Wie's been in money at LPGA appearances

Advertiser Staff

Punahou sophomore Michelle Wie received a little birthday money and a Game Boy when she turned 15 Monday. Ironically, she could have bought about 2,800 Game Boys with the prize money she turned back in her 14th year.

Wie is back for more this week. She will become the sixth amateur to play in the Samsung World Championship when she tees off with 19 others this morning in Palm Desert, Calif. The tournament is invitation-only.

Grace Park, who beat Wie earlier this year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, was the last amateur to play in the Samsung. Park's tie for sixth in 1998 is the best finish by an amateur.

She and Wie share other ties. Park attended school in Hawai'i before moving to Arizona. And, they are among the eight golfers of Korean descent this week.

The World Championship has an $825,000 purse. With Wie unable to collect prize money as an amateur, the 19th- — or last- — place player will win $11,000. First is $206,250.

That is only a little less than Wie would have won this year had she been able to accept prize money. She has made the cut in all six of her LPGA events, with two top-10 finishes. Her earnings of nearly $240,000 would have put her 46th on the money list.

"Whenever I look, they always put a zero next to my name," Wie said. "I get ticked off about that, so I don't look."

This is Wie's final LPGA event of 2004. Next week she'll return to high school, and Japanese, English, conceptual physics, trigonometry, Asian history and foundation art.

When she goes back to the pro tours next year she will inevitably face the question of whether she enjoys vaulting between her very different worlds. Wie insists she does.

"I'm not stupid enough that I would not enjoy myself coming out here," she says. "If I'm not enjoying myself I wouldn't be coming out here and I wouldn't be playing.

"I'm having a great time. I have friends out here and I really enjoy coming out, and it's kind of fun missing school. I'm having a lot of fun traveling with my family. I also think it's good I'm not out here full time because I kind of get sick of one thing."

LPGA.com contributed to this report

• • •