AROUND THE GREENS
For the Wie family, it was a summer of fun, long drives

By Bill Kwon

Winning the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links championship was just one of the highlights of Michelle Wie's summer. Advertiser library photo

"I was almost as nervous as I was on the first tee at the U.S. Open," said Wie, who began the ninth grade.

If anyone oblivious about golf should ask her, "What did you do this summer?" boy, could she give them an earful.

The 13-year-old Wie became the youngest champion in the history of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links championship and the youngest on record to make the cut in the U.S. Women's Open. But that was nothing compared to all the miles that "Wie Are Family" clocked since she and parents BJ and Bo left here May 30 and returned Sunday night.

Talk about have golf clubs, will travel.

First, they flew from Ho-nolulu to Tampa, Fla., for a week at the David Leadbetter School in Bradenton, where Michelle did a photo outing for the October issue of Golf Digest — a photo layout comparing her swing with that of Ernie Els'.

The Wies saw enough of Florida for a lifetime, driving from Bradenton to Heathrow, outside of Orlando, for the U.S. Women's qualifying; then back to Bradenton for another five days and then to Palm Coast above Daytona Beach for the weeklong WAPL.

From there they flew to Atlantic City, N.J., for the LPGA Shop Rite Classic where Wie made the cut. Then the Wies flew cross-country again to Portland, Ore., for the U.S. Women's Open, where she finished in a tie for 39th.

They flew down to Los Angeles for a two-week break, staying with Bo's sister. From Los Angeles it was back across the country to Hartford, Conn., for the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in Fairfield.

Accompanied by Michelle's swing coach, Gary Gilchrist, from the Leadbetter School, the Wies rented a van for a month to accommodate their eight pieces of luggage. They first drove down to Philadelphia, a seven-hour ride, for the U.S. Women's Amateur, then to Toledo, Ohio, (it took nine hours) for the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic and then to Brimley, Mich., for the Bay Mills Open Players Championship, which ended the Canadian Tour season.

When Michelle missed the cut in the men's tournament, the family motored a long, long way back down the upper Michigan peninsula to Detroit to finally return the van and fly home via St. Louis, arriving Sunday night in time for Michelle's first high school class early the next morning.

By then, she was ready to come home. But like her dad, Michelle wondered where did the summer go?

"It passed by so quickly," BJ Wie said. "We had a good time together as a family."

It was really a family-that-stayed-together act. To cut expenses, they stayed three to a room. Nonetheless, the summer adventure cost $50,000.

This year's travels aren't over yet for the Wies.

Next month, the prodigy will play against the men again in the Nationwide Tour's Boise (Idaho) Open. As a prelude to the event, she will be paired with John Daly against Hank Kuehne and Nancy Lopez in a Skins Game.

The following week, Wie will play in the LPGA Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore.

In October, she's entered in the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic, another LPGA Tour event, in Cheju Island, South Korea.

If you think the media hype was hectic this summer, wait until the South Korean press gets hold of her.

All in all, Michelle said that the trip was a great learning experience for her and "a lot of fun."

"I've got to work harder on my game, especially my short game and driver accuracy," said Wie, adding, "And I've got to get more fit. I got tired at times.

"Still, I got really psyched when I played well."

The highlight of the summer trip was her victory in the public links and making the cut in the U.S. Women's Open. The summer bummer? The highly publicized run-in with Danielle Ammaccapane in the latter event.

"It was an isolated incident because of an unfortunate pairing," said BJ, who added the encounter is past history as far as he and Michelle are concerned.

The Wies are already looking forward to next summer, which BJ said will be more "USGA focused."

Defending her public links title next June 22-27 at Williamsburg, Va., is a given, as well as the U.S. Women's Open the following week in Massachusetts, if Wie survives the qualifying. Also on the 2004 itinerary are the U.S. Girls Junior and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

But Wie has her sights on another goal — getting named to the American Curtis Cup team, which will be in England next June 12-13. Lori Castillo is the only golfer from Hawai'i to have played in the prestigious international event, in 1980.

Wie stands a good chance of being among the eight female amateurs to be selected next January.

She has received more than a dozen sponsor's exemptions to 2004 LPGA tournaments — she can accept only six — so it looks like she will be solidly booked again next summer.

She still hopes to qualify to play against the guys in the national publinx and U.S. Amateur, which provide the winners an invitation to the Masters. Playing in the Masters, after all, is still Wie's ultimate goal.

Now, that would be a trip of a lifetime indeed.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.