You're awesome. I followed you through all 54 holes of the Safeway Classic.
- Bella Ramos, Portland, OR
- Bella Ramos, Portland, OR
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Katie Lahk
Michelle, you and Rickie Fowler are my favourite golfers! You helped me love golf, so thank you!! :D I don't play as well as you, but I'm trying.
- Katie Lahk
- Katie Lahk
Friday, July 15, 2011
"Nobody to compare her to." - Fred Couples
"The thing about her is there is nobody to compare her to."
- Fred Couples about Michelle Wie
- Fred Couples about Michelle Wie
Thursday, June 30, 2011
About Michelle
Michelle Wie started golfing at a little over four years old in her home state of Hawaii. Her father, B.J. Wie, started teaching her. By the time she was 11, Michelle was regularly winning most of the amateur tournaments she played in and was even playing better than most men. She decided she wanted to become a pro-golfer after watching Tiger Woods play. She has pictures of Tiger all over her bedroom and now goes to Stanford University, just like Tiger did...
"My ultimate goal is to play in the Masters." - Michelle Wie
"My ultimate goal is to play in the Masters."
- Michelle Wie
- Michelle Wie
"See her hit a golf ball. . ." - Fred Couples
"When you see her hit a golf ball. . . there's nothing that prepared you for it. It's just the scariest thing you've seen."
- Fred Couples
- Fred Couples
"She can play on the PGA tour. . ." - Ernie Els
"Giver her another couple of years to get stronger, she can play on the PGA Tour."
- Ernie Els
(about Michelle when she was 14)
- Ernie Els
(about Michelle when she was 14)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Family and Education
Wie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents were immigrants from the Republic of Korea (South Korea) who came to the United States in the 1980s. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, is a former professor of transportation management at the University of Hawaii. Her mother was South Korea's women's amateur golf champion in 1985 and competed in a Miss Korea pageant. Her paternal grandfather, Dr. Sang Kyu Wie, a resident of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do, was an emeritus professor at Seoul National University. When she was born, since both of her parents had been Korean, Wie had been a dual citizen of both the Republic of Korea and the United States automatically. But, the Republic of Korea does not allow dual citizenship after the age of 21. Wie has opted for United States citizenship.
Wie graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii in June, 2007. On December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University where there are family ties. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting professor and an aunt and uncle are both graduates. She enrolled in September, 2007 as a freshman, but as a professional golfer, Wie is not eligible under NCAA rules to play for Stanford's golf team. During her first three years at Stanford, she attended only during the fall and winter quarters, running from late September through mid-March each year. She took leaves of absence during the rest of the year to play professional golf.
Source: Wikipedia
Wie graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii in June, 2007. On December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University where there are family ties. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting professor and an aunt and uncle are both graduates. She enrolled in September, 2007 as a freshman, but as a professional golfer, Wie is not eligible under NCAA rules to play for Stanford's golf team. During her first three years at Stanford, she attended only during the fall and winter quarters, running from late September through mid-March each year. She took leaves of absence during the rest of the year to play professional golf.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Amateur career: 2000 - 2005
Wie began playing golf at the age of four. In 2000, at the age of ten, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Eight years later, Wie's mark was broken by fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz who qualified when she was five months younger than Wie had been when she set the record.[15] In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational, the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii. She also advanced into match play at the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by thirteen shots. She also became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic held in Wie's home state of Hawaii. While she went on to miss the cut, her record stood for five more years until it was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.
At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wie became the youngest player to make an LPGA cut,. She carded a 66 in the 3rd round, tying the amateur record for a women's major championship and qualifying her to play in the final group of the championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, becoming the youngest person ever, male or female, to win a USGA adult event. Later that summer, she made the cut at the US Women's Open when she was still just 13, the youngest player ever to do so.
Wie was given a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the fourth, and youngest, female to play a PGA Tour event. Her second round score of 68 was the lowest ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event, though she went on to miss the cut in the tournament. She again played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing fourth. As part of the victorious U.S.team she became the youngest woman ever to play in the Curtis Cup. Wie started her 2005 season by accepting another sponsor's invitation to play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where she again missed the cut. She played five more LPGA Tour events that year as well as a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic. It was her third outing at a PGA Tour event; she missed the cut by two strokes. She entered qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links and became the first female golfer to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament, tying for first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Wie made the top 64 in the stroke play rounds to qualify for match play. She lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Clay Ogden.
On October 5, 2005, a week before her 16th birthday, Wie announced that she was turning professional. She signed sponsorship contracts with Nike and Sony reportedly worth more than 10 million dollars per year.
[Source: Wikipedia]
In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by thirteen shots. She also became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic held in Wie's home state of Hawaii. While she went on to miss the cut, her record stood for five more years until it was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.
At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wie became the youngest player to make an LPGA cut,. She carded a 66 in the 3rd round, tying the amateur record for a women's major championship and qualifying her to play in the final group of the championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, becoming the youngest person ever, male or female, to win a USGA adult event. Later that summer, she made the cut at the US Women's Open when she was still just 13, the youngest player ever to do so.
Wie was given a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the fourth, and youngest, female to play a PGA Tour event. Her second round score of 68 was the lowest ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event, though she went on to miss the cut in the tournament. She again played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing fourth. As part of the victorious U.S.team she became the youngest woman ever to play in the Curtis Cup. Wie started her 2005 season by accepting another sponsor's invitation to play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where she again missed the cut. She played five more LPGA Tour events that year as well as a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic. It was her third outing at a PGA Tour event; she missed the cut by two strokes. She entered qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links and became the first female golfer to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament, tying for first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Wie made the top 64 in the stroke play rounds to qualify for match play. She lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Clay Ogden.
On October 5, 2005, a week before her 16th birthday, Wie announced that she was turning professional. She signed sponsorship contracts with Nike and Sony reportedly worth more than 10 million dollars per year.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Professional career
Pre-LPGA membership (2005-2006)
Having turned professional, Wie was not a member of any professional tour. LPGA Tour membership age requirements require a golfer to be 18, although some players such as Morgan Pressel and Aree Song have successfully petitioned for an exemption to join at age 17. Wie chose not to request an exemption and was thus only allowed to participate in a limited number of LPGA Tour events when given a sponsor's exemption from 2005 until 2008. She also chose not to participate in the Tour's Qualifying Tournaments (or "Q-School") until December 2008, when she finished 7th to gain LPGA membership for the 2009 season.
Wie played her first professional event in the 2005 LPGA Samsung World Championship, where she was disqualified from a fourth-place finish for signing an incorrect scorecard. A journalist (Michael Bamberger) reported she had illegally dropped the ball closer to the hole than its original lie the day after she completed her third round. At her other professional event in 2005, the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour, Wie shot four over par to miss the cut.
2006 started with the PGA Tour Sony Open at her home course, the Waialae Country Club, Hawaii where she again missed the cut, this time by four strokes. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings in February, 2006, Wie was placed third behind Annika Sörenstam and Paula Creamer. She rose to second place in July but her limited schedule meant she failed to play the minimum of 15 worldwide professional women's tournaments over a twenty-four month period and she was dropped from the rankings entirely. In August, 2006, the calculation of the rankings was revised such that any player who had accumulated points in fewer than 35 tournaments had her ranking calculated as if she had played in 35. After the change, Wie's ranking dropped to 7th.
In her first two tournaments on the LPGA Tour in early 2006, Wie gained a third place finish in the Fields Open in Hawaii, finishing one stroke off the lead, and finished in a tie for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing one stroke behind, again. May, 2006, saw her play the Asian Tour SK Telecom Open, becoming the second woman (after Se Ri Pak) to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea. Wie reportedly received US$700,000 in appearance fees at an event that offered only US$600,000 in total prize money. In all, she reportedly netted US$5 million in appearance and endorsement money for the two-week trip.
May, 2006, also had her become the first female medalist in a local qualifier for the Men's U.S. Open. Wie did not compete in the "easier" Hawaii final stage qualifier, as she would have been unable to play at the LPGA Championship the following week. She played at Summit, NJ, vying for one of 16 available spots, but finished 59th and did not advance. At the LPGA Championship Wie finished two strokes off the lead, tied for fifth and followed this up with a tie for third at the US Women's Open. In July, she played in the LPGA HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship where she lost in the quarterfinals, 4 and 3, to the eventual champion Brittany Lincicome.
In July, Wie played in the PGA John Deere Classic. After a 6 over par first round, she reached 8 over par and 10 shots above the projected cut line, before withdrawing from the tournament after the 9th hole, citing heat exhaustion. Two weeks later, Wie returned to the LPGA Tour, finishing in a tie for second at the Evian Masters, one stroke off the lead. She tied for 26th at the Women's British Open, where she drew controversy for hitting a piece of moss on her backswing while she was in a bunker. This resulted in a two-stroke penalty. In a post-round interview, Wie said, "I guess I knew the rule wrong, from what I always knew... if you swing through it, everything would be OK."
In September, she competed in the Omega European Masters on the men's European Tour, where she finished last among the 156 competitors, 15 strokes over par. Wie missed the cut by 14 strokes, although tournament organizers reported that many of the 9,500 spectators on the first day came to see Wie. A week later, in Wie's third 2006 appearance on the PGA Tour, at the 84 Lumber Classic, she finished 14 over par after two rounds, 23 strokes behind the leader. At the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championship, Wie finished in 17th place in the 20-player field, 21 strokes behind the leader. Her last event of 2006 saw Wie compete in the Casio World Open on the men's Japan Golf Tour where she finished last, 27 shots behind the leader. With the conclusion of the Casio tournament, Wie had played 14 consecutive rounds of tournament golf without breaking par – eight on the LPGA Tour, two on the European Tour, two on the PGA Tour and two on the Japan Golf Tour. By the end of 2006, her first full year as a professional, Wie had missed the cut in 11 out of 12 tries against men, and remained winless in all 33 professional women's tournaments she had entered, the last 9 as a professional.
Pre-LPGA membership (2007-2008)
Wie accepted her fourth consecutive sponsor's exemption to the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii in January where she missed the cut by 14 strokes, finishing third from last in the 144-player field, 25 strokes behind the second-round leader. Her next competition, after a four-month absence and reported injuries to both wrists, was at the LPGA's Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika where she was 14-over par through 16 holes in the first round before withdrawing, after a conversation with her agent, citing an aggravated wrist injury.
The withdrawal was controversial due to the LPGA Rule of 88, which states that a non-LPGA member shooting a score of 88 or more is forced to withdraw and banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest of the year. Wie claimed the injury and not the rule of 88 was the cause of the withdrawal but some observers, including one of her playing partners, Alena Sharp questioned this claim. There was further controversy when both Sharp and Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie, questioned the involvement of Wie's father, B.J.. They said he appeared to give Wie advice during the course of play could have resulted in a two-stroke penalty but as Wie withdrew, this became a moot point.
Wie was seen two days later practicing at the site of the LPGA Championship in Bulle Rock, Maryland, which drew criticism from Ginn Tribute host Annika Sörenstam who said, "I just feel there's a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and come out and practice here." At the LPGA championship Wie was 3 over par and bang on the cutline after two days to extend her run of cuts made at LPGA majors to 13, but shot rounds of 83 and 79 on the weekend to finish last of those who made the cut, 35 strokes behind the eventual winner. Wie entered the US Women's Open in June but withdrew midway through the second round after hitting her second shot out of the rough on the 10th hole citing a wrist injury. Her tournament score through 27 holes was 17-over par, 22 strokes behind the second-round leader.
At the Evian Masters in July, Wie broke her year-long streak of 24 consecutive rounds at or over par by shooting a second-round one-under par 71 but shooting a 12 over par 84 in the third round led to her finishing 20 strokes behind winner Natalie Gulbis,third from last of those making the cut. One week later at the Women's British Open Wie shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by two strokes, her first missed cut in an LPGA Tour event since 2003, and her first missed cut in a major.
Wie next played in August at the Canadian Women's Open, where she was invited as a sponsor's exemption. She shot rounds of 75 and 74 on the par 71 course, missing the cut by four strokes. The following week, with another sponsor's exemption, Wie played in the Safeway Classic, at Portland, Oregon. After shooting rounds of 79 and 75, she missed the cut by six strokes and finished 21 strokes behind the second round leader. Three weeks after beginning her freshman year at Stanford University, Wie played as a sponsor exemption in the limited field Samsung World Championship, finishing 19th out of the 20 player field, 36 strokes behind the winner.
In December 2007, Wie was ranked at #4 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with an annual earnings of 19 million dollars.
2008 was the first time since 2004 Wie was not granted one of four available sponsor exemptions to play the PGA Tour Sony Open. She started the year on a sponsor's exemption at the LPGA Fields Open where she shot 69,73,78 to finish tied for 72nd, last among players making the cut. Two LPGA sponsor exemptions were offered and accepted to the Safeway International and Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill tournaments but Wie was unable to play at the Safeway as she announced she had injured her wrist practicing. She did play the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, shooting rounds of 75 and 71, missing the cut by four strokes. Wie's next competitive appearance was her first on the Ladies European Tour playing on a sponsor invitation in the Ladies German Open where she finished sixth place, seven strokes behind the winner, fellow eighteen year-old Amy Yang.
In June Wie played in Maryland at a sectional qualifier for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open. She finished in second place, earning one of the 35 qualification spots available.She shot an eight-over-par 81 in the first round of 2008 U.S. Women's Open and ended up with a 10-over total of 156, missing the cut. July saw Wie playing on a sponsor exemption at the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was in the middle of her third round when it was realized she had failed to sign her second round scorecard. Event organizers waited until the conclusion of that round to notify her that she was disqualified in order to give her an opportunity to explain what had happened. She was one stroke off the lead at the time. Two days later Wie announced that she had accepted an invitation to play her eighth PGA Tour event in the alternate field Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. She shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by nine strokes.
Wie had expressed her desire to attempt to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season by earning the equivalent of 80th place on the 2008 money list through her earnings at the events she played in through sponsor exemptions. When she failed to reach this goal, she entered an LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament. At the tournament, held from September 16 through 19 at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, she finished tied for 4th place. This was sufficient to advance her to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament held in Daytona Beach, Florida in December, 2008. During the Final Qualifying Tournament, Wie finished in a tie for 7th place to make her eligible to play full time on the LPGA Tour in 2009.
LPGA membership (2009 - present)
After passing LPGA Qualifying School in December 2008, Wie declared that she still planned to play in tournaments against men. However for the second consecutive year, she did not receive a sponsor exemption to play in the Sony Open in Hawaii where she had played four years in a row from 2004 through 2007.[51][52] Her first tournament as an LPGA member was the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay where she shot 66, 70 to move into a tie with Angela Stanford going into the final round of the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead with eight holes remaining, but ended up losing to Stanford by three strokes.
It was reported in early March, 2009, that Wie had left the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent agency that had represented her since she turned pro in 2005, and would be signing with sports agency IMG.
In Wie's next two tournaments, the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International and the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she struggled to make the cut, finishing on the cut line after the second round both times. She finished tied for 57th and 67th respectively in the two events. In the Kraft Nabisco, a major on the LPGA Tour, she shot a score of 81 in both the second and third rounds. In mid-April, Wie traveled to Korea to play in a LPGA of Korea event, the Lotte Mart Open, for the first time. She finished tied for 36, earning $1,536. She spent the next two months playing in every available LPGA tournament, with results ranging from a tie for 3rd at the Sybase Classic to a tie for 54th at the State Farm Classic, the same event at which she was disqualified in 2008 for failing to sign her scorecard. At the second major of the year, the LPGA Championship, she finished tied for 23rd, her best finish in a major since 2006. During this tournament she also scored her first recorded hole-in-one as a professional.
The day after the end of the LPGA Championship, Wie participated in a sectional qualifying tournament for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open to be held during the first week in July. She joined 110 players at the Rockville, Maryland site, one of several sites around the country set up for qualifying purposes on that day. Wie missed qualifying after shooting rounds of 70 and 74.
In August, at Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove, Illinois, Wie was a captain's pick for the United States team in Solheim Cup competition. She finished the tournament with a 3-0-1 performance in four matches.
On November 15, 2009, Wie won her first professional individual tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, a limited field event on the LPGA Tour, posting a score of thirteen under par 275 for a two-stroke margin over fellow American Paula Creamer, and besting Jiyai Shin, Christie Kerr and Morgan Pressel by two strokes. It was Wie's 81st professional tournament and her 66th LPGA Tour event. She then finished second in the Ladies European Tour season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters tournament on December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.
On August 29, 2010, she posted a three-shot win over a full field at the CN Canadian Women's Open, held at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for her second career professional victory. In her next LPGA event, she finished second in the 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Championship two weeks later, shooting 201 (-12) but losing to Yani Tseng by one stroke after giving up an overnight three-stroke lead.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Having turned professional, Wie was not a member of any professional tour. LPGA Tour membership age requirements require a golfer to be 18, although some players such as Morgan Pressel and Aree Song have successfully petitioned for an exemption to join at age 17. Wie chose not to request an exemption and was thus only allowed to participate in a limited number of LPGA Tour events when given a sponsor's exemption from 2005 until 2008. She also chose not to participate in the Tour's Qualifying Tournaments (or "Q-School") until December 2008, when she finished 7th to gain LPGA membership for the 2009 season.
Wie played her first professional event in the 2005 LPGA Samsung World Championship, where she was disqualified from a fourth-place finish for signing an incorrect scorecard. A journalist (Michael Bamberger) reported she had illegally dropped the ball closer to the hole than its original lie the day after she completed her third round. At her other professional event in 2005, the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour, Wie shot four over par to miss the cut.
2006 started with the PGA Tour Sony Open at her home course, the Waialae Country Club, Hawaii where she again missed the cut, this time by four strokes. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings in February, 2006, Wie was placed third behind Annika Sörenstam and Paula Creamer. She rose to second place in July but her limited schedule meant she failed to play the minimum of 15 worldwide professional women's tournaments over a twenty-four month period and she was dropped from the rankings entirely. In August, 2006, the calculation of the rankings was revised such that any player who had accumulated points in fewer than 35 tournaments had her ranking calculated as if she had played in 35. After the change, Wie's ranking dropped to 7th.
In her first two tournaments on the LPGA Tour in early 2006, Wie gained a third place finish in the Fields Open in Hawaii, finishing one stroke off the lead, and finished in a tie for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing one stroke behind, again. May, 2006, saw her play the Asian Tour SK Telecom Open, becoming the second woman (after Se Ri Pak) to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea. Wie reportedly received US$700,000 in appearance fees at an event that offered only US$600,000 in total prize money. In all, she reportedly netted US$5 million in appearance and endorsement money for the two-week trip.
May, 2006, also had her become the first female medalist in a local qualifier for the Men's U.S. Open. Wie did not compete in the "easier" Hawaii final stage qualifier, as she would have been unable to play at the LPGA Championship the following week. She played at Summit, NJ, vying for one of 16 available spots, but finished 59th and did not advance. At the LPGA Championship Wie finished two strokes off the lead, tied for fifth and followed this up with a tie for third at the US Women's Open. In July, she played in the LPGA HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship where she lost in the quarterfinals, 4 and 3, to the eventual champion Brittany Lincicome.
In July, Wie played in the PGA John Deere Classic. After a 6 over par first round, she reached 8 over par and 10 shots above the projected cut line, before withdrawing from the tournament after the 9th hole, citing heat exhaustion. Two weeks later, Wie returned to the LPGA Tour, finishing in a tie for second at the Evian Masters, one stroke off the lead. She tied for 26th at the Women's British Open, where she drew controversy for hitting a piece of moss on her backswing while she was in a bunker. This resulted in a two-stroke penalty. In a post-round interview, Wie said, "I guess I knew the rule wrong, from what I always knew... if you swing through it, everything would be OK."
In September, she competed in the Omega European Masters on the men's European Tour, where she finished last among the 156 competitors, 15 strokes over par. Wie missed the cut by 14 strokes, although tournament organizers reported that many of the 9,500 spectators on the first day came to see Wie. A week later, in Wie's third 2006 appearance on the PGA Tour, at the 84 Lumber Classic, she finished 14 over par after two rounds, 23 strokes behind the leader. At the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championship, Wie finished in 17th place in the 20-player field, 21 strokes behind the leader. Her last event of 2006 saw Wie compete in the Casio World Open on the men's Japan Golf Tour where she finished last, 27 shots behind the leader. With the conclusion of the Casio tournament, Wie had played 14 consecutive rounds of tournament golf without breaking par – eight on the LPGA Tour, two on the European Tour, two on the PGA Tour and two on the Japan Golf Tour. By the end of 2006, her first full year as a professional, Wie had missed the cut in 11 out of 12 tries against men, and remained winless in all 33 professional women's tournaments she had entered, the last 9 as a professional.
Pre-LPGA membership (2007-2008)
Wie accepted her fourth consecutive sponsor's exemption to the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii in January where she missed the cut by 14 strokes, finishing third from last in the 144-player field, 25 strokes behind the second-round leader. Her next competition, after a four-month absence and reported injuries to both wrists, was at the LPGA's Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika where she was 14-over par through 16 holes in the first round before withdrawing, after a conversation with her agent, citing an aggravated wrist injury.
The withdrawal was controversial due to the LPGA Rule of 88, which states that a non-LPGA member shooting a score of 88 or more is forced to withdraw and banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest of the year. Wie claimed the injury and not the rule of 88 was the cause of the withdrawal but some observers, including one of her playing partners, Alena Sharp questioned this claim. There was further controversy when both Sharp and Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie, questioned the involvement of Wie's father, B.J.. They said he appeared to give Wie advice during the course of play could have resulted in a two-stroke penalty but as Wie withdrew, this became a moot point.
Wie was seen two days later practicing at the site of the LPGA Championship in Bulle Rock, Maryland, which drew criticism from Ginn Tribute host Annika Sörenstam who said, "I just feel there's a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and come out and practice here." At the LPGA championship Wie was 3 over par and bang on the cutline after two days to extend her run of cuts made at LPGA majors to 13, but shot rounds of 83 and 79 on the weekend to finish last of those who made the cut, 35 strokes behind the eventual winner. Wie entered the US Women's Open in June but withdrew midway through the second round after hitting her second shot out of the rough on the 10th hole citing a wrist injury. Her tournament score through 27 holes was 17-over par, 22 strokes behind the second-round leader.
At the Evian Masters in July, Wie broke her year-long streak of 24 consecutive rounds at or over par by shooting a second-round one-under par 71 but shooting a 12 over par 84 in the third round led to her finishing 20 strokes behind winner Natalie Gulbis,third from last of those making the cut. One week later at the Women's British Open Wie shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by two strokes, her first missed cut in an LPGA Tour event since 2003, and her first missed cut in a major.
Wie next played in August at the Canadian Women's Open, where she was invited as a sponsor's exemption. She shot rounds of 75 and 74 on the par 71 course, missing the cut by four strokes. The following week, with another sponsor's exemption, Wie played in the Safeway Classic, at Portland, Oregon. After shooting rounds of 79 and 75, she missed the cut by six strokes and finished 21 strokes behind the second round leader. Three weeks after beginning her freshman year at Stanford University, Wie played as a sponsor exemption in the limited field Samsung World Championship, finishing 19th out of the 20 player field, 36 strokes behind the winner.
In December 2007, Wie was ranked at #4 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with an annual earnings of 19 million dollars.
2008 was the first time since 2004 Wie was not granted one of four available sponsor exemptions to play the PGA Tour Sony Open. She started the year on a sponsor's exemption at the LPGA Fields Open where she shot 69,73,78 to finish tied for 72nd, last among players making the cut. Two LPGA sponsor exemptions were offered and accepted to the Safeway International and Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill tournaments but Wie was unable to play at the Safeway as she announced she had injured her wrist practicing. She did play the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, shooting rounds of 75 and 71, missing the cut by four strokes. Wie's next competitive appearance was her first on the Ladies European Tour playing on a sponsor invitation in the Ladies German Open where she finished sixth place, seven strokes behind the winner, fellow eighteen year-old Amy Yang.
In June Wie played in Maryland at a sectional qualifier for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open. She finished in second place, earning one of the 35 qualification spots available.She shot an eight-over-par 81 in the first round of 2008 U.S. Women's Open and ended up with a 10-over total of 156, missing the cut. July saw Wie playing on a sponsor exemption at the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was in the middle of her third round when it was realized she had failed to sign her second round scorecard. Event organizers waited until the conclusion of that round to notify her that she was disqualified in order to give her an opportunity to explain what had happened. She was one stroke off the lead at the time. Two days later Wie announced that she had accepted an invitation to play her eighth PGA Tour event in the alternate field Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. She shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by nine strokes.
Wie had expressed her desire to attempt to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season by earning the equivalent of 80th place on the 2008 money list through her earnings at the events she played in through sponsor exemptions. When she failed to reach this goal, she entered an LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament. At the tournament, held from September 16 through 19 at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, she finished tied for 4th place. This was sufficient to advance her to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament held in Daytona Beach, Florida in December, 2008. During the Final Qualifying Tournament, Wie finished in a tie for 7th place to make her eligible to play full time on the LPGA Tour in 2009.
LPGA membership (2009 - present)
After passing LPGA Qualifying School in December 2008, Wie declared that she still planned to play in tournaments against men. However for the second consecutive year, she did not receive a sponsor exemption to play in the Sony Open in Hawaii where she had played four years in a row from 2004 through 2007.[51][52] Her first tournament as an LPGA member was the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay where she shot 66, 70 to move into a tie with Angela Stanford going into the final round of the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead with eight holes remaining, but ended up losing to Stanford by three strokes.
It was reported in early March, 2009, that Wie had left the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent agency that had represented her since she turned pro in 2005, and would be signing with sports agency IMG.
In Wie's next two tournaments, the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International and the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she struggled to make the cut, finishing on the cut line after the second round both times. She finished tied for 57th and 67th respectively in the two events. In the Kraft Nabisco, a major on the LPGA Tour, she shot a score of 81 in both the second and third rounds. In mid-April, Wie traveled to Korea to play in a LPGA of Korea event, the Lotte Mart Open, for the first time. She finished tied for 36, earning $1,536. She spent the next two months playing in every available LPGA tournament, with results ranging from a tie for 3rd at the Sybase Classic to a tie for 54th at the State Farm Classic, the same event at which she was disqualified in 2008 for failing to sign her scorecard. At the second major of the year, the LPGA Championship, she finished tied for 23rd, her best finish in a major since 2006. During this tournament she also scored her first recorded hole-in-one as a professional.
The day after the end of the LPGA Championship, Wie participated in a sectional qualifying tournament for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open to be held during the first week in July. She joined 110 players at the Rockville, Maryland site, one of several sites around the country set up for qualifying purposes on that day. Wie missed qualifying after shooting rounds of 70 and 74.
In August, at Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove, Illinois, Wie was a captain's pick for the United States team in Solheim Cup competition. She finished the tournament with a 3-0-1 performance in four matches.
On November 15, 2009, Wie won her first professional individual tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, a limited field event on the LPGA Tour, posting a score of thirteen under par 275 for a two-stroke margin over fellow American Paula Creamer, and besting Jiyai Shin, Christie Kerr and Morgan Pressel by two strokes. It was Wie's 81st professional tournament and her 66th LPGA Tour event. She then finished second in the Ladies European Tour season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters tournament on December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.
On August 29, 2010, she posted a three-shot win over a full field at the CN Canadian Women's Open, held at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for her second career professional victory. In her next LPGA event, she finished second in the 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Championship two weeks later, shooting 201 (-12) but losing to Yani Tseng by one stroke after giving up an overnight three-stroke lead.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Professional wins
LPGA Tour (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 15 2009 | Lorena Ochoa Invitational | -13 (70-66-70-69=275) | 2 strokes |  Paula Creamer |
| 2 | Aug 29 2010 | CN Canadian Women's Open | -12 (65-69-72-70=276) | 3 strokes | Kristy McPherson Suzann Pettersen Jee Young Lee Jiyai Shin |
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Amateur wins
Amateur wins
- November 15–17, 2002: Hawaii State Open, Women's Division (Wie's last stroke-play victory) (67-71-70—208 (8 under), 13 strokes over Cindy Rarick)
Wie won several other Hawaiian local and junior events during the years 2000 through 2002
- June 17–22, 2003: U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (Stroke play: 73-71—144 (even par); 18-hole matches: 2&1, 2&1, 5&4, 6&5, 5&4; 36-hole final: 1 up over Virada Nirapathpongporn
Wie played her first professional event while still an amateur in February 2002. Prior to her first win in a professional tournament, on November 15, 2009, she played in a total of 80 professional events as either an amateur or a professional:
66 against women: 64 on the LPGA Tour, 1 on the Ladies European Tour, and 1 on the LPGA of Korea Tour.
14 against men: 8 on the PGA Tour, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour, 1 on the Nationwide Tour, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
66 against women: 64 on the LPGA Tour, 1 on the Ladies European Tour, and 1 on the LPGA of Korea Tour.
14 against men: 8 on the PGA Tour, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour, 1 on the Nationwide Tour, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Results in LPGA majors
Results in LPGA majors (2003 - 2011)
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T9 LA | 4 LA | T14 LA | T3 | DNP | DNP | T67 |
| LPGA Championship | DNP | DNP | 2 LA | T5 | 84 | DNP | T23 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T39 | T13 TLA | T23 | T3 | WD | CUT | DNP |
| Women's British Open | DNP | DNP | T3 LA | T26 | CUT | DNP | T11 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T27 | 6 |
| LPGA Championship | T19 | |
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | |
| Women's British Open | T17 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Yellow background for top-10.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Thursday, June 23, 2011
LPGA Tour career summary
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | n/a | n/a | 75.67 | n/a |
| 2003 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T9 | n/a | n/a | 73.00 | n/a |
| 2004 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | n/a | n/a | 71.00 | n/a |
| 2005 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | n/a | n/a | 70.76 | n/a |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | T2 | 730,921 | n/a | 70.78 | n/a |
| 2007 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 23,024 | n/a | 76.68 | n/a |
| 2008 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T12 | 62,763 | n/a | 72.15 | n/a |
| 2009 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 918,659 | 14 | 70.57 | 9 |
| 2010 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 888,017 | 9 | 71.34 | 18 |
| 2011 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 290,028 | 13 | 71.62 | 14 |
[Source: Wikipedia]
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Professional record and earnings outside LPGA
| Year | Dates | Tournament | Tour | Finish | Margin | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Oct 13-16 | Samsung World Championship* | LPGA | DQ | n/a | 0 |
| 2005 | Nov 24-27 | Casio World Open | Japan Golf Tour | MC | 1 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Jan 12-15 | Sony Open in Hawaii | PGA | MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Feb 23-25 | Fields Open in Hawaii | LPGA | 3 | 1 behind playoff | 73,227 |
| 2006 | Mar 30 – Apr 2 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | LPGA | T3 | 1 behind playoff | 108,222 |
| 2006 | May 4–7** | SK Telecom Open | Asian Tour | T35 | 12 behind winner | 4,303 |
| 2006 | Jun 8-11 | LPGA Championship | LPGA | T5 | 2 behind winner | 57,464 |
| 2006 | Jun 29 – Jul 2 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | T3 | 2 behind playoff | 156,038 |
| 2006 | Jul 6-9 | HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship* | LPGA | T5 | n/a | 50,000 |
| 2006 | Jul 13-16 | John Deere Classic | PGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2006 | Jul 26-29 | Evian Masters* | LPGA | T2 | 1 behind winner | 255,333 |
| 2006 | Aug 3-6 | Women's British Open | LPGA | T26 | 13 behind winner | 18,059 |
| 2006 | Sep 7-10 | Omega European Masters | European Tour | MC | 14 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Sep 14-17 | 84 Lumber Classic | PGA | MC | 13 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Oct 12-15 | Samsung World Championship* | LPGA | 17 | 21 behind winner | 12,578 |
| 2006 | Nov 23-26 | Casio World Open | Japan Golf Tour | MC | 17 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Jan 11-14 | Sony Open in Hawaii | PGA | MC | 14 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | May 31 – Jun 3 | Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika | LPGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2007 | Jun 7-10 | LPGA Championship | LPGA | 84 | 35 behind winner | 3,273 |
| 2007 | Jun 28 – Jul 1 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2007 | Jul 26-29 | Evian Masters | LPGA | T69 | 20 behind winner | 6,626 |
| 2007 | Aug 2-5 | Women's British Open | LPGA | MC | 2 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Aug 16-19 | Canadian Women's Open | LPGA | MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Aug 24-26 | Safeway Classic | LPGA | MC | 6 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Oct 11-14 | Samsung World Championship* | LPGA | 19 | 36 behind winner | 13,125 |
| 2008 | Feb 21-23 | Fields Open in Hawaii | LPGA | T72 | 20 behind winner | 2,570 |
| 2008 | May 8–11 | Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill | LPGA | MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | May 29 – Jun 1 | Ladies German Open | LET | 6 | 7 behind winner | 13,563[68] |
| 2008 | Jun 19-22 | Wegmans LPGA | LPGA | T24 | 12 behind winner | 18,887 |
| 2008 | Jun 26-29 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | MC | 6 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | Jul 10-13 | Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic | LPGA | T46 | 15 behind winner | 4,831 |
| 2008 | Jul 17-20 | State Farm Classic | LPGA | DQ | n/a | 0 |
| 2008 | Jul 31 – Aug 3 | Reno-Tahoe Open | PGA | MC | 9 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | Aug 14-17 | Canadian Women's Open | LPGA | T12 | 8 behind winner | 36,475 |
| 2009 | Apr 15-17 | Lotte Mart Open | KLPGA | T36 | 13 behind winner | 1,534 |
| 2009 | Dec 9-12 | Dubai Ladies Masters | LET | 2 | 3 behind winner | 72,990 |
| 2010 | Dec 8-1 | Dubai Ladies Masters | LET | T6 | 6 behind winner | 16,250 |
Dates are span of competitive rounds, regardless of whether Wie participated in all rounds.
** = tournament shortened to three rounds due to rain.
DQ = disqualified
MC = missed halfway cut
WD = withdrew
* = limited field, no-cut event
Margin = strokes behind winner or cutline, not applicable in cases of withdrawal, disqualification or matchplay format.
** = tournament shortened to three rounds due to rain.
DQ = disqualified
MC = missed halfway cut
WD = withdrew
* = limited field, no-cut event
Margin = strokes behind winner or cutline, not applicable in cases of withdrawal, disqualification or matchplay format.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Team apperances
Amateur
[Source: Wikipedia]
- Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 2004 (winners)
Professional
- Solheim Cup (representing the United States): 2009 (winners)
Solheim Cup Record
| Year | Total Matches | Total W-L-H | Singles W-L-H | Foursomes W-L-H | Fourballs W-L-H | Points Won | Points % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 4 | 3-0-1 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 1-0-1 | 3.5 | 87.5% |
| 2009 | 4 | 3-0-1 | 1-0-0 def H. Alfredsson 1 up | 1-0-0 won w/ C. Kerr 1 up | 1-0-1 halved w/ M. Pressel, won w/ C. Kim 5&4 | 3.5 | 87.5% |
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