GOLF

Solheim Cup could be coming out for Wie

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SUGAR GROVE, Ill. — When it came time to get the fans rowdy with a couple of rounds of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” Solheim Cup rookie Michelle Wie wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“I was like, ‘Just watch. I’ll get it started.’ And then we had a great time with it,” playing partner and Solheim Cup “veteran” Morgan Pressel said after Wednesday’s practice round.

Yes, this week should be quite the education for Wie — about her, too.

Heralded as golf’s biggest thing since Tiger Woods after winning the Women’s Amateur Public Links at 13, making her the youngest winner of a USGA championship for adults, the last six years have not always been easy for Wie.

Despite being in contention at several majors, she’s still looking for her first win—on the LPGA Tour and off. Her attempts to play with the big boys failed. Fellow players resented the attention she got early on, grumbling at what they saw as free passes.

Fans are mesmerized by her sweet swing and booming drives. But with her face often hidden behind sunglasses and her interview answers polished to perfection, the fans don’t have that Tigerlike connection to her.

“She’s an amazing golfer, but what people don’t realize is she’s still just a teenager, and we’re getting to know her as a person,” Cristie Kerr said. “She’s got quite the fashion edge. She makes her own clothing. You know, she designs clothing. She does a lot of interesting things.”

“She’s a talented artist,” Pressel chimed in.

Beth Daniel used one of her two captain’s picks on Wie, and it had nothing to do with star power.

The top 10 players in Solheim Cup points automatically made the U. S. team, and Wie was 13th after a tie for 11th at the British Open. But consider that she only started collecting points this year; despite playing a handful of events on the LPGA Tour each year since she was 13, the 19-year-old player is only in her rookie season.

She’s been in the top 10 in five of the 13 tournaments she’s played and is 24th in the world rankings. She has yet to miss a cut, and ranks sixth with 19 of her 51 rounds in the 60s.

“You always wonder if you should pick a rookie,” said Daniel, who played in seven Solheim Cups. “I always feel like picking a rookie in the United States is a little easier than picking a rookie overseas, because here she’s going to have the fans at her back the whole time. But I looked at the stats. I looked at her performances.”

The Americans have won the last two Solheim Cups, and have yet to lose on home soil.

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