Posted on: Saturday, January 15, 2005

Putting was a Wie bit off for a good score

Advertiser Staff

Michelle Wie hit one fewer fairway off the tee and one fewer green in regulation this year, but there was one glaring exception to last year's near-miss of the cut: She needed eight more putts this time, averaging 31 each day this year and 27 last year.

Her putting ranked 117th in the field. The longest putt she made in two days was 14 feet.

"After missing putt after putt after putt, it was kind of like, your shoes kind of get heavier and it gets harder because your confidence goes down," Wie said. "Then you make a couple bogeys and I thought, 'It's just not my day today.' "

When Wie shot 68 in last year's second round, becoming the first female to break par in a PGA Tour event, she needed just 23 putts. She made all 14 inside 10 feet and drained two from 50 feet-plus.

Yesterday, the longest putt she made was just over 9 feet and the average distance of the putts she made was 3 feet, 3 inches. Last year, her second-round average was 10 feet, 2 inches.

"I think last year everything went too easily," Wie said. "Everything went as I planned, especially the second day when I made every single putt that came to me.

"But this year I had a tougher time. You know, if the putts went in, it would have been a lot better, but I learned a lot of things this week, more than last year. I think when you play bad, you learn a lot more."

Older and wiser: Two-thirds of the tour's 24 rookies are playing this week, but the 50-something set has grabbed bragging rights. Dick Mast, 53, qualified for Sony on Monday and shot 64. At 138, he goes into the final two days six behind the leader. Champions Tour colleagues Craig Stadler (69) and Peter Jacobsen (68) are at 140 with Tom Kite (71) at 142. Stadler also earned family bragging rights. Son Kevin (72-143) missed the cut.

Traffic stopper: Traffic literally stopped at times to watch Michelle Wie's pursuit of history yesterday. Well, at least some of it did. A motorcycle patrol officer pulled over to the side on H-1 to take in Wie's par of the fifth hole. When he finally moved on, a white truck took over the vantage point until the threesome moved on.

Television: ESPN's ratings for Thursday's opening round of the Sony Open were slightly below last year, a spokesman said. The 2004 first round on ESPN drew a 0.7 rating and an audience of 591,000 households. It was aired from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. This year, due to Wie, ESPN added three hours and split its coverage between ESPN and ESPN2. Thursday's opening round averaged an 0.6 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern time) on ESPN, an audience of 539,000 households. The remaining time, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on ESPN2, also delivered a 0.6 for 547,000 households.