
Michelle Wie started playing golf at the age of 4.
Even at that young age she was able to hit the ball 100
yards off the tee, a sign of things to come. By the time
she was 10, she was making huge noise in Hawaii. At that
age she made her first try at qualifying for the PGA
tour event held there. While she did not come close to
qualifying, shooting an 84, it was still an amazing
achievement. That year, 2000, she also became the
youngest girl to ever qualify for a USGA event, in this
case the US Women's Public Links Championship.
By the time she was 12, Wie had grown to nearly six feet
in height, and was frequently blasting drives in excess
of 300 yards. The PGA pros that got a look at her were
astonished; Tom Lehman gave her the nickname 'The Big
Wiesy', because, like Ernie Els (aka the Big Easy), her
swing was smooth and powerful. In January of 2002, she
made history again by qualifying for the LPGA's Takefuji
Classic, the youngest to ever do so. Though she missed
the cut, it was a good learning experience for her.
In 2003, she tried again to qualify for the Sony Open.
This time she shot a 73 and finished 47th out of 96
players. This got her so much notoriety that she was
offered a plethora of LPGA sponsor exemptions throughout
the season.
This, combined with an amazing 9th place finish at the
Nabisco Championship a few weeks later, propelled
Michelle into the media spotlight; she is arguably the
best known of all the players on this site, though she
is still (probably) years away from turning pro!
Michelle ended up playing many LPGA events throughout
the year, making the cut in all but one of them. She
also played two men's events, though she did not come
close to making the cut in either one. Unfortunately,
she played relatively few amateur and girl's events, but
did manage to win one of them, the prestigious Women's
Public Links Championship (again the youngest ever to do
so). This was her first significant national level
title.
In 2004, the PGA's Sony Open finally decided to give her
a sponsor's exemption into the event. She made it count,
shooting 72-68 to miss the cut by only a single stroke,
garnering yet again more headlines. A few months after
that, she put herself into contention at the first LPGA
Major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship,
eventually finishing 4th, and she also had a good finish
at the US Women's Open later that year.
2005 was another great year for Wie. Although she did
not do so well at her second attempt at the Sony Open,
later in the year she was given another PGA exemption
into the John Deere field. With just a few holes to go
in round 2, she was several shots below the cut, and
looked assured of making it. But then she made a couple
of key mistakes, and once again just missed the cut. She
had another chance against the men a few months later,
at the Men's Public Links, where she shocked everyone by
making it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated.
Had she won that, she would have qualified for a trip to
the Masters.
Meanwhile, she posted her best finishes ever on the LPGA
tour. She finished second at the first event of the
year, in Hawaii, and at the second Major of the year,
the LPGA Championship, she not only became the first
non-LPGA member to be allowed to play, she finished by
herself in second place behind Annika Sorenstam. She was
tied for the lead at the US Women's Open going into the
final day, but did not do very well on Sunday, and
finished tied for third at the British Open. It seems
only a matter of time before she wins, and wins often.
1989
Born to parents B.J. and Bo in Honolulu. Middle name
is "Sung." 1994
Michelle began playing golf at the age of four.
1996
At age 7, plays her first 18-hole round and finishes
14-over par.
2000
At the age of 10, shoots a 64.
Becomes the youngest player to qualify in a USGA
amateur championship event at the USGA Women's Amateur
Public Links Championship.
2001
Wins the Hawaii State Womens Stroke Play
Championship. At age 11, Wie is the event's youngest
winner.
Wins the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational, the most
prestigious women's amateur tournament in Hawaii. At age
11, Wie is the event's youngest winner.
Reaches the third round of match play in the U.S.
Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
2002
At age 12, becomes the youngest player ever to qualify
for an LPGA tournament by Monday qualifying (with an 83)
for the LPGA Takefuji Classic.
Wins the Women's Division of the Hawaii State Open by
13 strokes.
Reaches the semifinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur
Public Links Championship, the youngest semifinalist in
the event's history.
2003
January: Attempts to Monday qualify for the PGA Sony
Open. Shoots 73, finishes 47th out of 97. She played
from the men's tees and all other competitors were men.
February: Playing in the Hawaii Pearl Open, a pro
tournament that includes players from the Japan Tour,
places 43rd. Wie is the only female in the field.
March: Finishes in a fourth-place tie at the Hawaii
State Amateur Stroke Play Championship as one of only
three women in the field.
March: Plays in her first LPGA major, the Kraft
Nabisco Championship. Plays in the final group on the
final day befor settling for 9th place. Becomes the
youngest player to make an LPGA cut.
June: Wins the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
Championship, one of the USGA's national championships.
At age 13, Wie is the youngest-ever winner of the event.
August: Shoots 74-79 and misses the cut by five
strokes in the Canadian Tour's Bay Mills Open Players'
Championship - her first professional men's event in the
mainland U.S.
September: As the only female in the field at the
Nationwide Tour's Albertsons Boise Open, Wie shoots
78-76 and misses the cut. She turns 14 in a month.
September: Wie finishes her final LPGA event of the
year, the Safeway Classic, at 2-under par, tied for 28th
place. She shoots 69-72-73 for a 214 total. It is the
fifth time in six LPGA events in 2003 that she makes the
cut.
2004
January: Plays in her first PGA Tour event, the Sony
Open, and shoots 72-68. She misses the cut by one
stroke.
March: Finishes in the Top 25 in her first LPGA event
of the year, the Safeway International, then finishes
4th in the first LPGA major of the year, the Kraft
Nabisco Championship.
June: As a member of the U.S. team, is the youngest
golfer in the history of the Curtis Cup. Wins both her
singles matches to help the U.S. defeat Great Britain &
Ireland, 10-8.
June: Playing in a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur
Public Links Championship (a k a, the Men's Publinx),
Michelle Wie shoots 71-71--142. She finishes two strokes
behind the winners and, while she fails to earn a bid to
the Men's Publinx, she earns status as one of four
alternates for the event.
2005
January: Shoots 75-74 at the PGA Tour Sony Open and
misses the cut. Finishes ahead of 14 PGA Tour players.
February: Earns her highest finish to date in an LPGA
event, tied for second, at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.
May: Finishes as third alternate in U.S. Open
sectional qualifying. Wie is believed to be the first
female ever to enter a U.S. Open qualifier.
June: Places second to Annika Sorenstam at the LPGA
Championship, tying her best finish to date in an LPGA
event and marking her best finish to date in an LPGA
major.
June: Is the third-round leader at the U.S. Women's
Open, but stumbles to an 82 in the final round.
July: Shoots 70-71 (1-under par) at the PGA Tour John
Deere Classic, missing the cut by two strokes.
July: Wie reaches the quarterfinals of the
(traditionally men's) U.S. Amateur Public Links
Championship before bowing out.
October: Just a few days before her 16th birthday, Wie
announces she is turning professional.
Source: Golf About
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