May 30th, 2007 by dd
The Punahou High School Class of 2007 will hold its graduation this weekend and as much as Michelle Wie would like to be there, she’s got alternate plans.
Instead of walking across the stage and receiving her diploma with her friends back home in Hawaii, the most recognizable female golfer in the world will be a continent away in South Carolina playing her first professional tournament in six months.
In a way, her participation in the Ginn Tribute, hosted by Annika Sorenstam, will be just as much a rite of passage as the commencement ceremony she’ll be skipping.
There just won’t be any caps and gowns. And instead of a band playing “Pomp and Circumstance,” there will be marshals holding up signs asking those in attendance to stand still and be quiet.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Korea, Asian American, Sports, Michelle Wie | 
3 Comments »
May 8th, 2007 by dd
In golf tournaments. People, she’s still under-age so let’s show a little decency here.
Teen-age star Michelle Wie will concentrate on playing in LPGA tournaments and give up competing against men for the time being, her coach said.
“She hasn’t got any PGA Tour events planned at the moment,” David Leadbetter said. “She’s going to commit herself to the LPGA and play a number of events. She just needs to get her confidence going and just go play. Now is the time to establish herself.”
At 13 years of age, Wie made her debut against men’s players at the PGA Tour’s 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii. She was within a stroke of making the cut, but has suffered progressively worse outings in subsequent tournaments against men.
She finished close to last place in consecutive tournaments in Switzerland and Pennsylvania, and also struggled at the Sony Open in January.
“The thing I’ve tried to explain to (Wie and her parents) is that you have to work your way up the ladder. It’s all well and good to play a couple of (men’s) events as a novelty, now let’s look at a long-term plan.”
But Leadbetter still has a lot of confidence in Wie.
“She’s the greatest talent I’ve ever seen at 16, boy or girl. If she can keep going in that direction, and keep injury free, we’ll have an exciting time ahead.” [MSNBC]
Posted in Asian American, Sports, Michelle Wie | 1 Comment »
February 28th, 2007 by dd
One of Michelle Wie’s main goals once she returns from her wrist injury is to win a Professional golf event.
Whether or not that is on the LPGA Tour or the PGA tour seems inconsequential to the 17-year old phenom, but she seems to feed off the negative criticism that is thrown her way from people who think they can tell her who she can or can’t play with.
Try as she may, Wie still hasn’t won an LPGA event and has not made a cut in any PGA Tour event that she has entered, but she wants to do something about that.
She just wants to play, and play well, and she doesn’t care what her critics say about her playing with the men.
Just ask her.
“I think it’s ridiculous for these people to say ‘you shouldn’t even try,’” Wie said in a recent interview. “It’s what life is. I mean, you fail when you compete and if you don’t try, then you don’t even know. Even if I fail, at least I know I tried. I’ll play every tournament the best I can with a great motivation and a great desire, and whatever happens, happens. I’m going to live the way I want to, and whatever people say, they say. I don’t really care.”
So call her a LOSER, a CHOKER, a SELL OUT… doesn’t matter. She’s still richer as a teenager than you’ll ever be in your whole life. Who’s laughing now, sucka! [AllHeadlineNews]
Posted in Asian American, Sports, Michelle Wie | No Comments »
December 20th, 2006 by dd
Teen Golfing sensation Michelle Wie has been accepted into Stanford University and is planning on entering the school Tiger Woods attended.
The 17-year-old said Tuesday she would enroll in the prestigious college next year, dispelling any talk she would concentrate exclusively on her professional golf career once she finished high school in Hawaii.
“No one really believed me,” Wie said from Orlando, Florida, where she is working with swing coach David Leadbetter. “Now that I got into Stanford … it was one of my dreams, and I want to go through with it. I definitely want to go there and really try to graduate.”
Wie has been mixing school and tour golf since she played three U.S. LPGA Tour events at age 12. She turned professional in October 2005 and earned close to $20 million this year from endorsements, earnings and appearance money overseas.
Wie, who has yet to win on the American women’s tour, had a grandfather, an aunt and an uncle that also attended Stanford.
Told that Tiger Woods lasted only two years at Stanford before he turned pro, she said, “Hopefully, I’ll last a little longer.” [Source]
Posted in Uncategorized, Korea, Asian American, Sports, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie | 1 Comment »
