Share | |

Michelle Wie's 10 Best Rounds

Can the 18-year-old add to this list at this week's Legends Reno-Tahoe Open?

By: Hunki Yun

Since turning pro in 2005, most of the news Michelle Wie has made has been of the negative variety. In fact, her professional debut, the 2005 Samsung World Championship, from which she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after taking an improper drop, was a pretty good harbinger for the three years since.

Her most recent disappointment was another disqualification from the State Farm Classic for two weeks ago, when she left the scoring area without signing her card.

If these incidents had had happened to any other player, they would have gone unreported. But they are big news for Wie, now 18, because she has shown so much potential on the other side of the news spectrum, with some remarkable performances on both the PGA and LPGA tours since she was 13.

As she tees it up against the men again this week at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, she hopes to add to the following list of her 10 best rounds so far:

1. 66, 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship, third round, Mission Hills Country Club
Wie was just 13 when this round vaulted her into third place and place in the final group final round of the first major of the year. In the fourth round, she shot 76 to finish tied for ninth.

2. 68, 2004 Sony Open, second round, Waialea Country Club
Playing in her first PGA Tour event, as a 14-year-old, Wie put together a magical second round that placed her just one shot off the cut line.

3. 65, 2005 Samsung World Championship, second round, Bighorn Golf Club
Had it not been for the disqualification later in the tournament, this would have been her lowest score as a professional and she would have finished fourth.

4. 68, 2006 U.S. Open sectional qualifying, first round, Canoe Brook Country Club
After this first 18 of a 36-hole day, it appeared Wie had a good chance to become the first female to qualify of the U.S. Open. But she shot 75 in the afternoon and tied for 59th. (Only the top 18 qualified.)

5. 69, 2005 McDonald's LPGA Championship, fourth round, Bulle Rock
Playing one group ahead of the leaders, Wie climbed the leader board to finish second, the best finish of her career
 
6. Final match, 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, Ocean Hammock Golf Club
In a well-played 36-hole final, Wie defeated Virada Nirapathpongporn 1 up with a score equivalent of seven under. Just 13 at the time, Wie became the youngest player to win an adult USGA national championship.

7. 65, 2008 State Farm Classic, second round, Panther Creek Country Club
Officially, Wie's lowest score as a professional is 66. But she has shot 65 twice, and has been disqualified each time. This is the score for which she forgot to sign in the scoring tent.

8. Round of 32, 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, Shaker Run Golf Club
In her quest to win this men's national championship and earn an invitation to the Masters, Wie defeated C.D. Hockersmith 6&5, tied for the most lopsided victory of the championship. Wie lost in the quarterfinal to eventual winner Clay Ogden.

9. 69, 2006 SK Telecom Open, second round, Sky 72 Golf Club
After a first round of 70, Wie made the cut of the Asian Tour event, but shot 74 in the third round of the rain-shortened event to finish tied for 35th.

10. 70, 2006 U.S. Women's Open, first round, Newport Country Club
Wie's first round over the historic, windswept Newport layout placed her just one shot off the lead. She remained in contention throughout, finishing tied for third, two shots from the playoff between winner Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst.

---

Featured Partners

Aviara Golf Club, San Diego, Calif.

Unlimited Golf and a New Callaway Driver

Hundred Hole Hike

Walk 100 holes (or more) in one day while raising money for a really good cause

  • Looking for the new "must have" GPS? Check out GolfBuddy's Voice--the 1st multilingual talking GPS. http://t.co/wqsKPA2s @golfbuddygps May 14, 10:46 AM
  • Tiger's 40-33 in the final round of The Players today brings to mind Charles Dickens: It was the best of nines and the worst of nines. May 13, 02:49 PM
  • Fear Factor -- Top 10 Island Greens. http://t.co/3EWofHLG May 12, 11:55 AM
  • Enjoying the Players? Check out TPC's Sawgrass' package where you have the PGA player experience. http://t.co/vYCBNLGB @TPCSawgrass May 11, 05:04 PM