Wie continues her education as LPGA weathers delays
Tour rookie opens well at Wegmans LPGA
PITTSFORD—It seems easy to forget that Michelle Wie is a tour rookie.
Touted as a golf prodigy since the age of 13 along with her sometimes controversial decisions to play in events on the PGA Tour, without much success, Wie has been part of the national media scene for the better part of six years.
Still, she is a rookie on the LPGA Tour enjoying her first full year as a professional golfer. Tuesday she got a taste of the tour as rain twice delayed the second round of the Wegmans LPGA.
She is learning all the time. “It’s a lot of fun,” Wie said of her rookie season. “It’s playing in a lot of tournaments, going new places every week. It’s definitely a new experience, going to places I’ve never been before. I had only played about six years, so playing every week is a lot of fun.
“It’s a lot more tiring than I expected but it’s a lot of fun.”
It’s also a lot of fun when you put up some good numbers.
In her first round at the Wegmans LPGA on Thursday at Locust Hill Country Cub, she had a strong finish over the final nine holes to end the day tied for 11th with a 3-under par
69. That placed her five shots behind leader Sandra Gal, who shot a 64.
A three-hour rain delay left several players unable to finish their rounds. They will begin play early today with second round tee times adjusted after the first round is completed.
“It was tough getting started,” Wie said of her round during the heat and wind Thursday morning. “Obviously I had a birdie on the first hole but just a couple missed iron shots here and there and missed putts. Overall, my game felt solid. I just tried to be patient out there.
“On a tight golf course you’ve got to hit fairways and greens and these are tricky greens so you’ve got to leave yourself in the right spot. I had some putts that broke a lot and were really quick, so hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some more uphill putts.”
Wie started her round on the back nine and birdied No. 10 but then bogeyed 11 and 18 to finish her opening nine at 1-over par.
She then found a groove on the front nine with a birdie on the fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth holes.
Her birdie on No. 9 — a par-3 — was highlighted by an impressive tee shot that set up an easy putt to give her some momentum heading into the second round (5 p. m., ESPN2).
“I just need to work on a few things,” Wie said, “give myself some easier putts, just keep hitting fairways and at the end of the day I’ll be good.”
Wie is still looking for her first LPGA win. In fact, she’s looking for her first tournament win, period, since she burst on the golf scene at age 13 when she won the 2003 USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.
She has now played in 57 LPGA events. In addition, she has played in 14 professional tournaments against men — including eight on the PGA Tour. She made the cut only once, on the Asian Tour in 2006.
Her golf route has been critiqued and criticized as she once wanted to play more on the men’s tour instead of taking the traditional Q-school route for the LPGA Tour.
But she wouldn’t change her life course.
“Everyone goes through life making decisions, maybe regretting some, maybe not,” Wie said. “But it’s decisions that you made and, whether it’s good decisions or bad decisions, I’ve definitely learned from them.
“I’ve had such a fun time growing up, playing in men’s events, trying this, trying that, experimenting, playing on the LPGA, it’s just so much fun for me. It was exactly what I wanted to do.”
Now, she wants to win on the LPGA Tour and while she still is looking for that title, she has had a good season to date. She ranks third among rookies on the money list and 18th overall with $326,331 through nine events.
She has three top-10 finishes, including finishing second in February at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, Hawaii.
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