Wie's winning ways go beyond the golf course
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
The kids putting around at Waikele Golf Club yesterday knew all about Michelle Wie.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
That she's 13, goes to Punahou, is 6 feet tall.
Golf pro Casey Nakama, right, works with children at the Waikele Golf Club driving range. Nakama, who is Michelle Wie's former instructor, has seen an increase in interest among youngsters — especially girls.
But what they couldn't figure out was how a girl not much older than them could win the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship on Sunday.
"I can't believe it," said 8-year-old Trey Takara. "How can she be 13 and a champ?"
At 13, Wie is the youngest ever to win the amateur title, and the first female from Hawai'i to do so since 1980.
Yesterday, the excitement and pride at what she had achieved was apparent across Hawai'i. From coffee shops to the governor's weekly radio show to, of course, golf courses, Wie was a major topic of conversation.
But she's been making others take notice for years.
Local golf instructors have noticed a rise in enrollment in youth golf programs since Wie made headlines three years ago, when she qualified for the O'ahu Women Public Links team and became the youngest amateur to play in a United States Golf Association tournament. That year, at age 10, she competed in the tournament she won on Sunday, making the qualifying cut but losing in the first round of match play.
Since then her game — and her popularity — have skyrocketed.
And not just locally.
Her win made headlines across the country. "60 Minutes" has scheduled an interview with her. She's even got a nickname — "Big Wiesy" — courtesy of pro Tom Lehman, who compared her smooth and powerful swing to that of 6-foot-3 Ernie Els, who is known as the Big Easy.
"The scary thing is she's only 13," said Wie's former instructor, Casey Nakama, golf pro at Olomana Golf Links and director of instruction at the Olomana Developmental Program. "And she's nowhere near her full strength and maturity yet."
Associated Press
Nakama, who conducts youth golf clinics, said he has noticed an increase in interest among youngsters. Girls now make up about 20 percent of his classes.
Golfer Michelle Wie is the buzz of the Islands after her Publinx win Sunday.
"There's been more interest, definitely," he said yesterday after a clinic at Waikele Golf Club. "A lot of parents see Michelle and know their kids won't be 6 feet. But I hope more kids would play golf."
Brianna Lum has been taking Nakama's class for a few months now. Yesterday she practiced her drives and putts at Waikele in khakis and a red cap. The 11-year-old was shocked to find out that Wie is just two years older than she is.
"Wow, she must be really amazing," said the soon-to-be sixth grader at Iolani School. "She's really good."
Even people who don't golf knew about Wie's accomplishment and the significance of the win at such a young age.
"It's exciting," said Christy Larson, a 23-year-old barista at Encore Espresso in 'Aina Haina, who doesn't golf but read about Wie in the newspaper. "It shows her potential, especially to be so young and accomplish that."
Jon Watanabe, a 31-year-old business banking officer, watched highlights from the final round on the news on Sunday.
"I think it's awesome," he said while eating a mixed plate at Starbucks at Ward Village. "I always thought she was good enough."
Even Gov. Linda Lingle caught the buzz, opening her radio program on KHVH with comments about Wie.
"It's just almost unbelievable," Lingle said. "Not that she's a great athlete — that's pretty clear — but she can have such poise at such a young age. ... What a great, great representative of the state of Hawai'i."
What impresses Lori Planos — the last women from Hawai'i to win the Publinx — most about Wie's game is her length off the tee.
"To hit 300-yard drives isn't common, even for men," said Planos, a sales representative for Ping golf equipment in Kapalua, Maui. "I've always been waiting for someone to step up to the plate. It's been a long time coming, but for her to do it, it was beyond what we could have hoped for."
Cary Miyashiro has been golfing for more than 20 years, hitting the course at least once a week. He said it's obvious in the way she plays, her composure on the course, that she's got more than just physical ability.
"You could be born with a certain amount of talent, and that only gets you so far," said Miyashiro, 52, who was disappointed the tournament wasn't televised here. "But all her hard work is paying off ... Because of her size and the way she hits the ball, she could be one of the greatest golfers of all time. Barring injuries, sky's the limit."
