Wie Back in the States

After missing the cut in last week's Women's British Open, Michelle Wie spent a brief period "wallowing in self-pity" before rallying her spirits.

Although she won the U.S. Women's Open three weeks prior for her first major title, the 24-year-old Hawaiian couldn't get untracked at Royal Birkdale, posting rounds of 75 and 78 to miss the cut by three shots.

Of her performance in England, Wie said, "Definitely disappointed in myself. I was just in my bed with like the sheets over my head wallowing in self pity."

But her disappointment didn't last; her friends coaxed her out of the hotel to go to an Eminem concert at Wembley Stadium in London. "You know, my friends just didn't let me do that," she told reporters Wednesday at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, site of this week's Marathon Classic, an LPGA Tour event that starts Thursday.

"It was good. I just bought the ticket. Had a couple friends in London. The concert was nice surprise, but it was a lot of fun. It was definitely a lot of fun. I think I was just really excited to get back out here on Tuesday and practice. Start of the new week I felt really good."

Wie admired the performance of fellow American Mo Martin, who magically eagled the 72nd hole to win the Women's British Open by a stroke for her first LPGA title. "It's great people start to know about Mo Martin. It's really cool. She's really a cool person."

Wie added that Martin and other players on her tour right now give the circuit a lot of diversity. "There are really so many great personalities out here, so it's very - you know, I'm very lucky to be part of such a cool group of girls and we can start to break barriers."

She's also pleased how Americans are dominating the tour through this point in the season. Of the 17 tournaments completed to date, 12 have been won by Yanks, with Wie responsible for two of those victories. "It feels great. I always get excited when my Solheim teammates play well. We just played on a couple Solheim Cup teams and just kind of bonded. I definitely root for Americans."

But Wie also said the LPGA is a broad mix of personalities, lending it a real international flavor. "But I still think that our tour so international. I think that's one the biggest keys about our tour. We have so many great international players. You see a lot of Thai girls rising. You see a lot of Korean girls, a lot of Spanish girls, and I think especially with International Crown coming up and the Olympics, it's so great that we have such an international tour."

Wie will be paired in the first round with Martin and South Korean So Yeon Ryu in the Marathon Classic. Spain's Beatriz Recari is the defending champion. Here's what Wie had else to say during her Wednesday sit-down with the media.

Q. Your life changed since you won a major. Are things coming a little bit easier for you now? Feel a little bit better?

MICHELLE WIE: Nothing really much has changed. Just been really busy the last couple weeks. Yeah, you know, just I'm really happy to be back here in Toledo. Fun playing in tournaments. Nothing really much has changed personally for me. Just been really busy.

Q. How hard is it to be at the British Open like Mo Martin gets in here at noon on Tuesday and have a tournament after in the States? Got to be really tough on everybody. How is that for a golfer to handle?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I didn't really play the weekend so I had a couple days off. But, yeah, I luckily got on a flight that didn't get delayed. I've heard some players were having troubles getting here. It's a great golf course. Just really excited to be back in the States and playing back in Toledo. Yeah, very exciting for us.

Q. Do you remember when you played here at 13?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I definitely remember coming here when I was 13. Kind of wide eyed not knowing. I hit a lot of drivers back then. Frustrated I couldn't do that on every hole. I think I've learned over the years to get a good game plan going. Yeah, definitely a lot of fun. Very cool to come back and look back that I played 10 plus years.

Q. How has your fitness program changed? Has it consistently stayed the same with strength conditioning, or are you working on more mobility and stability during the tournament season?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, obviously during the off season I do a lot more strength training. Yeah, I'm really limber so stability is big key for me. Doing a lot of corrective exercises. My trainer, he sends me a good program every week to do, so I just try to follow it and listen to him.

Q. Nine years ago you hit 14 drivers on this course. How many now?

MICHELLE WIE: Probably about like four or five. It's still a good amount of drivers here. Yeah, frustrated the first time I played. I was like, Why isn't it wider? So many trees. (Laughter.)

Q. (Question regarding Lydia Ko's role model comments.)

MICHELLE WIE: It's crazy. You know, she doesn't need any role models. I think she is a role model herself. When I first played with her she was like 15 or something and she said she wanted to go to college. She said I was someone she looked up to, and I thought that was really strange to hear that from other people. You know, she has done really great and has a really great head on her shoulders. I feel very honored that I could help her in any way I can. I just want to make it easier, because I know what it's like to be young and out on tour. Hopefully I've helped her a little bit.

Q. Why is this course so likable?

MICHELLE WIE: It's a great golf course. So much history. Small greens, narrow fairways. You feel like if you hit good shots you should be rewarded. The course condition this year more than any other year is perfect. It's amazing. A lot of players have talked about how great it is this year. But it's always great to come back to a tournament that's been here for a very long time. I feel like the fans here really support us. It's always great to come back to a community that supports the LPGA.

Q. First time since 1999 that we Americans have won the first three majors. Do you guys talk about that, or is it something you thought about during the last decade when American golf was quote/unquote down?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, we don't really talk about it much with each other. After I saw Mo won, I was very excited for her. That an American won the British Open, it's pretty cool. I saw that stat on Twitter on Sunday. Really interesting and really cool. Don't talk about it much. Personally when I see it, it's very cool.

Q. You haven't been used to not playing on the weekends this year. You wasted a little time going to an Eminem concert in Wembley. Is that something you thought, Let's get my mind off this and pass a bit of time?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, definitely disappointed in myself. I was just in my bed with the like the sheets over my head wallowing in self pity. You know, my friends just didn't let me do that. It was good. I just bought the ticket. Had a couple friends in London. The concert was nice surprise, but it was a lot of fun. It was definitely a lot of fun. I think I was just really excited to get back out here on Tuesday and practice. Start of the new week I felt really good.

Q. How are you able to get your mind right after this finish? The travel to get here and the quick turnaround.

MICHELLE WIE: We're used to it, life on the road. We're used to getting there, get used to the jet lag and everything. Really not that big of a deal anymore.

Q. Up for an Espy tonight for best golfer.

MICHELLE WIE: Oh, cool.

Q. Yeah. And Mo is on ESPN for her highlights. You guys have been breaking into mainstream stuff. Obviously on the Today show. How big is that for the LPGA players and the tour? You've been talking about how great it is to be in bigger outlets and bigger stages other than just regional or local.

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you know, I feel very proud of our tour. Feel like over the last couple years we really broke through a lot of barriers and are really pushing ourselves. I feel like we're getting bigger. I feel like it's just so cool that people are starting to notice the different personalities on tour. It's great people start to know about Mo Martin. It's really cool. She's really a cool person. There are really so many great personalities out here, so it's very - you know, I'm very lucky to be part of such a cool group of girls and we can start to break barriers.

Q. You touched on the fact that this community supports the LPGA. How do you notice that?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, so much history here. It goes way back. You know, the fans have been coming out every year since way back in the day. Just really cool. You can see that the community loves having us here, and you definitely can feel that.

Q. What's the most challenging hole for you on this course and why?

MICHELLE WIE: I don't know. There are a lot of challenging holes out here. The par 5s are tricky. You know, you have a couple reachable ones, but also ones you can't really reach. So, yeah.

Q. When you look at the world rankings, you, Lexi, on and on, if American golf was supposedly struggling, are you proud when you look and see those names now? Do you feel that you have proved that American golf is back?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, it feels great. I always get excited when my Solheim teammates play well. We just played on a couple Solheim Cup teams and just kind of bonded. I definitely root for Americans. But I still think that our tour so international. I think that's one the biggest keys about our tour. We have so many great international players. You see a lot of Thai girls rising. You see a lot of Korean girls, a lot of Spanish girls, and I think especially with International Crown coming up and the Olympics, it's so great that we have such an international tour.

The transcript for the above interview is courtesy of ASAP Sports.

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