Wie a hot topic among colleges

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

"Michelle Wie is making a whole lot of waves," says UH men's golf coach Ronn Miyashiro. Advertiser library photo

But recruiting women to play for men's golf teams has hardly been a topic of discussion in the past.

"Michelle Wie is making a whole lot of waves with her golf game," Manoa coach Ronn Miyashiro says. "I've never heard anything about it before now."

Wie heard about it while playing on the Nationwide Tour last fall in Boise, Idaho. Parker McLachlin, whose brother, Spencer, is Wie's ninth-grade classmate at Punahou, made the Albertsons Boise Open his first professional event after finishing his UCLA career. McLachlin told Wie the Bruins were looking to see if the NCAA prohibited recruiting women.

O.D. Vincent, coach of the UCLA's fourth-ranked men's team, said this week he found no rules prohibiting it.

"You see the women playing golf on the LPGA tour now and the success they're having," Vincent said. "You see the integration of the game and the quality of the game. It's becoming less of a gender sport and more the best player wins, which is the way it should be.

"Obviously Annika's (Sorenstam) efforts and Suzy's (Whaley) efforts helped and Michelle, obviously, played great at Sony Open. ... It is all happening very quickly."

After playing with men in two pro-ams and at the Sony Open in Hawai'i and Hawai'i Pearl Open, Wie will return to the LPGA next month. Her schedule this year and her results will only have more coaches talking. She missed the Sony cut by just one shot.

Wie has always said her plan was to finish high school here and go to Stanford before turning pro. Jeff Mitchell, the Stanford men's coach, can't talk about her — or to her — at this point, but he is as fascinated as anyone by the possibilities.

"It's a really interesting situation," Mitchell said. "This is a brand new area. This hasn't even been a possibility in the past.

"It's pretty amazing that you have women playing in PGA Tour events, Nationwide events. As far as their college golf teams are concerned, I don't know if it would have a larger impact or a smaller impact, but it would certainly have an impact."

Miyashiro and Hilo coach Earl Tamiya both said they would not hesitate to recruit a woman if she could help. Mitchell took it a step further.

"The only reason I would do it is if I thought, No. 1, it would improve my team," he said, "and No. 2, it would be a real positive for female golfers."

Hilo's 54-hole tournament ends tomorrow at the Waikoloa Kings' Course.

Manoa's tournament runs next Wednesday to Friday at Leilehua. Arizona, No. 26 in the GolfWeek/Sagarin Performance Index, will defend its title.

Others in the 19-team field include UNLV (11), Cal (14), New Mexico (17), Brigham Young (19), Colorado State (21), Hilo and Nagoya of Japan. Play begins at 7:30 each morning.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.

MICHELLE WIE:

2004 tentative schedule

Jan. 15-18

Sony Open in Hawai'i

(72-68, missed cut by 1)

Feb. 6-8

Hawai'i Pearl Open

(74-68-72-214, T38, second-low amateur)

March 18-21

LPGA Safeway International (Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Superstition, Ariz.)

March 25-28

LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship (Mission Hills CC, Rancho Mirage, Calif.)

May 6-9

Michelob ULTRA Open (Kingsmill Resort & Spa, Williamsburg, Va.)

June 12-13

Curtis Cup Match (Formby Golf Club, Merseyside, England)

June 22-27

U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, Williamsburg, Va.)

* July 1-4

U.S. Women's Open (Orchards Golf Club, South Hadley, Mass.)

* July 12-17

U.S. Amateur Public Links (Rush Creek Golf Club, Maple Grove, Minn.)

July 21-24

LPGA Evian Masters (Evian Masters Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France)

Aug. 9-15

U.S. Women's Amateur (Kahkwa Club, Erie, Penn.)

Aug. 19-22

LPGA Wendy's Championship for Children (Tartan Fields Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio)

* Must qualify