LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament
LPGA International, Champions and Legends Courses
Daytona Beach, Fla.
December 7, 2008

Final-round interviews: Stacy Lewis | Michelle Wie

Lewis earns medalist honors at LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 7, 2008 – Stacy Lewis started the final round as the leader and was able to close out the 2008 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament with medalist honors at 18-under-par 342 (69-66-71-67-69). For the 2009 LPGA Tour season, Lewis will fall under Priority List Category 11.

Lewis, the 2007 NCAA Champion from the University of Arkansas, carded five birdies and a pair of bogeys on Sunday to post her final-round 69 for a three-stroke victory over 2008 LPGA Tour rookie Amy Yang (67-71-70-67-70=345, -15). After starting the day with bogies on holes four and six, Lewis fired three straight birdies on eight, nine and 10. Settling for even par the rest of the day, Lewis closed out the final qualifier with birdies on 17 by chipping in from the front of the green, and on 18 to secure her victory.

“It feels pretty good. I thought I played really well all week,” said Lewis. “I don’t know, just to prove to people that I am out here to play and compete is pretty exciting.”

Yang, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour (LET), will also compete in the Priority List Category 11 next season on the LPGA Tour. In her rookie year on Tour, Yang only competed in seven events, yet earned more than $60,000.

“Early in the morning was so cold and windy all day, today, so I tried to play safe golf,” said Yang, who said she looked up to Annika Sorenstam growing up. “Everything is better than last year, especially putting. I am so happy; I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

On Sunday, Yang carded four birdies on holes five, six, nine and 18, with a pair of bogeys on numbers one and 11.

Playing in the final threesome with Lewis and Yang was Michelle Wie, of Honolulu, Hawaii. Wie (69-65-72-68-74=348) finished the five-day final qualifier in Daytona Beach, Fla. at 12-under-par, which put her in a tie for seventh. The 19-year-old had a rocky start to her final round, bogeying her first three holes. With a birdie on 10, a bogey on 14 and another birdie on 17, Wie closed out the day at 2-over-par.

“It’s a weird feeling right now. It’s a good feeling; I really earned it,” she said. “It feels good to get that card. It is just a surreal feeling right now. I felt good about my game; it was just pretty steady. It was one of those things where I want to play really well, but you also don’t want to play bad. So, I just played pretty conservatively, I thought.”

To determine the final two spots for Priority List Category 11, a four-hole playoff among four players took place after regulation. Holes nine, 10 and 18 were played with the cumulative scores used. Chella Choi had the lowest score after the three-hole playoff to earn the first spot. A three-way tie among Allison Hanna-Williams, Nari Kim and Leah Wigger forced the playoff to continue on the 10th hole, which Wigger birdied to earn the final spot.

The five-day qualifier was played on both the Legends and Champions courses at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. The 137-player field was cut to the low-70 and ties after Saturday’s fourth round, and all players had a chance to tackle both the Champions and Legends courses for two rounds each. The Champions course was used for Sunday’s final round.

Final-round interviews: Stacy Lewis | Michelle Wie

Stacy Lewis, 69-66-71-67-69=342 (-18)

Q. You tried to avoid this week with sponsor exemptions, and came close. How much satisfaction do you have going this route?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, either way I did it, I was going to be happy. I felt confident coming here, so it wasn't like I was scared or anything to come. I know playing in those six tournaments, and in the last round of the (U.S. Women's Open) Open, definitely had me ready for this week. I didn't feel nervous this week, or anything, so I was just really comfortable where I was.

Q. You said you came here to win this just a day or two ago. How does it feel to do that?
STACY LEWIS: It feels pretty good. I don't know, just to kind of prove to people that I am out here to play and compete. I kind of have had the door shut on me a couple of times, but they can't do it anymore.

Q. Were there any real struggles out there today?
STACY LEWIS: The course played the hardest it had all week. It was windy, and the hole locations were really tough today. I thought it played the hardest it did all week. Going out there, I knew that anything under par would be a good score.

Q. This week with the big galleries with you and Michelle Wie, is it good to have this step over and done with? Maybe even a knew rivalry with you and Michelle?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, it is just good to be done with this week, period. It just drags out forever. I'm just glad that I know I am going to be in tournaments next year, and don't have to worry about asking sponsors for any of that. I played my way into the tournaments, and I belong. I didn't have anything given to me.

Q. Can you see it being a nice rivalry between you and Michelle Wie?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah. She's a great player. We have played head-to-head with each other, and I don't know, I guess time will tell.

Q. When you tee it up next season, are you going to have the same attitude as this week?
STACY LEWIS: Yes, go win golf tournaments on the LPGA. The main goal I want to accomplish is to get on the Solheim Cup. I know Paula (Creamer) did it coming out her first year, so I think I have a pretty good shot at it.

Q. It's kind of nice to see two American names up there?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah it is. It's great for the Tour just to have Americans, whether it is me or somebody else. It is good for the Tour. I think it will be a good thing, so we'll see.

Michelle Wie, 69-65-72-68-74=348 (-12)

Q. Michelle, congratulations on a great week of golf. You finished tied for seventh at 12-under-par. Can you talk a little bit about your day and the week you've had?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it was a weird day. I started off a little shaky, and it is what it is. I felt like it was a pretty solid week. I felt really good about my game- it was just pretty steady. It was one of those things where I want to play really well, but you also don't want to play bad. So, I just played pretty conservatively, I thought. I just wanted to hit the fairways, hit the greens, and make some putts; that was what I was thinking about today. But, today was a little weird, a little shaky in the beginning, but I felt like I steadied the ship and did what I needed to do. I had a couple of missed birdie putts on the back nine which I thought was going to go in, but that's the way golf is. I guess if you're playing five rounds of golf, you're going to have one bad day. I felt like I played really solidly and really steady, and I did what I needed to do.

Q. What does it mean to have your card?
MICHELLE WIE: It's a weird feeling right now. It's a good feeling. I really earned it. I legitimately went through q-school, went through the first stage, went through the second stage, and I really got it. It feels good to get that card. It's like high school graduation, I guess. It's just weird. I've played on the Tour for like seven years now, I think, and it's just like wow, I really finally got it. So, it's a very surreal feeling right now.

Q. How would you compare this to winning something, or earning a great accomplishment and all the close calls you have had?
MICHELLE WIE: I think it's a different feeling. When I played really well at the Kraft, and everything was working out really well for me, it was like oh, I was playing really well and deserve to be out here. It was like the feeling like you are always on the outside, no matter how well you might play. I have come from really far below. After my injury to now, it feels like I have a clean slate from the beginning. I finally feel like I have really earned it. I took the long way to get here, but I feel really about it.

Q. Michelle, do you know what you will do winter quarter for school? Will you go to winter quarter at Stanford?
MICHELLE WIE: Yes I will. I have missed a couple of weeks, but if I pass fall quarter, I will go to winter quarter. I have a final on Wednesday, and I haven't even started studying for it. And, we have rookie orientation on Monday and Tuesday, so it's going to be interesting.

Q. How long until winter quarter ends?
MICHELLE WIE: Like, spring break; the end of March.

Q. Where is your confidence now?
MICHELLE WIE: It definitely boosts my confidence. I have worked really hard for this week, and for this moment. Even at school, I have practiced a lot and worked out a lot. I have just really worked hard at it. I just closed my eyes and closed my ears at everything that was going on. Everything that was written about me, you know, it was a tough period. I just have worked really hard, and finally this week, I actually get something for my accomplishment, so it feels really good. I just feel like, I got it.

Q. Sorry to being this up, but just from recent moments, did you take real good caution signing that card?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh yeah. If would have signed that card, I really wouldn't have been here anyway. Things happen for a reason, and I have learned my lesson. About 10 people have reminded me to sign my scorecard, so it's good. My caddie looked over my shoulder telling me to sign it. It's a lesson learned.

Q. As you look ahead, how do you want your 2009 to go?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I kind of see this card as I can play whenever I want card now. Not have to play, or I can only play in six tournaments anymore. It would be great, because I can actually play in three in a row, two in a row, and gain some momentum. I want to play a lot. I really like this game, and I want to play a lot. I'm going to take advantage of this card.

Q. Michelle, what makes you want to go back to another quarter at school? You have your card, and golf is what you want to be your career. What's your thinking?
MICHELLE WIE: I think golf and school is completely different for me. I have two separate goals in my life that I have set out for. Half of it is my golf, my career in golf, but also there is another part of my life that's really important to me, and that's my personal life and my education. I was brought up that education is really important. Graduating from Stanford is definitely one of my top goals as well. I get all my work done and have a lot of fun. Finals aren't that great, but it's what I want to accomplish. Golf is not 100 percent of my life, and I want to make that, keep that goal.

Q. How close do you feel you are after dealing with all the injuries and that condition, to where you were in the beginning, before you broke your wrist and when you were ranked high?
MICHELLE WIE: It's weird because when I was like in rehab and trying to get the wrist better, I was just telling myself I want to get back to where I was. It's impossible. You will never be who you were when you were 14 or 15, that's said if you are. You move forward. I'm a completely different person now. I'm not who I was when I was 14, I'm not who I was when I was 15, 16, or 17, or 18. It's just, I move forward from it. I'm a stronger person, and you learn a lot. I'm just, you know, moving forward. I'm no longer trying to be who I was before, so I'm a whole new person.

Q. From a golf perspective, have you grown?
MICHELLE WIE: Oh, I think golf wise as well, I am a better player, than how I was. I have a different body now, and I'm a different player.

Q. There has probably been a lot of jealousy for you for many years now with all the headlines and attention. Do you think you have earned the players' respect?
MICHELLE WIE: I mean I hope so. I mean, I not doing this just for the headlines, you know. I wanted to earn this. The respect is nice. It would be nice for the players to respect me, if they like me. But, really for myself, it's really a gratifying moment right now. To go through the first stage, to go through the second stage, and finishing; it's nice.

Q. How much do you respect the best players in the women's game. Obviously, Annika Sorenstam is stepping down, and you are coming in to the game. What are your thoughts about playing with the best women in the game?
MICHELLE WIE: I respect them 110 percent, just for the dedication that they go through. I have been playing with them for the last seven, seven or eight years now, and I have been able to play with a lot of great players. You know, even the up and coming players, I have a lot of respect for because you know everyone out there is grinding it out. We are grinding it out for the same prize.

Q. How will you handle the expectations from the outside, now that you are on the Tour, everyone will want you to be what you were when you were 13, 14, or 15. You have moved forward, but maybe some people still feel that way.
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I can't control what other people think. Obviously, it's great when they are high. I am looking forward to people having that high expectation of me, and I'm going to work hard because I have that same high expectation for myself. So, I'm just going to work harder. I am going to move forward. There's nothing I can do to control other people's thoughts.

Q. Wednesday was a long time ago. Did you feel a lot of pressure on the first day? How does this tournament compare to all the majors you have played?
MICHELLE WIE: It's a different experience. I have played in Monday qualifiers, and all of that, but it's a weird dynamic. Like I said, you want to play really well, but at the same time you don't want to play bad. I wasn't really that nervous. I guess I was a little bit, but I really wasn't. It was a good excitement. I think my last tournament was in Palm Springs, and I just wanted to see how well I could play. It was actually a really good feeling.

Q. You were obviously in good shape going into the day, in terms of getting your card. Could you just talk about what crazy thoughts were going through your head after missing the first five greens. Then on the other side, what it was like coming up on the 18th green?
MICHELLE WIE: Like I said, it was a weird day today. Nothing really worked; it was weird. People were saying to me, relax, don't be nervous, but I was like I'm not nervous right now. I feel really good about my game, it just didn't work out this morning. I don't know, maybe the cold did something to me. It was a weird thing this morning. It was weird that my irons weren't working. Walking down the 18th fairway, I was thinking, I better see a three-letter name on the leaderboard. You never really know. It's actually a really good thing that you don't see the score. Thankfully, my name was on the scoreboard. The last putt was a little nerve-wracking because I thought I had to make it. Even after, I signed the scorecard and everything. I was like, did I really make it? It's not like, just the top-three or anything. It was a surreal feeling.

Q. Have you thought yet about what your first tournament will be next year?
MICHELLE WIE: I haven't really looked at the schedule yet, so I don't know. I don't know, really.

Q. What's your final exam in?
MICHELLE WIE: Sociology.

Q. Have you decided on a major?
MICHELLE WIE: I haven't really declared it, yet. I want to do East Asian Studies.

Q. Are you looking forward to orientation?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I guess the politically correct answer is yes, I'm very excited about it, with a smiling face.

Q. What are your plans for the holidays?
MICHELLE WIE: I am going home. So, I am really excited. Home as in Hawaii. I'm just going to be a beach bum for the next seven days, and enjoy the warm weather.

Q. What have you done practice wise and work out wise for the six to eight weeks leading into this, with school? How much time per day?
MICHELLE WIE: I really did grind. Basically my schedule was practice in the morning from 7:00 until maybe like 1:30, then I had class from then until like 4:00 or 5:00. Then work out for an hour after that. I would do that everyday, basically. Everyday since I got to school, basically. Basically, I didn't really have a moments rest. I really did work hard. I have to say last year with the wrist injury, I really didn't do much, but this year was really good. I fell asleep a lot during lectures, but other than that, it was really good. I went to bed like by 8:30 at night, just passed out. It felt really good to be able to work, and push myself, finally.

Q. I don't want to look too far ahead, because I know you don't either. Have those goals to play against the men changed any right now?
MICHELLE WIE: I still definitely want to pursue that.

Q. Why?
MICHELLE WIE: Because I am kind of the person that I start out wanting to do something, and I am going to do it. I have always wanted to do it, ever since I have played golf, so I want to do it. It's as simple as that.