Michelle Wie arrives in South Korea to prepare for men's tournament

Canoe Slam! Sports ^ | 04/29/06 | JAE-SOON CHANG

[TigerLikesRooster]

Michelle Wie arrives in South Korea to prepare for men's tournament

By JAE-SOON CHANG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Michelle Wie arrived in South Korea as a professional golfer for the first time Saturday in advance of playing in a men's tournament next week.

The 16-year-old Hawaiian, whose parents were born in South Korea, and who many Koreans regard as one of their own, will take part in the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open from May 4-7 at the Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon, west of Seoul.

It will be the eighth time she's played in a men's tournament. She failed to make the cut in her previous appearances at men's events, including four tournaments on the PGA Tour.

"I feel really good (to be back)," Wie said in Korean. "I want to learn a lot (from the tournament), have a lot of Korean foods and have fun."

Wie was in South Korea as a 14-year-old in 2003 for the LPGA CJ Nine Bridges tournament, where she finished last in the 69-player field.

"I practised hard," Wie said Saturday. "Even if I fail to make the cut, I want to learn from other players and play with fun."

Wie was born and raised in Hawaii, but speaks Korean fluently, has a Korean name - Wie Sung-mi - and many of her relatives, including grandparents, live in South Korea.

Because of that background, many of South Koreans consider her Korean. Local media seldom fail to include Wie among "Korean" golf stars playing in the United States and the domestic Yonhap news agency referred to her latest trip to Korea a "visit to homeland."

In the days leading up to this visit, newspapers and broadcasters carried interviews with Wie, focusing on how Korean she is.

They said Wie speaks only Korean at home and many of her favourite foods, songs, TV shows, movies, and actors and actresses are Korean.

Wie played in the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii in January and is scheduled to take part in two more PGA Tour events - the John Deere Classic in July and the 84 Lumber Classic in September.

No woman has made the cut on the PGA Tour since Babe Zaharias in 1945.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Well, those flowers were given by folks from local Golf Association, I presume. I saw them give the bouquet to her. All of them are a full head below her. She is 6 feet tall, and was in 4-inch heels, just to complete the humiliation for those guys.:)

In the following picture, she is giving a lesson to a 5-year kid.

LPGA golfer Michelle Wie from Hawaii, U.S., left, watches South Korean 5 years old girl Hong Seo-yeon's shot during Michelle Wie's golf clinic at Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 1, 2006. Professional golfer Michelle Wie said Monday she wished to show a good play when she tees up against men this week _ her eighth attempt to make the cut in a men's tournament. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

[gaijin]

She's hot as hell, no doubt about it.

But what is the big, recent fetish about women wanting in on the men's tour? I think she's done this like....6 times?

[gaijin]

Whoops! I mean 8 times.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #3

Since she has the size and the power, she want to be the first to crack at the men's tournament among current female golfers. She tried it too early and failed several times. Now it is the matter of her ego and his dad's ego, I suspect.:) All indication is that his dad live vicariously on her rise to stardom.

[Blzbba]

I wish she'd hurry and win something (ANY tournament would be a first for her) so all this attention on her would be justified.

[toddlintown]

In a men's tournament. Where's her putter?

[gaijin]

She is soooooo beautiful...!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #10

Men, you are lost.:)

[JoeSixPack1]

GOLF = Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden

Don't all you progressives get all freaky on me. That's just the history of the name. :-)

[dead]

taking a slot away from a qualified pro who is trying to earn a living

How does she get these slots?

Does she get them for the novelty factor of being a woman? That would be pretty annoying, if that's the case.

If she gets it by earning it legitimately in some way, than tough luck for the last guy knocked out of the tournment. He should spend the weekend practicing so he doesn't get beat by a girl next time.

[L.N. Smithee]

What a pi** poor attitude.

Oh, please.

When 12-year-old Dakoda Dowd was given a sponsor's exemption last week so her dying mother could see her play in a tournament, that was heartwarming. But nobody expected Dowd, who is also a female phenom, to make the cut, and she didn't. All we hear about Wie is that she's going to beat the men some day. She's going to qualify to play in the Masters on her own merit, and maybe even beat the likes of Tiger, Lefty, Vijay and Ernie. Meanwhile, not only hasn't she made a cut despite not having to qualify, she has yet to lift a trophy over world-class women. As I wrote in another forum:

---

Wie is a multi-millionaire now because people are hoping she becomes the superstar they want her to be. The [truth] is that despite the fact she's being handed opportunities to shine, she's not delivering. Never mind the stuff they say Wie can do, let's see her -- as her sponsor Nike says -- just do it. And if she can't, get her out of the spotlight until she can.

---

"Attitude" has nothing to do with it. In the words of Cole Porter: "Use your mentality, wake up to reality!"

[toddlintown]

There it is. Just where it's supposed to be!

[Blzbba]

Why was your post #13 directed to me? It looks like we share opinions here.

[toddlintown]

I just knew the "question" would spark some unique results.