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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 25, 2005

Wie misses by 1 stroke

By Jim Armstrong
Associated Press

Michelle Wie teed off in today’s second round of the Casio World Open seeking to make the cut in a men’s tour event.

Photos by KATSUMI KASAHARA | Associated Press

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“Obviously, I’m very disappointed,” Michelle Wie said. “I played as well as I could.”

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Michelle Wie waves to galleries after sinking a birdie putt on the first green during the second round of the Casio World Open at Kuroshio Country Club in Kochi, southern Japan. Wie failed to make the cut.

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Michelle Wie of the United States waits for her turn to putt on the first green during the second round of the Casio World Open at Kuroshio Country Club in Kochi, southern Japan

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KOCHI, Japan — Hawai'i's Michelle Wie bogeyed her final two holes today, missing the cut by one stroke against the men at the Casio World Open.

Wie, who shot a 1-over-par 73 in the opening round, had three birdies and six bogeys at the Kochi Kuroshio Country Club course for a 3-over 75. The 16-year-old Punahou School student was tied with 11 others for 68th place with a 36-hole total of 4-over 148.

The top 60 players in the $1.7 million Japanese men's tour event made the cut, which was 3-over 147. Four players, including overnight co-leader Toshimitsu Izawa, were tied for the lead at 6-under-138.

"Obviously, I'm very disappointed," Wie said. "I played as well as I could. I tried my best today, but things just didn't work out."

Wie was on the verge of making the cut, but things started to go awry on the par-4 17th.

After hitting the fairway with her tee shot, Wie's approach landed in the greenside rough. She chipped onto the green and then missed a 5-foot par putt.

Because of a backlog of players, Wie then had to wait 20 minutes before playing the par-5 18th.

On 18, her drive off the tee went into the right rough. She hit out onto the fairway, but her approach landed in the short rough on the edge of the green and she missed a 6-foot par putt after chipping on.

"I hit the putt the way I wanted to," Wie said. "It just didn't break the way I thought it would."

With a par on 18, Wie would have made the cut.

"I was a bit nervous walking up the 18th fairway," she said. "I was just trying to play a good hole and make par, but it didn't work out that way."

It went better for another golfer from Hawai'i as Gregory Meyer shot 74—145 and made the cut.

Wie is only the second female to play in a Japanese men's event. Sophie Gustafson missed the cut in the 2003 Casio tournament.

No woman has made a PGA Tour cut since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945. No one even tried again until Annika Sorenstam teed off at the 2003 Colonial, and only Suzy Whaley and Wie have played PGA Tour events since.

Wie was making her sixth start in a men's professional tournament. She failed to make the cut in three PGA Tour starts, a Nationwide Tour event and a Canadian Tour event.

Wie opened with a birdie today, but followed with consecutive bogeys. She birdied the fourth hole, then bogeyed the par-5 7th and par-4 9th to make the turn at 2-over.

Wie birdied the par-5 10th hole to go to 1-over and remained in good position to make the cut until she came to the 17th hole.

Despite falling short, Wie said she was not discouraged.

"Not making the cut here has not made me want to play in men's events," she said. "Hopefully, I can learn from the mistakes I made here and come back here."

This was Wie's second tournament as a pro. She was disqualified in a controversial ruling after signing a wrong scorecard in the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., in October.

She would have finished fourth in the event, but Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger reported to officials after the final round that Wie had committed a rules violation the day before.