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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, August 9, 2005

Wie wows 'em on late night talk show

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

She may be taking a break from competition, but golfing phenom Michelle Wie is still in the spotlight. Last night, she sat down with David Letterman on the "Late Show," where they discussed everything from driving to playing golf for money.

JEFFREY R. STAAB | Associated Press

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In her latest foray in the national spotlight, Hawai'i teen golf phenom Michelle Wie sparkled in her first appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman last night on CBS affiliate KGMB-9.

With her hair styled in a wavy, natural look and wearing a satiny, emerald-green, spaghetti-strap top and a dark skirt, the 15-year-old Wie charmed the audience with several clever answers.

The Punahou School junior-to-be appeared comfortable when Letterman told her, "Boy, you just look beautiful!", to which she replied: "Thank you, you too."

In a wide-ranging interview that lasted about nine minutes, Wie covered several topics, including hitting golf balls out of baseball fields and smashing windows when she was 5 or 6, and her love of golf, "Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. It's such a wonderful sport," she said.

In one exchange, Letterman joked about Wie's lofty goals of playing on the PGA Tour and in the Masters, saying, "It's all ridiculous that we're having this conversation because you're 15. You can't even drive to the course, can you?"

"Actually, I have my permit," Wie replied. "I actually do drive to the golf course, but not by myself."

Asked about the pressures of turning pro, Wie responded: "I just love playing for money as it is. We used to play like ... $5 rounds. The only difference is that I'm not going to be playing for $5 rounds anymore. It's going to be a lot bigger."

Wie told Letterman she lives a normal childhood and "when I go back to school, my friends don't really care about my golf. So they don't really care about who I am," to which Letterman countered tongue-and-cheek: "Losers."

Michelle Wie's next stop is today's Good Morning America, which airs from 7 to 9 a.m. on Ch. 4 (Cable 6).