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Posted on: Thursday, June 23, 2005

Wie may be Sorenstam's major obstacle

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By Leonard Shapiro
Washington Post

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — Ten years ago, a shy, slight and relatively unknown Swedish golfer came to Colorado and won the U.S. Women's Open, surprising herself and most of the players in the field. A decade later, the major surprise here would be if Annika Sorenstam failed to add the third leg of her stated goal of becoming the first woman to win all four of her sport's major championships in a single season Grand Slam.

Michelle Wie has her sights on a higher finish than her 13th-place tie in last year's Open.

Laura Rausch • Associated Press


Sorenstam was a 24-year-old rookie going into that 1995 Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. That course is about 50 miles south of the Cherry Hills Country Club here in the Denver suburbs where Sorenstam will continue her Grand Slam quest starting today.

"At the Broadmoor, I don't want to use the word fluke, but it was kind of a fluke I won," Sorenstam said here yesterday. "I stayed up there and all of a sudden, I was leading the tournament. Once I knew I was leading, I started to make a lot of mistakes. I was just glad it was only a few more holes to play before I would really screw it up."

There have been 61 more victories, including another eight major championships, on Sorenstam's Hall of Fame resume since that first Open triumph, also her first win on the LPGA Tour. And this week, many eyes will be focused on another player who has yet to win her first LPGA tournament.

Michelle Wie should draw some of the largest galleries this week. Two weeks ago, the Ho-nolulu teen finished second to Sorenstam by three shots at the LPGA Championship, the second major of the season, and she is expected to contend here, as well.

"I feel like I have a big chance this week," Wie said Tuesday. She's already played in six majors, with three top 10 finishes, and five in the top 14.

Like Sorenstam, Wie has been upfront about her goals. They include playing in the Masters, as well as possibly playing regularly on the PGA Tour.

Wie has been publicly criticized by another Hall of Famer, Nancy Lopez, who wondered out loud why the 15-year-old hasn't played more golf against her amateur peers and added: "She says she wants to play on the men's tour. Why? It's a little insulting. She should play out here and try to beat Annika first."

Wie said she understands she's not ready to compete with men on the PGA Tour. "I'm out there to learn from them," she said. "Playing in all the different tours, PGA, LPGA, amateurs, they're all so unique and I feel like I'm a better player learning from all those different kind of players. Even on the LPGA, I still have a lot to learn and I'm still learning from Annika, a lot of the players out here, and that's good for me."

• • •

U.S. Women's Open

Site: Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

Schedule: Today through Sunday.

Course: Cherry Hills Country Club (6,749 yards, par 71).

Purse: $3.1 million. Winner's share: $560,000.

Television: Today and tomorrow, 11 a.m. Hawai'i time, ESPN2. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. Hawai'i time, NBC.