Wie finishes 28th

By Jason Horton
Special to The Advertiser

PORTLAND, Ore. — The final round of her last LPGA tournament in the United States this year will be remembered for a lot of what-ifs for Honolulu's Michelle Wie.

Michelle Wie shot a 1-over-par 73 in the final round to finish at 214. Associated Press

What if her tee shot hadn't rested in the dirt at the foot of a tree on the par-5 seventh hole?

What if her second shot on the par-5 10th hadn't got caught in the rough as she tried to punch the ball out after missing the fairway?

What if her ball had held on three of the greens before rolling back off or on to the fringe?

There were several scenarios that could have helped Wie as she shot a 1-over-par 73 yesterday, finishing the Safeway Classic tied for 28th at 2-under-par 214.

Annika Sorenstam had back-to-back eagles and shot a 66 to successfully defend her title and win her fifth event of the year.

Sorenstam finished at 15-under 201, edging Hall of Famer Beth Daniel by a stroke after starting the day in a three-way tie with Daniel and Cristie Kerr.

For Wie, who led the tournament in driving the first two days with an average of 278 off the tee, it was the slick greens that gave her problems yesterday.

"The greens were really fast today — more than the last couple days," she said.

Luckily for the 13-year-old amateur, a top-notch caddie was on hand and available for the weekend. Greg Johnston, who's been carrying Juli Inkster's bag for the past decade, became available when Inkster pulled out of the tournament.

Wie's father, BJ, caddied last week in Boise, but wanted a pro caddie for this tournament.

"I wanted to hire a caddie I can trust out there, and when I found out he's been caddying for Juli for the past 10 years, there was trust instantly," BJ Wie said.

It was a good tournament for Wie to have Johnston on her side. He has been a caddie since 1987, so there isn't much he hasn't seen. But carrying the bag of a teenager was something he'd never done before.

"Never caddied for someone this young before," he said. "But she is very impressive. She's got a lot of poise and is very positive. When things go wrong, she stays focused and in a good mood."

That was key for Wie yesterday, as she missed heartbreaking putt after putt.

After starting off with a par on the first hole, she hit her tee shot on the par-3 second hole way left and down an embankment. She had a tough second shot under a tree. The near-impossible shot landed on the fringe of the green and she two-putted to fall to 2-under for the tournament.

Wie had a golden opportunity to get that shot back on the par-5, 498-yard fifth hole. After her drive left her 200 yards from the hole, she hit her second shot into a tree on the right front part of the green, and the ball came to rest 10 yards off the putting surface. She recouped, however, and left her third shot about six feet from the cup.

With a slight left-to-right break, Wie hit her putt high and the ball never quite broke as she anticipated and she settled for par.

The teenage phenom, however, showed her resolve. On the next hole, the par-4 sixth, her tee shot left her 92 yards from the green and her second shot landed about 20 feet from the cup. She calmly sank it into the center of the cup to get back to 3 under.

But after that, birdies were hard to come by. She would only birdie No. 16 the rest of the way. She did putt for birdie, though, on Nos. 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17, but couldn't get them to fall. Each putt just narrowly missed.

"The greens were very fast and the Sunday pin placements were tough," Johnston said. "But that's what you have to expect on Sundays."

Wie would bogey Nos. 7 and 15.

On the final hole, she showed why she had one of the largest followings of the weekend.

Wie crushed her drive down the center of the fairway on the par-4, 377-yard 18th. When the ball finally stopped rolling, it landed 280 yards from where it started, much to the delight of the crowd.

Despite not finishing the way she wanted, Wie enjoyed her trip back to Portland, where she played in the U.S. Women's Open in July.

"I really wanted to finish at 3 under," she said. "But I learned a lot and I think I played OK. I should have hit more fairways, but I like it out west. Portland always has great weather. It doesn't rain like it does in the east."

When the topic of her caddie came up, Wie was delighted for the opportunity to work with Johnston.

"He was fabulous," she said. "He knows the game and he makes the game more fun. I know my dad learned from him, too."

Wie returns to Honolulu for two weeks before going to Korea for the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic, which will be her sixth and final LPGA Tour event of the year.

It has been a busy year for the 6-foot Punahou freshman. Wie will have played in nine professional tournaments — with both men and women.