Golf news

Wie loses to heat (July 17)
Golfer Michelle Wie’s ongoing battle to qualify for the men’s championship in the US suffered a setback over the weekend when she succumbed to heat and cramps. Some pundits are saying the 16-year-old is pushing herself too hard too early in her career. See this report from The Independent. (Pic: Click to see Wie's website)
Independent sport home; Full story

Plus…
While Wie battles for form, the Times Online fondly remembers one of  her fore-runners, Babe Zaharias.
It reports: “Zaharias — born Mildred Didrikson to Norwegian parents in Texas in 1914 — showed incredible skill as an all-round athlete from an early age. She played up to 20 sports, mastering basketball, baseball, tennis and diving.”
Times Online home; Full story

Super Swede trifecta (July 5)
From the US Open: It took 90 holes of gritty golf, but Annika Sorenstam prevailed with her third Women’s Open victory Monday at Newport Country Club. What the 37-year-old Pat Hurst could not do in the 18-hole playoff, Sorenstam did. That’s why Sorenstam won, shooting 1-under 70 to Hurst’s 3-over 74.
It was the 10th playoff in Women’s Open history, the last occurring at Pumpkin Ridge in 2003 when Hilary Lunke defeated Kelly Robbins and Angela Stanford. Hurst fell to 0-4 in career playoffs, ironically losing to Sorenstam in three of them. Monday marked the most lopsided defeat in a Women’s Open playoff dating to 1956 when Kathy Cornelius beat amateur Barbara McIntire by seven strokes.
Full story

Sorenstam finds it’s crowded at the top (July 2)
From the US Open website: Annika Sorenstam is right where she wants to be after the second round of the Women’s Open. Problem is, she’s got company.
Pat Hurst matched Sorenstam’s 2-under-par 140, both recording level par Saturday, to head into the third round tied atop the leader board at Newport Country Club. Sorenstam posted her number in the morning, forcing the rest of the field to play chase.
Now the rest of the competition segues into a 36-hole marathon that will begin at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Players will go off in 11-minute intervals, have a 45-minute break between rounds and no one will be re-paired. Inclement weather caused the postponement of Thursday’s first round, leading to the long final day. The last time 36 holes were conducted in a single day at the Women’s Open occurred in 1990 at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Weather has certainly been a factor this week and Saturday wasn’t any different. Swirling winds caused scores to bob up and down more times than a buoy in coarse waters. When calm prevailed, Shi Yun Ahn, amateur Jane Park and Michelle Wie positioned themselves one shot out of the lead. Five players stayed within striking distance at 1-over 143.
"I think it’s going to be a lot of fun," said Wie, who suffered a twinge in her left wrist and will be going for her first major win. "Obviously it’s going to be a very long day, but it’s going to be interesting. I think I’m just not going to take it too seriously. It’s going to be a fun ride, playing 36 holes in one day."
More from the US Open site

Sorensten to break the slump? (June 30)
From the US Women’s Open: If Annika Sorenstam is to break out of a perceived slump, on Friday she made a declaration at Newport Country Club amid brutal conditions that she is to be contended with in the Women’s Open.
Sorenstam, holder of nine majors that includes two titles in this championship, created a logjam atop the leader board. She shot a hard-earned 2-under-par 69 in the afternoon to share a four-way lead with Pat Hurst, Se Ri Pak and Jane Park, all of whom played under a tranquil setting in the morning. Five players – amateur Amanda Blumenherst, Becky Morgan, Gloria Park, Michelle Wie and Sung Ah Yim – were one shot off the pace with 1-under 70s.
Wie walked away with a solid round with 15 pars. She made one of her two birdies on the 18th green, about 12 feet long, using her own read.
For whatever reason, no player could hand their card to the official scorer with a 3 under upon completion. At one point in their rounds, Hurst, Yim and Veronica Zorzi all got to 3 under.
"It doesn’t seem very hard," said Wie. "People might think, ‘Oh, the greens are soft, so it must be playing easier.’ There’s so many different playing conditions, it wasn’t that easy."
Said Sorenstam: "You just come here for the biggest challenge that we have throughout the year. You really have got to drive the ball well, got to use your long irons well, and you’ve got to putt well and have a good short game."
US Open website

US Open starts today (June 29)
Michelle Wie is widely regarded as a favourite as she attempts to win her first professional event, let alone major, at Newport Country Club this weekend. Today makrs the start of the USA women’s gold fpen
At a mere 16 years old, Wie has many of the credentials needed to come into a major championship as the favorite. For starters, she has loads of experience, which includes playing on tours all over the world against men and women.  It’s her 11th major championship, of which she has registered eight top-10 finishes.
Those experiences, good and bad, have provided Wie a vast pool of knowledge to draw on during the many diverse and complicated situations a player can encounter playing under pressure.
"I think it's been helping me a lot," said Wie. "I've been learning a lot from those events, especially qualifying.  I learned a lot from that experience."
Source: USA Women’s Open Championship

Golf Open revived (May 31)
Golf Australia announced yesterday that it has signed MFS to a four year The multi-million dollar sponsorship will enable Golf Australia to successfully underwrite the Open for the next four years.
Paul McNamee of Golf Australia said that the MFS commitment sends a strong message of support for the future of women’s golf in this country.
“The Women’s Open has always been a fantastic event. It’s about skill, talent and glamour.
“Excellent crowds and strong television ratings in Australia have proven that people want to see and participate in women’s golf. What’s happening in Australia is reflected on the world stage where audience attendances and interest is rapidly increasing.
”Looking in our own backyard, Australian women’s golf has a great future. In 2003 there were nine women turning professional; in 2005 we had 19. Currently 44 Australian women play professionally on the international circuits,” added Paul.
Golf Australia

Webb wins in Virginia (May 15)
Karrie Webb is back to her old form, the one that earned her a spot in the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame, but seemed to elude her for much of the last three years. This week, she thumped the field, building a five-shot, final-round lead in the Michelob Ultra Open and left everyone else playing for second place; and now she is savoring victory and her place at the forefront of women's golf more than ever.
"I think I was so spoiled there for a while that I finished seventh or eighth and that would be a poor tournament for me," said Webb, who won 28 tournaments from 1996-2002, but was winless last year and won only once in 2003 and 2004. "I would be mad that I did not win or whatever, and I don't want to have that mentality again.
"But for a while there, it was really hard for me to finish in the top 10. I couldn't believe how hard it was to even post a top 10, so I am not going to take those for granted, either."
For the first three events of the year, Webb was not even carding top-10 finishes, as her best finish was a tie for 24th at the Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola. It looked like another laborious year was ahead for the former No. 1 player in the world, but then came the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the old Karrie Webb-the one that was a two-time Rolex Player of the Year, three-time Vare Trophy winner and 30-time LPGA champion-showed up.
Webb beat Ochoa in a playoff to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship, but before she hoisted her seventh career major championship trophy, she struck one of the most memorable shots in major championship history, holing her pitching wedge for eagle on the 72nd hole from 116 yards.
Since that one shot, a confident Webb has added another win, two runner-up finishes and a tie for 10th to her season resume. After nine events, she has now earned $935,202, which is more money than she amassed in any of her past three years on Tour.
With the win at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, Webb also overtook Ochoa for the ADT Official Money List title after Ochoa bogeyed 18 and fell into a tie with Han for second place. A solo runner-up finish for Ochoa would have kept her ahead of Webb on the ADT Official Money List.
"Karrie played really good golf, very consistent all four rounds," said Ochoa, who now has three runner-up finishes at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in four years and five runner-up finishes to go along with one win this year. "She deserved to win. That was a very big margin of victory and it was hard to catch her."
Webb, 66-68-66-70=270 (-14), never trailed all week, earning her eighth wire-to-wire win on Tour and her 32nd LPGA title. She had 21 birdies, seven bogeys and was the only player besides Joo Mi Kim (tied for 10th at 3-under-par 281) to play the par 3s, 4s and 5s all under par. She broke the tournament record by five shots, finishing at 14-under-par and her only threat on Sunday came from Mother Nature, who delayed play for 1 hour, 42 minutes with inclement weather. But even She gave up her pursuit to slow down Webb, who became the first multiple winner on Tour this year.
Source: LGPA

Wie signs $3million deal (May 10)
Teenage golfer Michelle Wie has signed a two-year US$3million sponsorship deal with Shinyoung, a South Korean real estate firm.
Wie, 16, was in Korea recently to compete in the SK Telecom Open, where she became the first women to make the cut in the men’s event.

Wie struggles in Korea (May 7)
Michelle Wie shot a 2-over 74 Sunday to finish out of title contention at the shortened SK Telecom Open, where she made the cut in a men's tournament for the first time.
 The Hawaiian-born teenager had two birdies and four bogeys at the Sky 72 Golf Club course for a 54-hole, 3-under 213 — 12 strokes behind winner Prom Meesawat of Thailand (68).
 "I did my best, but the result was not as satisfying as I would have liked," said the 16-year-old Wie said. "But the most important thing is that I tried my best."
 Indian Jeev Milkha and Lee Seung-ho of South Korea shot final rounds of 70 to share second place at 12-under, one stroke ahead of defending champion K.J. Choi (65).
 Heavy rain and strong winds forced the cancellation of the third round of the Asian Tour event, which was shortened from 72 holes. Wie was at the tee when the rain hit Saturday. After a delay of almost 3 hours, the course was declared unplayable.
 Wie shot a 3-under 69 in the second round Friday to make the cut by five strokes and improve on her opening 70. She started the final round at 3 under, six strokes off the pace.
 "I was really, really happy I've passed the first stage," Wie said. "Now I want to make the next step."
 Wie heads to the US Open qualifying round in Hawaii later this month. She will attempt to make the cut in two PGA tournaments — the John Deere Classic in July, where last year she fell two strokes short of the cut, and September's 84 Lumber Classic.
 The SK Telecom Open is Wie's eighth men's event. She has played in four PGA Tour events and has competed on the Japan, Nationwide and Canadian tours, missing the 36-hole cut in all seven tournaments. No woman has made the cut on the PGA Tour since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Tucson Open.
 Wie became the second woman to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea. LPGA star Se Ri Pak tied for 10th in the lower-tier KPGA Tour SBS Pro-Golf Championship in 2003.
 Annika Sorenstam, the world's top female player, became the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour when she missed the cut at the Colonial in 2003, shooting rounds of 71 and 74.
 Wie opened her final round confidently Sunday, with birdies on the second and third holes, moving her to 7 under in early play despite high winds that sent her early shots wide of the fairways and greens.
 Two bogeys later and she was back where she started.
 On number 4, Wie added a penalty stroke when her tee shot fell short of the green and rolled back across a hazard line within feet of the water. She then watched her 8-foot putt lip out on Number 5 and swung her club in frustration after forcing herself into a two-putt finish on number 9.
 The sweltering heat did little to help matters, and Wie went on to bogey the 11th and 15th.
 Wie's parents were born in South Korea and her visit here has been treated like a homecoming by the local media and public, who formed galleries of thousands and clogged an expressway Friday to catch her play.
Source: Michelle Wie website

Bumper year for Webb (May 2)
Australian golfer Karrie Webb used her second-place tie with Lorena Ochoa to move up one spot into second on the USA tour ADT Official Money List with US$584,957 in season earnings. Webb has earned more money in her six starts this season than in all of 2005. In 21 tournaments in 2005, the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member earned US$500,268 and recorded six top-10 finishes. Ochoa has earned US$667,528 so far.
LPGA profile page.

Chinese Taipei wins Queen Sirikit cup (April 10)
From Golf Australia: Chinese Taipei won the 2006 Queen Sirikit Cup on the first play off hole against New Zealand. On a final day which saw the lead change several times between the 2 countries, Chinese Taipei held their nerve to win the Cup after the first play off hole.
The Kiwi trio of Natasha Krishna, Sarah Nicholson and Sharon Ahn went into the final round with a five shot lead but ended up all square with Chinese Taipei on 17 over par at the end of 54 holes. Australia fought hard to finish outright fourth behind Korea with Sunny Park shooting two-under par in the final round.
This forced both teams into a playoff with the two best scores counting for each hole. Nicholson was first off the number one tee against Chinese Taipei’s He Yong Choi. Both players hit par. Ahn & Krishna then both had bogeys against two pars for the Chinese Taipei team handing them the title.
New Zealand coach Marnie McGuire said the team got off to good start today and battled with the course to make the playoff.
“They were all square heading into the 18th and Krishna held her nerve under pressure to sink a crucial birdie putt to make the playoff,” she said.
“In the final pair in the playoff to square it all up, Krishna’s putt shaved the hole giving the win to Chinese Taipei.”
Korea’s Mi Jung Hur, shot an outstanding five under par 67 in the final round finishing on four over par to win the individual result. Australia’s Emma Bennett continued her good form with a 75 to finish fourth individually and Sunny Park finished ninth.
Golf Australia website

Webb wins sudden-death play-off (April 3)
LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member, Australian Karrie Webb holed a 116-yard shot from the fairway to eagle the 18th hole and then birdied the same hole in a sudden-death playoff to beat third-round leader Lorena Ochoa and win her second Kraft Nabisco Championship, at Rancho Mirage in California, on Sunday.
Webb, who was seven shots out of the lead coming into Sunday's final round, made a seven-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win her seventh career major. Ochoa missed a 12-foot birdie putt to extend the playoff.
“I'm ecstatic right now and I feel pretty lucky to be here,” said Webb, who last won at the 2004 Kellogg-Keebler Classic. “Just a lot of hard work paid off and I'm just really enjoying the moment.”
Inducted into the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame in November, Webb put together a bogey-free round to win her 31 st career victory on the LPGA Tour.
“It's definitely a win in 30 or 40 years that's going to stick out in my memory. With the fashion I won in and just the way I handled myself after having to go back and play in a playoff. It's definitely ranks up there in the top couple (of victories).”
The final round saw multiple lead changes, as Webb, Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis all made Sunday charges at Ochoa, who was doomed by a faulty driver on the back nine.
Source: LGPA

Sweden takes world golf (Jan 25)
Despite the Scots starring in the final round of the second women's World Cup Golf, the Swedes came away as very deserving winners of the 2006 title.
Sunday wasn't the Swedes best effort in comparison with their stellar performance the previous day in Saturday's foursomes. However, it was good enough to overcome a serious challenge by the Korean team which shared the first round with the Swedes. It was also good enough to stay out of reach of the most serious contenders, Scotland, whose Catriona Matthews posted a 69 which drove her to the top of the individual leader board.
World number one Annika Sorenstam played an important role in the Swedes win. Despite admitting to being 'rusty' in the early rounds of Friday's fourballs, Sorenstam seemed to be able to save the day with a vital shot or putt every time Sweden was on the verge of losing the lead. She shot a spectacular eagle from eight feet at the long No.14 when the title seemed to be slipping away and this seemed to help team mate Liselotte Niewmann shrug off three bogeys to increase Sweden's edge.
"It is a great way to start the year," said Sorenstam. "This was my first visit to South Africa, and I have loved every minute."
Niewmann, a former US and British Open Champion told reporters "It's wonderful when you have the world number one as your partner but I thought I played really well over the first two days, though, and then Annika came into her own today."
Wales finished third after Sweden and Scotland with USA and Korea bringing up fourth and fifth place respectively.
By Jessica Craven
LGPA

Sorenstam rules out bid for men’s Open (Jan 24, 2006)
World number 1 Annika Sorenstam yesterday ruled out attempting to qualify for the 2006 men’s British golf open despite women being allowed to pre-qualify for the first time this year.
She will not be taking advantage of a rule change by the Royal and Ancient, allowing women to qualify for the world’s oldest golf tournament. Sorenstam is in South Africa competing at the Women’s World Cup of Golf. She told reporters "I had my chance to play the men, not at the British Open but at the Colonial a couple of years back, so I've tried it.
"I know what it's like and I enjoyed it, but I don't want to go back." Sorenstam was unsuccessful in her bid at the 2003 Colonial, carding 71 and 75.
By Jessica Craven (Pic: Oakley.com)

Webb's climb to fame (Nov 16)
Karrie Webb has been inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame, like fellow Australian and childhood hero, Greg Norman.
Webb has always been a high-achiever, winning the LPGA Tour twice, finishing in the top ten in her first six tournaments and in 1996, being the first woman to break the $1 million barrier. “It’s something that I never dreamed I would achieve,” Webb said in the Daily Telegraph. “I still feel like a little girl with big dreams from a small town called Ayr.”
Webb has also won other LPGA awards such as the 1996 Webb won the Rolex Rookie of the Year, the Vare Trophy in 1997 and back-to-back Rolex Player of the Year in 1999-2000.
By Stephen Ritchie

$10 million dream finally comes true for Wie (Oct 6)
Fifteen-year-old golfing sensation Michelle Wie has fulfilled a lifelong dream by announcing that she is turning professional. There was much hype surrounding the announcement as it was expected that Wie would wait until her 16th birthday. However. She surprised all, deciding that after playing against some of the world's best golfers, it was finally time to take the next step.
"The first time I grabbed a golf club, I knew that I'd do it for the rest of my life," Wie said. "Some 12 years later, I'm finally turning pro, and I'm so excited."   Wie has signed lucrative deals with Nike and Sony, said to be worth an astonishing $10 million. Wie continued to amaze as she pledged $500,000 of her new found wealth to the US Golf Hurricane Relief Fund, established by the major golf organizations.
Wie has performed well in the LPGA Championships, making the cut in the last 16 events. However, Wie is expected to join the LPGA Tour when she turns 18, as she can only play eight LPGA events in each of the next two years.
World beater Tiger Woods, who began his professional career at the tender age of 20,   was full of praise for the talented youngster. "Michelle obviously has some talent," Woods said. "When I was 16, I wasn't even thinking about turning pro. I was just hoping to get into college somewhere. She has talent, and has been good enough to take a giant step like that."
All eyes will be on Wie next week as she makes her professional debut on the LPGA Tour at the Samsung World Championship, followed by the Casio World Open in November.  
By Stephen Ritchie (For more news on Wie -- click here)

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