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Canada win may fuel Wie's resurgence
Source: Agencies |
September 1, 2010, Wednesday
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MICHELLE Wie served notice she could finally be on track to fulfil the rich potential she displayed in her early teens by clinching her second LPGA career title at the Canadian Women's Open.
The 20-year-old Hawaiian completed a wire-to-wire victory at St Charles Country Club in Winnipeg on Sunday, giving seasoned Tour campaigner Suzann Pettersen a timely reminder of her talent.
"She's a great player," Norwegian Pettersen told reporters after Wie had held off a high-quality field to triumph by three shots.
"I'm surprised she's not up there more often because she's a great ball striker. When she gets her game together, she's tough to beat."
Wie claimed her breakthrough win on the US circuit at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico last November and she was delighted to follow that up in Canada at the weekend.
"It feels awesome," a beaming Wie said after being sprayed with champagne by her good friend and fellow professional Christina Kim. "It feels absolutely fantastic.
"It's been a long time since November. I haven't been playing as well as I wanted to the last couple of months, and this makes me more motivated for the rest of the season."
Blessed with abundant talent, Korean-American Wie turned professional at 15 under a mountain of expectation after signing endorsement deals believed to be worth US$10 million a year.
She joined the paid ranks in 2005 as golf's richest female and one of the highest paid athletes in women's sport. Swede Annika Sorenstam, the world No. 1 at the time, earned around US$6 million a year in endorsements.
Surprisingly, it took another four years before Wie finally visited the winner's circle, a trying period as she battled injuries, putting woes and criticism from many of her peers for her sporadic attempts to make the cut on the men's PGA Tour.
Golf's most trumpeted teenager since Tiger Woods, she came under intense media scrutiny as she strived to land a first tournament victory since the 2003 US women's amateur public links title aged 13.
With her parents always in close attendance, Wie appeared to be micro-managed as one of the game's most marketable figures without ever justifying all the hype by winning.
To her credit, though, she earned her Tour card in late 2008 the hard way, at qualifying school, and was then selected for the 2009 Solheim Cup where she produced red-hot form on her debut in the biennial competition.
The youngest player on either side, she revelled in the team atmosphere and won 3-1/2 points from a possible four as the US beat Europe 16-12 in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
"For anybody who's said Michelle Wie can't play under pressure, I think they were proven wrong," US captain Beth Daniel said. "She did everything, and more than we asked of her. She was like walking on air."
Invigorated and inspired by her Solheim Cup experience, Wie went on to record three top-four finishes in her next five LPGA Tour starts, including her win in Mexico.
Despite mixing her student life at Stanford University with a burgeoning career on the LPGA circuit, Wie appears to have finally struck the right balance in her approach to the game.
She appears to be enjoying golf once again and maturing - both on and off the course. The lofty golfing predictions made of Wie when she dazzled onlookers in her very early teens now seem to be attainable for the tall Hawaiian.
The 20-year-old Hawaiian completed a wire-to-wire victory at St Charles Country Club in Winnipeg on Sunday, giving seasoned Tour campaigner Suzann Pettersen a timely reminder of her talent.
"She's a great player," Norwegian Pettersen told reporters after Wie had held off a high-quality field to triumph by three shots.
"I'm surprised she's not up there more often because she's a great ball striker. When she gets her game together, she's tough to beat."
Wie claimed her breakthrough win on the US circuit at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico last November and she was delighted to follow that up in Canada at the weekend.
"It feels awesome," a beaming Wie said after being sprayed with champagne by her good friend and fellow professional Christina Kim. "It feels absolutely fantastic.
"It's been a long time since November. I haven't been playing as well as I wanted to the last couple of months, and this makes me more motivated for the rest of the season."
Blessed with abundant talent, Korean-American Wie turned professional at 15 under a mountain of expectation after signing endorsement deals believed to be worth US$10 million a year.
She joined the paid ranks in 2005 as golf's richest female and one of the highest paid athletes in women's sport. Swede Annika Sorenstam, the world No. 1 at the time, earned around US$6 million a year in endorsements.
Surprisingly, it took another four years before Wie finally visited the winner's circle, a trying period as she battled injuries, putting woes and criticism from many of her peers for her sporadic attempts to make the cut on the men's PGA Tour.
Golf's most trumpeted teenager since Tiger Woods, she came under intense media scrutiny as she strived to land a first tournament victory since the 2003 US women's amateur public links title aged 13.
With her parents always in close attendance, Wie appeared to be micro-managed as one of the game's most marketable figures without ever justifying all the hype by winning.
To her credit, though, she earned her Tour card in late 2008 the hard way, at qualifying school, and was then selected for the 2009 Solheim Cup where she produced red-hot form on her debut in the biennial competition.
The youngest player on either side, she revelled in the team atmosphere and won 3-1/2 points from a possible four as the US beat Europe 16-12 in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
"For anybody who's said Michelle Wie can't play under pressure, I think they were proven wrong," US captain Beth Daniel said. "She did everything, and more than we asked of her. She was like walking on air."
Invigorated and inspired by her Solheim Cup experience, Wie went on to record three top-four finishes in her next five LPGA Tour starts, including her win in Mexico.
Despite mixing her student life at Stanford University with a burgeoning career on the LPGA circuit, Wie appears to have finally struck the right balance in her approach to the game.
She appears to be enjoying golf once again and maturing - both on and off the course. The lofty golfing predictions made of Wie when she dazzled onlookers in her very early teens now seem to be attainable for the tall Hawaiian.
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