Wie rallies with a 67

By Bob Baum
Associated Press

Michelle Wie watches her birdie putt roll just shy of the 17th hole during the second round of the Safeway International. Associated Press

And 14-year-old Michelle Wie's 5-under 67 yesterday showed why so many believe she is the heir apparent.

Sorenstam shot a methodical 7-under 65 in the second round to take a one-stroke lead halfway through the Safeway International.

She was at 12-under 132, just ahead of Cristie Kerr, who matched her career best with a 9-under 63.

The buzz through the big galleries surrounded Wie, the 6-foot teen sensation from Hawai'i who was seven back at 5-under 139.

Wie, a Punahou School ninth-grader, had eight birdies and three bogeys in the 90-plus degree sunshine of the Superstition Mountain Golf club 50 miles east of downtown Phoenix.

"I don't think I hit my shots as good as I did yesterday," Wie said, "but my putting definitely was a lot better. Those bogeys I made were pretty stupid. I felt really bad about those, but I made a lot of birdies."

She reeled off four consecutive birdies on holes six through nine and reached 6-under through 14 holes, but had bogeys on the par-4, 310-yard 15th and par-4, 412-yard 16th.

"I kind of felt better about making those four birdies. I was more relaxed." Wie said. "I was thinking I have to make more. I don't know. It was just really relaxing after making those four birdies."

Wie reached the green in two shots twice on par-5 holes. On the 552-yard 13th, she drove it about 320 yards off the tee, easily made the green on her next shot, then barely missed a 12-foot putt for eagle before tapping in for her seventh birdie of the round.

Then, in front of a big gallery on the 508-yard 18th, she made the green in two, then almost sank a 30-foot eagle putt before tapping in to finish her round. She obviously was at ease.

"I've played in 11 (LPGA) tournaments so far," Wie said, "so I'm not really a rookie anymore. I feel comfortable out here."

Wie said a change in practice might have made a difference in yesterday's round.

"(On Thursday), I practiced on the right putting green, and it was so fast," she said. "Like the first putt I ever hit on the practice green, it was like 15 feet long. I was intimidated by the greens. I think I practiced too hard to putt before I went in, so I wasn't confident, but today I practiced on a flatter surface and it's more like the golf course and it gave me confidence, so I was confident today coming in."

It's the first time Wie's father B.J. hasn't been her caddie in an LPGA event.

"It's actually kind of nice," Wie said with her dad laughing in the back of the room. "There's a lot less arguing."

This is the first of the six LPGA events Wie plans to enter this season. She made the cut in six of seven LPGA events last year and fell just one shot short of making the cut in the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawai'i in January.

Defending champion Se Ri Pak (68) was three back at 9-under 135. First-round leader Kim Saiki shot a 73 to drop five shots back at 7-under 137.

"I'm playing really good," said Sorenstam, the ANZ Masters winner three weeks ago in Australia in her only other tournament of the year.

"I'm playing smart and giving myself good opportunities," Sorenstam added. "If I hit a good drive I'm playing aggressive. If I hit it poorly off the tee I play it conservatively. And the greens are so smooth. Once I see the line and hit it right there, it seems like they go in."

Additional press conference quotes provided by lpga.com.