Michelle Wie earns her LPGA Tour card: Now What?

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on December 10, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

Well, Michelle Wie has done it. This time, there are no sponsor’s exemption, the nineteen year old just earned her LPGA Tour card by playing in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament like Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak. On December 7, 2008, Michelle Wie finished her 18 whole with two above par. She tied for the seventh position with over all score of 348. Definitely not the best of Michelle Wie, still, when she was on the 18^th hole, a crowd of five hundred watched her shooting two over par. For Michelle Wie, it was like a new beginning. New York Times reports:

For those who remembered the giggly, gangly Wie who contended in women’s majors while barely in her teens, the result might have carried all the impact of an unimaginative sermon delivered in a monotone.

But for an older, wiser Wie, 19, securing membership on a tour she has graced like a dilettante for the last seven years felt like a shout-it-from-the-rafters moment.

“It feels like a clean slate, a new beginning, and I finally feel like I really earned it,” she said.

Stacy Lewis, former NCAA Champion, was the winner in the qualifying tournament. What she can not figure out is why there is so much sensation about Michelle Wie. Only few years ago, this was an unthinkable question. During his teenage years, Michelle Wie came close to three three matches of qualifying for the Masters and nine holes of qualifying for the Men’s U.S. Open. Now, those days are gone. Michelle Wie may have come across a tough phase of her life but she has a tougher road ahead.

Related articles:

New York Times

The Canadian Press

2008 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament: Michelle Wie earned her LPGA 2009 tour card

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on December 7, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

Michelle Wie finally won her PGA tour card. The nineteen year old finished her final round with an unimpressive 74 strokes. Still, it is better than getting nothing. At least, now she can go to the LPGA.

The final round took place at the champions course. Wie’s nine out was very depressing. Looking at her performance, it felt like she would not make it. Wie shot three bogeys in the first three holes. The weather was cold and she made some poor putts. Wie’s swing coach, David Leadbetter, who was seeing her performance from the gallery, said that there were demons floating around there. Then the wind calmed down and Wie got back on track. She played methodically which seemed very boring. In her nine-in she made one bogey in hole 14. In the entire game, Wie shot only birdie in hole 17 par 3. At the end of the day, Wie tied with Lisa Storm scoring 348.

Stacy Lewis proved to be the legendary dark horse in the qualifying tournament. Till third round, Stacy struggled to stay in the top position. She shot her way up in the fourth round with an impressive 4 under par. In the final round, she went steady and finished the round with 3 under par. Over all, Stacy Lewis’ score was 342.

Related articles:

lpga.com

New York Times

Stacy Lewis took the lead in the fourth round of 2008 Final LPGA Qualifying Tournament

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on December 7, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

On the fourth day of 2008 Final LPGA Qualifying Tournament, Stacy Lewis took the leading position. In the fourth round, Stacy Lewis, Mollie Fankhauser, Michelle Wie, Shiho Oyama, and Amy Yang competed on Champions course. Stacy Lewis finished in 67 strokes. Michelle Wie, took the second lead by finishing in 68 storkes. Amy Yang, got into third position by finishing the course in 67 strokes. Shiho Oyama, who was leading the scoreboard in the first two rounds, went to the fourth position. She finished with one stroke below par. At the end of the day, Stacy Lewis scored 273, Michelle Wie 274, Amy Yang 275, Shiho Oyama 276 and Mollie Fankhauser 277.

It looks like Michelle Wie is going to earn her position in the LPGA tour. For the first time in more than two years, the lady made it to the final round of any tournament. In the fourth round, she scored birdies on hole 4, 7, 9, 12, and 16. At the end of the day, she remained one shot behind Lewis. lpga.com reports:

I played really well. I could have shot a really low number today, but it¡¯s hard to be upset with a 67,¡± said Lewis, after a round that saw her card five birdies on holes three through eight for a front-nine 31. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about top-20 all week. It¡¯s just not a goal of mine. I¡¯m here to win. Out here, you have to pay attention with your shots. You could hit it offline into some of the greens and get into bad situations.¡

Amy Yang, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and 2008 LPGA Tour rookie, said, her goal is to just finish in the top twenty. She would be very happy to win the tournament but she did not want to change anything. She would now only focus on her game.

Related articles:

lpga.com

LPGA Qualifying Tournament: Mollie Fankhauser takes the lead in the third round

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on December 5, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

In the third round of the ongoing LPGA Qualifying tournament, spectators watched the rise of Mollie Fankhauser, a former collegiate standout at Ohio State and winner of two tournaments on the Duramed Futures tour. Mollie finished the 18-hole legend course in 66 shots, which put her ahead of Shiho Oyama, Michelle Wie, and Stacy Lewis in terms of total storkes. At the end of the day, Mollie Fankhauser was in the first position (67-71-66), followed by Shiho Oyama (64-70-71), Michelle Wie (69-65-72), and Stacy Lewis (69-66-71). Mollie was very happy with her performance. She told reporters:

“Anytime you can go out and play some of your best golf against a lot of the up-and-coming best players in the world sounds good to me, so I’ll take it,”

In the third round, Wie and Oyama fought to get into the lead in the legends course. Stacy Lewis had a tough time yesterday. She had 12 straight pars. She finished the 18^th hole with a birdie.

Michelle Wie, the star of the tournament, was not so impressive. Out of the three players, she was the first to fall behind. In the second par-5, she hit a double-bogey. However, she got back with impressive birdies at the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th hole. Wie hit six straight pars. She made two bogeys and one double-bogey and made a par of 72.

Shiho Oyama, who won the 2006 Japanese LPGA Tour champion, enjoyed one stroke lead till the par-4 sixth hole. Her snap-hook landed the ball into the water had she made a double-bogey. She was not happy with her performance.

The first twenty players of the Qualifying tournament will earn full time playing status in the 2009 LPGA Tour.

Related articles:

USA Today

news-journalonline.com

Can Michelle Wie make it through the LPGA qualifying round?

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on December 4, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

In the ongoing LPGA qualifying tournament, everybody’s eyes are stuck on Michelle Wie. This nineteen year old golfer, who has all the potentials to become the next PGA superstar, failed to gain any trophies till date. She had a phenomenal rise but could hold her flight long enough. After the wrist injury in 2007, her condition grew worst. Now, she is competing in the ongoing LPGA Qualifying tournament and things are turning out pretty good for this young player.

On the first day, Wie finished within 69 shots. She played in the legends course which is considered to be tough. On the first day, female Japanese golfer, Shiho Oyama, took the lead with an impressive 64 strokes at the Champions course. Michelle was consistent in her performance but her putters remained her major weak point. Golf World reports:

Playing on the tougher Legends course at LPGA International, the 19-year-old from Hawaii kept it simple during a mild and breezy afternoon on a course where trouble lurks amid marshes and thick palmetto bushes. She hit only four drivers — none on the par 5s — and her only bogey came on a three-putt from 25 feet on the par-5 14th when she was fooled by the speed.

The second day was even better as she finished within 65 at the champions course. Michelle Wie and Shiho Oyama are now jointly leading the score board as they both scored 134 in the last two days. If Michelle Wie can make it to the top twenty, she would be on the way to start her next LPGA tour. Now, the million dollar question is: Can Michelle Wie pull it all together and ensure her place in the LPGA 2009?

Related articles:

Golf World

Honolulu Advertiser.com

Michelle Wie and Vicky Hurst make it to the final round of the LPG Q-school tournament

In the final round of the LPGA qualifying tournament, two teenagers are going to steal the lime light. They are: Michelle Wie and Vicky Hurst. The final round starts from today and the competition is very tough and both these players over came some big obstacles to reach this point of their career.

Nineteen-year-old Michelle Wie is already famous and earned lots of money but she has no big trophies to her credit. Wie qualified for her first LPGA tour at the age of 12 and then made it to the finals of an LPGA tour at the age of 13. Next year, she made record by finishing within 68 strokes; the lowest scores made by any female golfer playing against the males. Disaster struck last year as Wie incurred a serious wrist injury. She has not played for three months since completing the first stage of the qualifying school tournament.

On the contrary, 18-year-old Vicky Hurst, whom many consider to be the next great American player, lost her father while she was trying to qualify for the Ginn Open. Too young to play on the qualifying school tournament, last year, Hurst played in the less prestigious Duramed Futures Tour. In the tournament, Hurst won five times and became tour’s rookie of the year. During this time, she even finished her high school graduation. In the tour, she earned around a record $93,107. In the Jalapeno Golf Classic in Texas, she finished 54 holes within 198 strokes and broke Lorena Ochoa’s record. Hurst took only three exemptions to play on the LPGA Tour. Now, the big question is, who will make it through the final round?

Related article:

Golf Link

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on Monday, December 3, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

25 things about Michelle Wie

Though Michelle Wie is not the top female golfer in the world, she is one of the most talented female golfers and a definite crowd puller. You can call her the John Daly of female golf who is more known for her failures and controversies rather than her success (she did not win any big tournament as a professional golfer). The 2008 LPGA Qualifying tournament at the Daytona Beach, Florida, attracted many golf fans and the only reason is Michelle Wie. Whenever Michelle Wie is on the field, every body will be watching the game. For this reason, she got numerous sponsors exemption but could not win any tournament. For the first time, Michelle Wie appeared in the LPGA Qualifying tournament in 2008 and earned her tour card by tying for the 7^th position. Here are some interesting facts about Michelle Wie:

• Michelle Wie was born on October 11, 1989.
• Michelle Wie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Both the parents of Michelle Wie are Korean.
• In 2006, Michelle Wie was named by a Time Magazine article “one of 100 people who shape our world.”
• Michelle Wie started to play golf at the age of four.
• Michelle Wie became a professional golfer at the age of fifteen.
• The first noticable thing about Michelle Wie is her height. By her midteens, she reached a a height of 6′ 1″. Both her parents are above average height. Her mother Hyon Kyong is 5′7″ and her father s 6′2″.
• Michelle Wie graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2007. She then announced to get admission into Stanford University in the fall of 2007.
• Michelle Wie has long family ties with Stanford University. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting profession at Stanford. She has an aunt and uncle both of whom graduated from Stanford University. In September 2007, Michelle Wie started as a freshman.
• Since Michelle Wie is currently a professional golfer. By the rule of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) she is not eligible to play in the golf team of Stanford University.
• In Summer 2000, Michelle Wie got qualified for the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. At that time, she was only ten years old. This record stood for the next eight years. In 2008, Allisen Corpuz, another female golfer from Hawaii broke the record in 2008. Allisen was five months younger than Wie.
• At the age of eleven, Michelle Wie won State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational. Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational is the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii.
• Also at the same age, Michelle Wie scored her personal best score of 64. She did it at the 5,400 yard tees at the Olomana Golf Links course in Hawaii. That year, she also advanced at the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
• As an amateur golfer, in 2002, Michelle Wie won the Hawaii State Open Women’s Division. She had a thirteen shot lead over Cindy Rarick, an LPGA player. Michelle Wie was twelve years old at the time. She was the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event. However, Michelle Wie missed the cut at the Takefuji Classic. This record stood for the next five years.
• She is the youngest winner of any adult USGA sanctioned tournament. At the age of thirteen she won the 2003 Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
• At the age of 13, Michelle Wie got a cut in an LPGA tournament and major (2003 Nabisco Championship). She is the youngest player to make a cut.
• Michelle Wie is also the youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA tournament and major.
• In 2004, at the age of 14, Michelle Wie played in a PGA Tour Event – the 2004 Sony Open. She is the youngest player to do so.
• Michelle Wie played the lowest round in a PGA Tour event. This is the lowest played by any female golfer. She played 68 strokes at the Sony Open in 2004 and 2006.
• Michelle Wie is also the the first female to score a sub-70 in PGA Tour history.
• Michelle Wie is the youngest player to win the Curtis Cup. She won it in 2004, at the age of fifteen.
• At the age of fifteen Michelle Wie made another record by being the first female to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Pittsburgh sectional. This championship is played by male golfers.
• At the age of sixteen Michelle played the SK Telecom Open in 2006. She became the youngest female to make a cut in any professioanl male tour event.
• By making a cut in the SK Telecom Open in 2006. Michelle Wie also became the first female golfer to make a cut on the Asian Tour.
• Michelle Wie is the first female female medalist in a men’s U.S. Open qualifying tournament.
• Interestingly, Michelle Wie created controversy for rapidly changing her caddies. Till date, she changed nine caddies.

Related articles:

Wikipedia

Michelle Wie: The wonder woman of golf

Name: Michelle Wie

Born: 1989

Residence: Honolulu, Hawaii

Turned professional: 10/5/2005

Career-best LPGA finish: 2

Career-low LPGA round: 65

Earnings (in LPGA events): $816,708

Earning (in other events): $17,901

Status: Professional golfer but not a member of any tour (including the LPGA).

Michelle Wie held a golf club for the first time when she was only four years old. At the moment, she knew that she just wanted to do it for the rest of her life and she did it and the rest of the world just kept watching her turning into a great golf player. Ever since she stepped into the golf circuit, she took away every one’s attention with her sheer talent. Unfortunately, this talented female golfer could not live up to people’s expectation. In her three year’s career as a professional golfer, she did not win any of the top tournaments. Still, Michelle Wie is the crowd puller in the golf field. Where ever she goes, every body follows. Now, Wie is competing in the on going LPGA Qualifying tournament and she is rapidly moving her pins on the golf course.

Michelle Wie is born in Honolulu to Korean parents. She graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in June 2007. In September 2007, Wie enrolled in Stanford University. Since Michelle Wie is a professional golfer, she is not eligible to play for Stanford University’s golf team. In Mach 2008, sportsillustrated.com reported that Michelle Wie was dating Stanford University’s men’s basketball player, Robin Lopez. However, Michelle Wie denied the report in an interview with Orlando Sentinel on April 28, 2008. She said that they were just friends and the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

Interesting facts about Michelle Wie:

• Both Michelle Wie’s parents are of above average heights. Her mother Hyun Kyong is 5′7″ and her father is 6′2″.
• Michelle Wie began playing golf at the age of four.
• Michelle Wie also gained attention for her golf swing. At the age of sixteen, when Michelle Wie became a professional golfer, she had an average drive of 280 yards.
• In 2005, at the age of sixteen, Michelle Wie announced to become a professional golfer. However, the minimum age requirement to play on LPGA Tour is eighteen. Though Wie could have petitioned to participate in the tour, she waited another two years.
• After turning pro, Nike and Sony signed Michelle Wie for more than $10 million per year. Wie pledged to contribute half a million dollars for Katrina victims.
• Michelle Wie played her first professional event in April 2002. At that time, she was an amateur.
• As an amateur, Michelle Wie never won a 72-hole stroke-play event. As a professional, she has no wins.
• In Summer 2000, at the age of ten, Wie became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. For the next eight years the record remained unbroken. Allisen Corpuz, another female player from Hawaii, broke it. She was five months younger than Wie.
• At the age of eleven, Michelle Wie shot her personal- best 64 from the 5400-yard tees at the Olomana Golf Links course in Hawaii.
• At the age of twelve, Michelle Wie qualified for an LPGA event; the Takefuji Classic, where Michelle Wie missed the cut. She was the youngest player ever to do so and the record stayed till 2007. Later, Eleven year old Ariya Jutanugarn broke the record.
• In 2006, Michelle Wie was named “one of 100 people who shape our world” in a Time magazine article.
• In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Michelle Wie at #4 in the list of Forbes’ Top 20 Earners below twenty five. At that time, Michelle Wie’s annual earnings stood at 19 million dollars.
• Though Michelle Wie became a star, she performed poorly in the field. Golf observers started to criticize her efforts to play in PGA Tour through sponsor’s exemption. Till now, Wie made only one cut in a men’s tournament. She did not make any cut on the PGA Tour. Golf critics and fans started to doubt her abilities after she missed the cut at the 2007 Sony Open by shooting 14 over par. Seeing her poor performance, AP golf writer, Doug Ferguson, wrote that her nick name should be changed from “the Big Wisey to “the Big Queasy.” According to the rule, sponsors can offer four exemptions and these are offered to players who are very much popular and can draw more crowds. Since Wie can do it, they offered her exemptions and it was severely criticized. In 2008, Michelle Wie participated in the LPGA Qualifying tournament to earn her card for LPGA Tour 2009. Before that, she played on LPGA Tour on sponsor’s exemption.
• Michelle Wie created controversies for rapidly changing her caddy. Till 2004, her father worked as her caddie. After that, she changed nine caddies. After acquiring 26^th position at the 2006 British Open, Greg Johnston, her the then caddie, was fired over the phone by Michelle Wie’s the then agent, Ross Berlin. Johnston said that he was “surprised and disappointed.” For some time in 2007, Michelle Wie’s father worked as her caddie again. Then she hired David Clarke, whom she fired after she missed the cut at the 2007 British Open.
• As a professional, Michelle Wie’s first event was the LPGA Samsung World Championship. She played on sponsor’s exemption. During the tournament, Wie forgot to sign her scorecard and got disqualified. A journalist also reported that Wie illegally dropped the ball closer to the hole than its original lie.
• In July 2006, Michelle Wie played in the John Deere Classic. On the first day, she shot six over par. On the second day, before making to the ninth hole, she was eight over par. After playing the 9^th hole, she withdrew from the game. It is said that she suffered from heat exhaustion.
• In 2006, Michelle Wie played in the Weetabix British Open and tied for 26^th position. In this tournament, she also created controversy for grounding her club in a bunker. Wie got a two-stroke penalty. Later in an interview, she said that she did not know the exact rule.
• In 2007, Michelle Wie competed at LPGA’s Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. In the first round of the tournament, Wie shot 14- over par through 16 holes. On May 31, 2007, she withdrew from the tournament. Before her withdrawal, LPGA officials discussed about her withdrawal on the ground of Rule#88. According to the rule, any non-LPGA member with a score of 88 must withdraw. The player will be banned from participating in any other LPGA event for the rest of the year. Interestingly, neither LPGA officials, nor Wie, stated that her withdrawal was in response to Rule#88. Wie said that the reason behind her withdrawal was the tweaking of her wrist in the middle of the round. Michelle Wie’s playing partners- Alena Sharp and Janice Moodie, also said that they observed uneasiness in her play. They also said that Wie withdrew because of her father’s advice. Such withdrawal is against the rules and would result in a two-stroke penalty. However, Wie did not face any penalty.
• Fans and media also criticized about Michelle Wie’s clothing. The criticisms started to surface in the summer of 2004, when Wie was fourteen years old. The criticism increased after she started to wear dresses provided by Nike in 2006.
• The wrist injury of Michelle Wie is also shrouded in mystery. It is said that Wie hurt her wrist in 2007 during a fall while she was running. When asked by the media, her family members did not give out any details regarding the nature of the injury. They only said that Wie was wearing a hard cast. Immediately after the injury, her public relations stuff said that she would be away from golf for four to six weeks. This lack of information led fans and critics to think that Wie and her family members fabricated the story so that she could take a break. In April 2008, Wie said that she had three broken bones which was contradictory to her agent’s statement made in Mach 2007 which says that her wrist was not broken.

Michelle Wie career highlights:

• In 2001, Michelle Wie advanced into match play at the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
• In summer 2000, Michelle Wie participated in the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. In 2001, at the age of eleven, Michelle Wie won both the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational. The later is known to be the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii.
• In 2002, Michelle Wie won the Hawaii State Open Women’s Division by thirteen shots.
• In 2003, Michelle Wie became the youngest player to get into an LPGA event at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. In the third round of the tournament, she had 6 below par which tied with the record for a women’s major championship. She went to the finals and competed with top players like Annika Sörenstam and eventual winner, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc.
• A few months later, Michelle Wie had a great victory at the Women’s Amateur Public Links tournament. She became the youngest person ever (both male and female) to get into US Women’s Open. She was placed at 39^th.
• In 2004, Michelle Wie received sponsor’s exemption to play at Sony Open in Hawaii. She became the fourth female player to play in a PGA Tour.
• In 2004, Michelle Wie also played on the U.S. Curtis Cup team. She became the youngest player ever to play in the team. She acquired fourth position in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Had she played as a professional that year, Michelle Wie could have earned US$250,000 from her tournament results.
• Michelle Wie started her 2005 season by getting sponsor’s exemption to play in the PGA Tour Sony Open in Hawaii but she missed the cut again.
• Michelle Wie then went on to play the LPGA Tour. She got the second position at SBS Open at Turtle Bay.
• In June 2005, Michelle Wie acquired the second place at the LPGA Championship. She became the first golfer to qualify for a USGA national men’s tournament.
• Michelle Wie then participated at the U.S. Women’s Open and played 69-73-72. She tied for the leading position till the third round but in the fourth round, she scored 82.
• Michelle Wie then participated in the John Deere Classic and made her third attempt to cut at a PGA event. She missed the cut by two strokes.
• In the Men’s Public Links, Michelle Wie played the top 64 strokes in the stroke play round to qualify for match play. She lost to Clay Ogden in the quarterfinals.
• Michelle Wie then played in the Evian Masters and tied for the second position.
• Michelle Wie then played in Women’s British Open and tied for third position.
• Michelle Wie then played her second professional event at the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour. She scored 73-75 and missed the cut by shooting four over par.
• In January 2006, Michelle Wie played at the PGA Tour Sony Open in Hawaii. She missed the cut by four strokes.
• In February 2006, Michelle Wie was placed in the third by Rolex World Golf Rankings. She was behind Annika Sörenstam and Paula Creamer.
• To open her first season on the LPGA, Michelle Wie earned US$73,227 by acquiring third place in the Fields Open in Hawaii. She was one stroke behind the winner.
• Michelle Wie also competed in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was again one stroke behind the lead and tied for third position. She earned $108,222.
• In May 2006, Michelle Wie played on the Asian Tour Sk Telecom Open. After Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie was the second women to get a cut at a men’s tournament in South Korea. Wie received US$700,000 appearance fees. For the two week trip, she earned a total US$5 million in appearance and endorsement money.
• In May 2006, Michelle Wie appeared at the local qualifier for the Men’s U.S. Open. According to United States Golf Association, Wie was the first female medalist in a local qualifier. Wie made it to the final round and competed against 152 players.
• In June 2006, Michelle Wie participated in the LPGA Championship. She tied for the fifth position. She was two strokes behind the lead.
• Michelle Wie then participated in US Women’s Open and tied for third position. She was two strokes behind the lead.
• In July 2006, Michelle Wie played in the LPGA vs HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship. Wie lost in the quarterfinal.
• Fifteen days later, Michelle Wie played at the Evian Masters. She was one stroke behind the lead.
• In September 2006, Michelle Wie played in the Omega European Masters on the Men’s European Tour. She acquired 157^th position by finishing 15 over par in the first two rounds. She missed the cut by 14 strokes. Despite her poor performance, Wie drew a crowd of 9,500 spectators on the first day.
• Year 2007 can be referred as the worst year in Michelle Wie’s career. She suffered from wrist injuries and it affected her performance although the year.
• In January 2007, Michelle Wie accepted her forth sponsor’s exemption to the PGA tour. She participated in the Sony Open in Hawaii. Wie missed the cut by 14 strokes. For the next four months, Wie did not participate in any tournament.
• At the end of June, Wie participated in the US Women’s Open but withdrew after making her second shot on the 10^th hole. Her wrist injury was her main reason.
• Michelle Wie then participated at the Evian Masters Tournament in late July 2007. In the tournament, she broke her year long streak of shooting at or over par by scoring one under par in the second round. Unfortunately, she shot 12 over par in the third round and went for a tie for 69^th.
• One week later, at the Women’s British Open, Michelle Wie shot 73 and 80 and missed the cut by two strokes. It was her first missed cut in an LPGA Tour since 2003 and her first missed cut in a major.
• Michelle Wie then enrolled into Stanford University. Three weeks after starting her school, she played in the Samsung World Championship on sponsor exemption in the limited field. She acquired 19^th position by finishing in 36 strokes behind the winner.

Remarks:

• “Give her another couple years to get stronger, she can play on the PGA Tour.” (Ernie Els)
• “When you see her hit a golf ball…there’s nothing that prepares you for it. It’s just the scariest thing you’ve ever seen.” (Fred Couples)
• “She’s probably going to influence the golfing scene as much as Tiger, or more. She’s going to attract people that even Tiger didn’t attract, young people, both boys and girls, and families.” (Arnold Palmer)

Useful Links:

Wikipedia

LPGA

Michelle Wie Reached Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Tour Golf

Michelle Wie from Hawaii has progressed to the final stage of LPGA Tour's qualifying round after tying for fourth at the sectional qualifying school of LPGA Tour. With this victory Wie secured a spot in December’s final qualifying stage in Florida. Scoring 8-under 280 total, she was just eight strokes behind the South Korean winner Sun-Ju Ahn who finished with a 14-under total after a 2-under 70.

Swedish Anna Nordqvis finished second with a total score of 14-under total after a 2-under 70. Among the 32 players, who got the tickets of the final qualifying stage scheduled to take place in December, there are two Canadian players: Angela Buzminski (71-285) and Lisa Meldrum (72-289)- who have been qualified for the final.

Michelle Wie is one of the most promising women’s golfers at this moment in the world. The American was named as Time Magazine’s one of 100 people who shape the world in 2006.

Related article:

Canada.com