Aleph Null
01-11-2005, 08:41 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/11/sports/golf/11wie.html
The New York Times
January 11, 2005
A Girl in a Man's World, Driven and Unafraid
By CLIFTON BROWN
KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan. 10 - Players on the PGA Tour are not used to being outplayed by a teenage girl, even if that girl is Michelle Wie.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/11/sports/wie.184.1.jpg
Michelle Wie barely missed the cut for the Sony Open last year, and she says she is confident she will make it this time. She will tee off against 143 men starting Thursday.
During a magical two days at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii, Wie impressed her competitors and bruised a few egos, shooting 72 and 70 to finish two over, missing the cut by one stroke, and finishing ahead of 48 players, including three who have won major championships - Todd Hamilton, Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler.
Everyone who finished behind Wie, like Adam Scott, became a target of locker-room abuse. Scott returned from a practice session several weeks later and found pictures of Wie taped to his locker, courtesy of his swing coach, Butch Harmon. Scott has not forgotten that ribbing, but he has also not forgotten Wie's talent, nor have many of the 143 men who will compete against Wie starting Thursday, when she returns to the Sony on a sponsor exemption, which allows for exceptions to tournament admission rules.
"The teasing was pretty brutal, but it was all done in good spirit," said Scott, 24, who has won three Tour events, including the Players Championship.
"I've never played with her, but she's a bit of a phenomenon, incredible. I don't know how she's been playing lately, but if she plays anything like last year, there's every chance she'll make the cut."
Wie's bid will create another stir at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, with fans curious to see if a developing 15-year-old with game and charisma can top last year's performance. Galleries will stare with curiosity at a 6-foot prodigy with an elegant swing who can drive the ball 300 yards.
Despite the pressure and scrutiny Wie will surely feel, Waialae is in her comfort zone. It is a course she has played dozens of times, near her home in Honolulu, with her parents, B. J. and Bo, in the gallery to offer support. After last year's experience, and with so many Waialae practice rounds under her belt, Wie did not hesitate when asked about her goals for the week.
"To do a lot better than last year, to make the cut," Wie said when interviewed after last week's Mercedes Championships pro-am. "A top 20 would be fantastic, if everything works out well."
Reminded that to finish in the top 20 she would have to beat more than 120 men, Wie flashed her photogenic smile and said, "That would be really cool."
Spoken like a 15-year-old 10th grader. Yet Wie's game seems to respond to spotlight moments. At 13, she became the youngest golfer to win an adult United States Golf Association title, capturing the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
In her first L.P.G.A. major championship, she finished ninth at the 2003 Nabisco Championship, and she topped that last year at Nabisco, finishing fourth. After some players griped about Wie's receiving an exemption to play in last year's United States Women's Open, a motivated Wie tied for 13th, earning an automatic exemption into this year's Open, and tying 18-year-old Paula Creamer for low round by an amateur. And in seven L.P.G.A. events last season, Wie made every cut, including two top-10 finishes.
But some wonder if Wie is hurting her long-term development by playing so often against professionals instead of concentrating on dominating the amateur ranks. Last year, she was beaten in the final round of the Women's Public Links by 15-year-old Ya-Ni Tseng, and she was beaten in the second round of the United States Women's Amateur by 16-year-old In-Bee Park.
Unlike Tiger Woods, who won six consecutive U.S.G.A. national amateur titles before turning professional, Wie has yet to establish herself as the best teenage player of her generation. As a 17-year-old, Aree Song finished second at the Nabisco last year. Creamer won the L.P.G.A.'s qualifying school tournament by five strokes, and she will be joined on the Tour this year by another teenager, Brittany Lincicome.
Despite Wie's power, her short game and putting need improvement, and she was not satisfied with her overall performance last year.
"It was a bit disappointing, but I was learning," Wie said. "Even though I didn't play as well as I wanted, I learned what I had to work on."
At this stage, Woods would like to see Wie focus on dominating amateur events, rather than playing so frequently against professionals. But he understands why Sony wants Wie, and why Wie wants to play Sony.
"I understand it from a marketing standpoint of what Sony is trying to do," Woods said. "If you have the talent and they offer it to you, take advantage of it. I was lucky enough to get an invite when I was 16 to the L.A. Open. Did I belong out there on a Tour level? No, I wasn't good enough. But it was an experience I wanted to take advantage of.
"In my opinion, there's an art form to winning. learning how to win different ways, learning how to win when you're dominating, learning how to win when you don't have anything at all. I think I've gone though all that, so I've learned. What she's doing might hurt her. But she might be so talented she might just win everything, and it might be a new way of doing it."
Wie has heard others express that opinion, but she feels differently.
"A lot of people don't realize that I have played in a lot of junior events, from 9 to 12," she said. "I had a 100 percent winning average. I got really bored with it. I wanted to do to something different, I wanted to see if I could play out here."
Wie plans to play the maximum six L.P.G.A. events on sponsor exemptions this year, along with her amateur schedule. She also plans to compete in the Men's Public Links championship and the men's amateur.
Many people believe Wie will turn professional in the next few years, but she insisted last week that she would attend Stanford. Most PGA Tour players seem open to accepting Wie for one week, but some L.P.G.A. veterans resent Wie's being granted six L.P.G.A. sponsor exemptions when she is not a member of the Tour. Anika Sorenstam is one who welcomes Wie's presence, saying the L.P.G.A. can benefit from her star power.
"If she draws a crowd, we should welcome her," she said. "I think she's good for the Tour."
Some PGA Tour players have gone out of their way to make Wie feel welcome, like the defending Sony champion, Ernie Els, who will play a Tuesday practice round with her for the second consecutive year.
Whether she makes the cut or not, Wie insists she will enjoy the week. Asked to name her best memory from last year's Sony, Wie smiled and said: "The last three holes. I knew I had to make two or three birdies, and I managed to make two. I thought I had made it. Then I found out I didn't."
The New York Times
January 11, 2005
A Girl in a Man's World, Driven and Unafraid
By CLIFTON BROWN
KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan. 10 - Players on the PGA Tour are not used to being outplayed by a teenage girl, even if that girl is Michelle Wie.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/11/sports/wie.184.1.jpg
Michelle Wie barely missed the cut for the Sony Open last year, and she says she is confident she will make it this time. She will tee off against 143 men starting Thursday.
During a magical two days at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii, Wie impressed her competitors and bruised a few egos, shooting 72 and 70 to finish two over, missing the cut by one stroke, and finishing ahead of 48 players, including three who have won major championships - Todd Hamilton, Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler.
Everyone who finished behind Wie, like Adam Scott, became a target of locker-room abuse. Scott returned from a practice session several weeks later and found pictures of Wie taped to his locker, courtesy of his swing coach, Butch Harmon. Scott has not forgotten that ribbing, but he has also not forgotten Wie's talent, nor have many of the 143 men who will compete against Wie starting Thursday, when she returns to the Sony on a sponsor exemption, which allows for exceptions to tournament admission rules.
"The teasing was pretty brutal, but it was all done in good spirit," said Scott, 24, who has won three Tour events, including the Players Championship.
"I've never played with her, but she's a bit of a phenomenon, incredible. I don't know how she's been playing lately, but if she plays anything like last year, there's every chance she'll make the cut."
Wie's bid will create another stir at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, with fans curious to see if a developing 15-year-old with game and charisma can top last year's performance. Galleries will stare with curiosity at a 6-foot prodigy with an elegant swing who can drive the ball 300 yards.
Despite the pressure and scrutiny Wie will surely feel, Waialae is in her comfort zone. It is a course she has played dozens of times, near her home in Honolulu, with her parents, B. J. and Bo, in the gallery to offer support. After last year's experience, and with so many Waialae practice rounds under her belt, Wie did not hesitate when asked about her goals for the week.
"To do a lot better than last year, to make the cut," Wie said when interviewed after last week's Mercedes Championships pro-am. "A top 20 would be fantastic, if everything works out well."
Reminded that to finish in the top 20 she would have to beat more than 120 men, Wie flashed her photogenic smile and said, "That would be really cool."
Spoken like a 15-year-old 10th grader. Yet Wie's game seems to respond to spotlight moments. At 13, she became the youngest golfer to win an adult United States Golf Association title, capturing the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
In her first L.P.G.A. major championship, she finished ninth at the 2003 Nabisco Championship, and she topped that last year at Nabisco, finishing fourth. After some players griped about Wie's receiving an exemption to play in last year's United States Women's Open, a motivated Wie tied for 13th, earning an automatic exemption into this year's Open, and tying 18-year-old Paula Creamer for low round by an amateur. And in seven L.P.G.A. events last season, Wie made every cut, including two top-10 finishes.
But some wonder if Wie is hurting her long-term development by playing so often against professionals instead of concentrating on dominating the amateur ranks. Last year, she was beaten in the final round of the Women's Public Links by 15-year-old Ya-Ni Tseng, and she was beaten in the second round of the United States Women's Amateur by 16-year-old In-Bee Park.
Unlike Tiger Woods, who won six consecutive U.S.G.A. national amateur titles before turning professional, Wie has yet to establish herself as the best teenage player of her generation. As a 17-year-old, Aree Song finished second at the Nabisco last year. Creamer won the L.P.G.A.'s qualifying school tournament by five strokes, and she will be joined on the Tour this year by another teenager, Brittany Lincicome.
Despite Wie's power, her short game and putting need improvement, and she was not satisfied with her overall performance last year.
"It was a bit disappointing, but I was learning," Wie said. "Even though I didn't play as well as I wanted, I learned what I had to work on."
At this stage, Woods would like to see Wie focus on dominating amateur events, rather than playing so frequently against professionals. But he understands why Sony wants Wie, and why Wie wants to play Sony.
"I understand it from a marketing standpoint of what Sony is trying to do," Woods said. "If you have the talent and they offer it to you, take advantage of it. I was lucky enough to get an invite when I was 16 to the L.A. Open. Did I belong out there on a Tour level? No, I wasn't good enough. But it was an experience I wanted to take advantage of.
"In my opinion, there's an art form to winning. learning how to win different ways, learning how to win when you're dominating, learning how to win when you don't have anything at all. I think I've gone though all that, so I've learned. What she's doing might hurt her. But she might be so talented she might just win everything, and it might be a new way of doing it."
Wie has heard others express that opinion, but she feels differently.
"A lot of people don't realize that I have played in a lot of junior events, from 9 to 12," she said. "I had a 100 percent winning average. I got really bored with it. I wanted to do to something different, I wanted to see if I could play out here."
Wie plans to play the maximum six L.P.G.A. events on sponsor exemptions this year, along with her amateur schedule. She also plans to compete in the Men's Public Links championship and the men's amateur.
Many people believe Wie will turn professional in the next few years, but she insisted last week that she would attend Stanford. Most PGA Tour players seem open to accepting Wie for one week, but some L.P.G.A. veterans resent Wie's being granted six L.P.G.A. sponsor exemptions when she is not a member of the Tour. Anika Sorenstam is one who welcomes Wie's presence, saying the L.P.G.A. can benefit from her star power.
"If she draws a crowd, we should welcome her," she said. "I think she's good for the Tour."
Some PGA Tour players have gone out of their way to make Wie feel welcome, like the defending Sony champion, Ernie Els, who will play a Tuesday practice round with her for the second consecutive year.
Whether she makes the cut or not, Wie insists she will enjoy the week. Asked to name her best memory from last year's Sony, Wie smiled and said: "The last three holes. I knew I had to make two or three birdies, and I managed to make two. I thought I had made it. Then I found out I didn't."