Wie closed in on the leader in her first pro tournament, she's in the final pairing. Check out the story, the officials allowed her to move a ball because she was afraid of bees, reminds me of when fans moved a huge rock for Tiger. Remember sports is a level playing field, just more level for some then others.
Birdies and bees as Wie closes in on lead
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
October 14, 2005
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) -- For a 16-year-old girl, Michelle Wie knows plenty about the birds and bees.
In an awesome display of birdies that shot her into contention Friday with a career-best 65, Wie got a fortuitous ruling at Bighorn Golf Club by getting relief from a desert bush where a few dozen bees were hovering.
She wound up her entertaining afternoon at the Samsung World Championship two shots behind Grace Park, who recovered from a four-putt double bogey to shoot 6-under 66, her lowest score of the year.
Park, who was at 11-under 133, will be paired with Wie in the final group Saturday.
Annika Sorenstam bogeyed her final two holes for an even-par 71 and joined the group at 135 that included Wie and 19-year-old Paula Creamer.
Wie's tee shot on the par-4 15th lodged at the base of a Gold Lantana plant, and it appeared Wie would have to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie. Instead, she recalled a rare golf tournament she watched on TV when a player got relief because of fire ants, and summoned rules official Jim Haley.
``They're just honey bees,'' Haley said when he stooped to inspect the situation.
``I got bit by a honey bee once,'' Wie replied, then under her breath muttered, ``My foot got all swollen.''
Haley gave her a free drop under the ``Decisions of Golf,'' which allows for relief when ``it is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation'' such as a rattlesnake or bees' nest.
Wie blasted out of the lie where green grass met desert sand, onto the green and escaped with a par.
She said she is allergic to bees, and later recounted a story from nap time in kindergarten when she rolled out her mat and wound up sleeping on a bee. She also said she was stung during an amateur event in Hawaii when she was 11.
``They seem to like me,'' Wie said.
Tied for the lead at the time, Wie closed out her round with pars, missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that spun all the way around the cup and hung on the front edge.
On the second day of her professional debut, the bogey-free 65 was her lowest score in 30 professional events. Her previous best was a 66 in the third round of the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
``I was a little more tense yesterday than I was today,'' Wie said. ``I felt solid today. Hopefully, I can carry on.''
Sorenstam wasn't so fortunate.
She hit her tee shot into a desert bush on the 18th hole and got relief from a scoreboard between her and the flag. But with the ball above her feet, needing to play a right-to-left shot, Sorenstam wanted more room to drop her ball and was denied by the rules official.
``I don't know how many times you hit a straight shot in golf,'' she said.
Sorenstam was six shots clear of Wie starting the day, but the Hawaii sensation wasted no time making up ground. She birdied three of the first five holes with crisp iron play, then turned a bogey into birdie on the par-5 seventh. Her 3-wood skirted along the edge of the bunkers and turned into another desert bush -- this one free of bees -- and she had to take an unplayable lie.
Facing a chip over 20 yards of bunker to a green that ran away from her, Wie hit a perfect flop that dropped into the cup for birdie. She followed that with a tee shot into 18 inches on the par-3 eighth, and despite missing a 5-foot birdie on the ninth, went out in 31.
Wie moved into a tie for the lead with a 9-iron into 3 feet on the 11th, and by reaching the 508-yard 12th hole in two for a two-putt birdie.
Then came the tee shot well to the right, into the desert on the 14th.
She stood over the bush with hands on hips when she summoned her caddie, Greg Johnston, and asked if bees constituted her same problem as a bed of fire ants. They called for a ruling, and Wie made her case.
``Michelle studies the 'Decision of Golf.' We look at odd rulings,'' said her father, B.J. Wie.
This one is so odd that it falls under Rule 1-4: ``Points Not Covered by the Rules.'' In these cases, the decision is to be made ``in accordance with equity.''
Whether it was the proper ruling -- and it was Haley's call -- Wie showed some savvy by looking for a loophole in the sometimes harsh world of golf rules.
``She did all the talking,'' Johnston said. ``I thought that was good for to learn it.''
The next test comes on the weekend, when Wie has a chance to win her first tournament as a pro.
Park has missed chunks of this year with back and neck injury, but she loves desert golf, and she blistered the back nine with six birdies, chipping in on No. 12 and making birdies from inside 2 feet on the 16th and 17th holes.
``I kept telling myself it's never too late to start playing well,'' Park said. ``I'm glad I'm turning it around.''
Park has played several times with Wie in practice rounds, and she often chides the Hawaii-born teen that Wie speaks Korean with a trace of accent. Both are sponsored by Nike, although Wie is paid much more.
``She's a super talent. She's a 16-year-old phenom,'' Park said. ``She brings that much more interest to the game.''
Then, looking down at her silver shoes with the swoosh, Park said she was dressed better.
``I told her I would swap contracts for my shoes,'' she said.
Birdies and bees as Wie closes in on lead
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
October 14, 2005
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) -- For a 16-year-old girl, Michelle Wie knows plenty about the birds and bees.
In an awesome display of birdies that shot her into contention Friday with a career-best 65, Wie got a fortuitous ruling at Bighorn Golf Club by getting relief from a desert bush where a few dozen bees were hovering.
She wound up her entertaining afternoon at the Samsung World Championship two shots behind Grace Park, who recovered from a four-putt double bogey to shoot 6-under 66, her lowest score of the year.
Park, who was at 11-under 133, will be paired with Wie in the final group Saturday.
Annika Sorenstam bogeyed her final two holes for an even-par 71 and joined the group at 135 that included Wie and 19-year-old Paula Creamer.
Wie's tee shot on the par-4 15th lodged at the base of a Gold Lantana plant, and it appeared Wie would have to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie. Instead, she recalled a rare golf tournament she watched on TV when a player got relief because of fire ants, and summoned rules official Jim Haley.
``They're just honey bees,'' Haley said when he stooped to inspect the situation.
``I got bit by a honey bee once,'' Wie replied, then under her breath muttered, ``My foot got all swollen.''
Haley gave her a free drop under the ``Decisions of Golf,'' which allows for relief when ``it is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation'' such as a rattlesnake or bees' nest.
Wie blasted out of the lie where green grass met desert sand, onto the green and escaped with a par.
She said she is allergic to bees, and later recounted a story from nap time in kindergarten when she rolled out her mat and wound up sleeping on a bee. She also said she was stung during an amateur event in Hawaii when she was 11.
``They seem to like me,'' Wie said.
Tied for the lead at the time, Wie closed out her round with pars, missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that spun all the way around the cup and hung on the front edge.
On the second day of her professional debut, the bogey-free 65 was her lowest score in 30 professional events. Her previous best was a 66 in the third round of the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
``I was a little more tense yesterday than I was today,'' Wie said. ``I felt solid today. Hopefully, I can carry on.''
Sorenstam wasn't so fortunate.
She hit her tee shot into a desert bush on the 18th hole and got relief from a scoreboard between her and the flag. But with the ball above her feet, needing to play a right-to-left shot, Sorenstam wanted more room to drop her ball and was denied by the rules official.
``I don't know how many times you hit a straight shot in golf,'' she said.
Sorenstam was six shots clear of Wie starting the day, but the Hawaii sensation wasted no time making up ground. She birdied three of the first five holes with crisp iron play, then turned a bogey into birdie on the par-5 seventh. Her 3-wood skirted along the edge of the bunkers and turned into another desert bush -- this one free of bees -- and she had to take an unplayable lie.
Facing a chip over 20 yards of bunker to a green that ran away from her, Wie hit a perfect flop that dropped into the cup for birdie. She followed that with a tee shot into 18 inches on the par-3 eighth, and despite missing a 5-foot birdie on the ninth, went out in 31.
Wie moved into a tie for the lead with a 9-iron into 3 feet on the 11th, and by reaching the 508-yard 12th hole in two for a two-putt birdie.
Then came the tee shot well to the right, into the desert on the 14th.
She stood over the bush with hands on hips when she summoned her caddie, Greg Johnston, and asked if bees constituted her same problem as a bed of fire ants. They called for a ruling, and Wie made her case.
``Michelle studies the 'Decision of Golf.' We look at odd rulings,'' said her father, B.J. Wie.
This one is so odd that it falls under Rule 1-4: ``Points Not Covered by the Rules.'' In these cases, the decision is to be made ``in accordance with equity.''
Whether it was the proper ruling -- and it was Haley's call -- Wie showed some savvy by looking for a loophole in the sometimes harsh world of golf rules.
``She did all the talking,'' Johnston said. ``I thought that was good for to learn it.''
The next test comes on the weekend, when Wie has a chance to win her first tournament as a pro.
Park has missed chunks of this year with back and neck injury, but she loves desert golf, and she blistered the back nine with six birdies, chipping in on No. 12 and making birdies from inside 2 feet on the 16th and 17th holes.
``I kept telling myself it's never too late to start playing well,'' Park said. ``I'm glad I'm turning it around.''
Park has played several times with Wie in practice rounds, and she often chides the Hawaii-born teen that Wie speaks Korean with a trace of accent. Both are sponsored by Nike, although Wie is paid much more.
``She's a super talent. She's a 16-year-old phenom,'' Park said. ``She brings that much more interest to the game.''
Then, looking down at her silver shoes with the swoosh, Park said she was dressed better.
``I told her I would swap contracts for my shoes,'' she said.
