Q. Can you start by telling me a little bit about your grind through Q-School so far and what it's taken to get here this week?
MIRANDA WANG: Uh-huh, so before coming to Q-School I did a lot of preparation, like mainly on short game and tee shots, because this is my first time playing Stage II and Q-Series. Before this I was asking a lot of my friends who played last year and they were telling me -- giving me some helpful information and what to look for.
Yeah, that was helpful, having friends that have played here and told me what it was like.
Q. Awesome. And then I know we talked about your neck injury a little bit, especially at Q-II. How did that kind of affect your play at Q-II and how did you battle back from it?
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah, so I had something similar to this injury before, so in the practice round, like two days before the tournament starts in the practice round it just felt like a cramp and I couldn't swing that day. I just immediately pulled myself out and I was not practicing that day.
And the day before the tournament I just stayed in bed. I was not -- obviously I was worried, but I was not like worrying that I can't play because I have something happen like this before.
So I just knew that I have to relax and throughout the tournament not to stress out, like keep your muscles relaxed and do recovery every day. Yeah, and I mean, like Stage II course there was one course that was shorter than the other one, so I thought, okay, that course I can take advantage of it because I don't have to stress out with swing. I don't have to swing too hard.
I was just like, relax and hit my normal distance; not try to hit it hard. Yeah, and it helped me.
Q. Did you think about withdrawing at all? Did that cross your mind with the injury?
MIRANDA WANG: I did.
Q. You did?
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah.
Q. What ultimately made you stay in it and continue that grind?
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah, so that was -- it was pretty important for me to complete the 72 holes and Stage II because I didn't play Q-School last year. I played on WAPT because I didn't have any tour status, either on Epson or LPGA. I didn't have any status.
So after the players' meeting I asked the rules official and staff like what's the consequence for me to withdraw. They said if I withdraw, don't complete 72 holes, I don't have any status for the next season.
So that was not an option for me. I considered. So in my condition there was a chance that I had to withdraw but that's not an option for me so I just had to go through it, yeah.
Q. And then obviously you advanced through Q-II and now you're here. You made the cut after week one.
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah.
Q. It's a long, long journey towards that LPGA card.
MIRANDA WANG: Uh-huh.
Q. Now at least you'll have Epson status and you have potential eligibility for the LPGA as well. How does it feel having gotten this far considering all the circumstances?
MIRANDA WANG: I'm very proud of myself, because before playing Stage II I didn't know what's going to happen. After the first round -- I shot 5-over on the first round. I was 123rd place, pretty far off from the line, and was not knowing what's going to happen.
But I just want to do my best and go as far as I could on the golf course. Pretty proud of myself, and hopefully things go well this week too.
Q. And then you played a little bit of Epson last year.
MIRANDA WANG: Uh-huh.
Q. You were at Kinston in North Carolina.
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah.
Q. And then played some other events. The taste of that, how does that drive you this week? You have Epson Tour status as of now. How does that drive you in getting the taste of that professional status and the golf and everything? How does that drive you this week to keep pushing and do your absolute best?
MIRANDA WANG: Because playing professionally has always been my goal and the LPGA definitely my dream. Over the years I work toward that, and this year I started playing some Epson Tour. I remember the first time I got exemption to play Epson Tour. I was so happy. I was just happy being on the golf course.
And first time I play I finish in Top 10. WAPT got me into that tournament. I was playing pretty well, hitting really solid, and I was just really happy just being on the Epson Tour, being professional, playing professional golf in the U.S.
Yeah, and in the past few weeks, too, I know that I was working towards something that I really want to do, and, yeah, I'm just -- although it's a little nerve-racking playing in Q-School, but at the same time I'm pretty happy being out here, yeah.
Q. And then obviously eight rounds is a lot of golf. Two weeks is a really long tournament to play.
MIRANDA WANG: Uh-huh.
Q. How do you balance all the emotions and nerves, like you said, and just keep positive and know that there is this larger goal in sight and you'll make it to the end having made the cut now?
MIRANDA WANG: Yeah, so you always want to be better, right? When you finish 3-under you think, oh, I can shoot 4-under, I can be better. It's always in our head.
But I think for me, I always tell myself, you're moving forward. You're getting something more by going through one round and another round. Like you're always moving forward and not like -- even though you don't play well one day, you'll have another day. You'll have tomorrow.
And for me it's also like even if I don't finish in top 20 or top 45 I got Epson Tour status, so that's a relief for me. You know, like last year I didn't have anything, and this year by getting to here it's already for me -- I already got more than I wanted or expected, yeah.
Q. And how is your injury now? Is it still bothering you a bit or has it gotten better?
MIRANDA WANG: Well, at this moment I'm not feeling anything, but I just need to keep working on relax those muscles, doing recovery, stretch. You know, like who knows when it's going to come back.
After this tournament I'm going to go see doctor.
Q. So you haven't seen a doctor yet?
MIRANDA WANG: I haven't. I worked with physical therapy, but didn't take x-ray or MRI. Probably going to do those things after this tournament.
Fastscripts by ASAP Sports...
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports