that's more difficult? A: Well, not really, because I'm scared I might hit my face or something, but, you know, if that kind of situation comes up to me I'm just going to, I don't know, hope that I can get out, but, you know, I still think hitting from behind a tree is the hardest. Q: Michelle, we know your focus is on golf, but can you tell us a little bit about, you know, the rest of your life, 15-year-old, what are you into? Music, style, TV, fashion? Is there anything else? Can you tell us a little about yourself? A: Well, aside from golf, I'm your pretty average teenager. I love to shop, very generic, and, you know, I go to school, and, you know, I just -- I love clothes, I love buying stuff. I mean, it's such a, it feels good when you buy stuff, and, you know, I don't know, pretty normal outside of golf. Q: Michelle, when you were mentioning the shot playing behind the tree, trying to figure it out, do you ever practice that kind of thing, where you put your ball in the hardest possible position and see if you can make a shot out of it? A: It's actually fun, but hitting behind a tree, you can really injure yourself, so I don't really do that, but I kind of, sometimes I like hitting behind trees, like not like right up against the trunk, but where you can actually have a shot, and kind of like work the ball. I mean, I think that's really fun and I practice it. Q: But shots like do you bury your ball in the bottom of the rough or plug it in the bunker, those kind of things? A: Yeah, I practice that all the time, because, you know, I'm not really the luckiest person out there on the golf course, and I do get stuck in the rough. I do get fried eggs in the bunker, so I have to get ready for that kind of stuff. Q: There has been some discussion about the number of events you played, the fact that you don't play amateur events or on a regular AJGA or anything like that. Have you discussed with other players, or, I mean, even maybe, I don't know if you follow the Williams sisters, have sort of a similar track where they weren't playing a lot and people wondered if they could win when they came out on the tennis tour. Have you talked with other people who've gone the same way and what are your thoughts about those who think you should be out there playing and winning more than just playing, you know, big-time events? A: Well, you know, there's not a whole lot of players that I can talk to who I can relate with, and, you know, playing in junior events, because, you know, there is an age limit to AJGA. You have to be 13 years or older to be eligible to play in the AJGA event. And when I was 10 or 11 or 12, I wanted to play in an AJGA event, but I wasn't allowed to, and then when I turned 13, I played in LPGA events and I fell in love with it. And, you know, it's just the timing wasn't right, and, you know, I've followed a different path and I like it.