Posted on: Sunday, June 29, 2003
Putting problems hurt Honolulu teen
| • | Wie's time will come once experience catches up to talent |
| • | Michelle Wie struggles, but makes the final cut |
By Michael McGarry
Special to The Advertiser
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Michelle Wie was "bummed."
The 13-year-old from Ho-nolulu shot a 1-over-par 72 yesterday in the second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic on the Bay Course at Seaview Marriott Resort & Spa.
"I think I should have played better," Wie said. "I feel bummed and frustrated."
She was understandably not as effervescent as she had been in press conferences Thursday and Friday.
But the demands of being a teenage phenom, and fan and media sensation, does not stop. So after the press conference, Wie did a Sports Illustrated photo shoot.
Wie just made the cut with a two-round total of 1-over-par 143. She is tied for 55th heading into today's final round.
The Classic is the third LPGA event Wie has played this year and the third time she has made the cut. But she's frustrated with good reason. Her score could be much lower if not for her struggles on the greens.
Eagle putts stopped inches short. Birdie putts lipped the cup. After one short birdie putt just missed, her father and caddie, BJ, dropped to his knees in frustration.
"I think I could have shot about 4 or 5 under," Wie said.
She had 28 putts Friday and 34 yesterday.
"It's frustrating to see that if you hit it a hair more, it would have gone in," Wie said. "Or sometimes when it whipped out, if you hit it a little softer it would go in."
No matter what she did on the greens, Wie-mania continued at the Classic yesterday. She once again had the biggest gallery, which hooted and hollered after she hit a 300-yard drive on the 382-yard ninth hole.
Wie was paired with professionals Michelle McGann and Emilee Klein. McGann has seven LPGA victories and is regarded as one of the LPGA's longest hitters.
"She has a lot of game," McGann said of Wie. "But she is also a nice girl. She was very respectful of us. I can't praise her enough for how she conducted herself."
McGann, 33, skipped college and turned pro when she was 18. Wie, who will enter the ninth grade at Punahou School in the fall, will face the same decision someday, although she has said her goal is to attend Stanford University.
"I wish her luck," McGann said. "I hope she is pacing herself and having fun. Everyone wants to see her and talk to her. It's a lot to deal with. But she seems like she is handling it very well."
Wie also showed yesterday that it takes hard work to be a 13-year-old phenom. Long after most of the other players had gone to dinner, Wie was practicing her putting.
Her parents and swing coach Gary Gilchrist watched. The only other people on the green were maintenance men, who were turning on sprinklers.
