Posted on: Thursday, April 1, 2004
Wie's future limitless, still up in air
By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press
Everything was back to normal Tuesday for Honolulu's Michelle Wie, if there is such a thing anymore.
She returned to the ninth grade at Punahou School, back to studying math and history instead of the break in the slick greens at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
She could have told her friends that she finished fourth in the first major of the year and was within two shots of the lead at one point Sunday. If they found that boring, Wie could have mentioned the $96,000 she turned down at two tournaments — enough to be ninth on the LPGA Tour money list — to remain an amateur.
Meanwhile, her father was busy sending an e-mail to decline a sponsor's exemption for his 14-year-old daughter to play a PGA Tour event this summer. BJ Wie declined to say which one.
The future has never looked brighter or been filled with so many questions.
By now, there should be no doubt Wie is the biggest golf prodigy since Tiger Woods.
Figuring out where it leads — and how soon she gets there — remains a work in progress.
She says she wants to go to college — but that's still four years away.
Her father says he is comfortable with the LPGA Tour's age limit of 18, but what happens if Wie were to win a tournament? What if it's the U.S. Women's Open, the richest prize in women's golf worth $558,000?
BJ Wie considered the future while watching his daughter blend in with the best on the LPGA Tour.
"Michelle is really interested in going to Stanford," BJ said. "But we're looking at alternatives, based on her desire to attend college."
One scenario: She goes to Stanford and plays for the Cardinal. The only thing left to decide is whether she competes for the men's team or the women's team.
Another scenario: She goes to college and plays the LPGA Tour in her spare time.
"This is a new route that could be a good example for other young players," BJ said.
Another possibility — the one that seems most realistic — is for Wie to petition LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw to turn pro before her 18th birthday.
The precedent is Aree Song.
Song — previously known as Wonglukiet — was 13 when she played in the final group at Nabisco four years ago. She played on the Futures Tour as an amateur, finished fifth at the U.S. Women's Open last year and signed with Florida before deciding to go through LPGA Q-school last fall.
"There could be nothing better you can do," Song said, referring to her career. "It certainly beats school."
"Aree made the right decision for her and her family," BJ Wie said. "And Ty made the right decision. Physically and mentally, she is a very good player."
Even so, BJ Wie insists this is not the path for his daughter.
He is finishing a sabbatical from the University of Hawai'i, where he is a transportation professor, and one can only suspect the bills are mounting — caddies, lodging, food, and a summer that will keep them on the road for three months.
Equipment companies already are showing up, and the money offered when Wie turns pro probably will be more than anyone else gets in women's golf.
Her father, however, has more than golf in mind.
"It's highly unlikely that Michelle turns pro without attending college," he said. "She thinks college is really good for her. She believes she needs a transition period, departing from us, doing chores like laundry, cooking for herself. She likes to be more independent."
