Wie could lure LPGA back here
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
For 21 years, nearly two Michelle Wie lifetimes, Hawai'i was a regular stop along the LPGA Tour, hosting at least one tournament a year and, more often than not, two of them.
Now, wouldn't you know it, she comes along to make a splash and, suddenly, there are no LPGA tournaments to be found here anymore.
But if the 13-year-old's record showing in an LPGA major over the weekend, a ninth-place finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., opened some eyes, then you have to believe it can't be too long before the performance and others like it will open some minds and wallets, too.
Indeed, that's now becoming the $1 million question: How long will it be before Wie's remarkable success lures the LPGA Tour back here?
That's about what people in the know say it would take — in the neighborhood of $1 million — in sponsorship backing to return the LPGA here in full-field form.
Since the Takefuji Classic, which played Kona and Waikoloa, pulled up stakes after last year on the heels of the departures of the Ladies Hawaiian Open and Kemper Open, there has been an LPGA tournament void. One that the LPGA Skins Game, which Wie wouldn't qualify for, doesn't come close to filling.
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While Wie is scheduled to play two events on the men's Canadian Tour this summer, it won't be the same for those who would like to see the Punahou School phenom in person against the pros and would have to hold out hope she can someday qualify for the Sony Open.
A year ago at this time, when the LPGA lineup was being put together, Wie was still mostly a local story beginning to emerge nationally. But as her game grows and her notoriety expands internationally, so does interest in having a local stage for her to play the best in the world.
To see how Wie was received at Mission Hills, where there were standing ovations and a "We Love Wiesy" sign, is to know she could command a considerable gallery here and be a significant TV draw.
Although her amateur status might pose some unique hurdles, "I could see, some time down the line, an event coming here built around her," said commentator Mark Rolfing. Said Ko Olina pro Greg Nichols: "She's proven she is the Real McCoy and that can only help get a tournament back here in time."
Of course, if there is one thing Wie, as an eighth grader, has, it is time.
