Michelle Wie
Encyclopedia
Michelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer
who plays on the LPGA Tour
. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event. Wie turned professional shortly before her 16th birthday in 2005, accompanied by an enormous amount of hype and endorsements.
, the only child of immigrant parents from South Korea who came to the United States in the 1980s. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, is a former professor of transportation management at the University of Hawaii
. Her mother, Bo, was South Korea's women's amateur golf champion in 1985 and competed in a Miss Korea pageant. Her paternal grandfather, Dr. Sang Kyu Wie, a resident of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do
, was an emeritus professor at Seoul National University
. When she was born, Wie was a dual citizen of both the Republic of Korea and the United States by default. Wie only has United States citizenship today.
Wie graduated from Punahou School
in Honolulu in June, 2007. On December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University
where there are family ties. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting professor and an aunt and uncle are both graduates. She enrolled in September, 2007 as a freshman, but as a professional golfer, Wie is not eligible under NCAA rules to play for Stanford's golf team
. During her first three years at Stanford, she attended only during the fall and winter quarters, running from late September through mid-March each year. She took leaves of absence during the rest of the year to play professional golf.
In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by thirteen shots. She also became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic held in Wie's home state of Hawaii. While she went on to miss the cut, her record stood for five more years until it was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.
At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship
, Wie became the youngest player to make an LPGA cut,. She carded a 66 in the 3rd round, tying the amateur record for a women's major championship and qualifying her to play in the final group of the championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, becoming the youngest person ever, male or female, to win a USGA adult event. Later that summer, she made the cut at the US Women's Open when she was still just 13, the youngest player ever to do so.
Wie was given a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the fourth, and youngest, female to play a PGA Tour event. Her second round score of 68 was the lowest ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event, though she went on to miss the cut in the tournament. She again played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship
, finishing fourth. As part of the victorious U.S.team she became the youngest woman ever to play in the Curtis Cup. Wie started her 2005 season by accepting another sponsor's invitation to play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii
, where she again missed the cut. She played five more LPGA Tour events that year as well as a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic. It was her third outing at a PGA Tour event; she missed the cut by two strokes. She entered qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links
and became the first female golfer to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament, tying for first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links
. Wie made the top 64 in the stroke play rounds to qualify for match play. She lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Clay Ogden.
On October 5, 2005, a week before her 16th birthday, Wie announced that she was turning professional. She signed sponsorship contracts with Nike
and Sony
reportedly worth more than 10 million dollars per year.
and Aree Song
have successfully petitioned for an exemption to join at age 17. Wie chose not to request an exemption and was thus only allowed to participate in a limited number of LPGA Tour events when given a sponsor's exemption from 2005 until 2008. She also chose not to participate in the Tour's Qualifying Tournaments (or "Q-School") until December 2008, when she finished 7th to gain LPGA membership for the 2009 season.
Wie played her first professional event in the 2005 LPGA Samsung World Championship, where she was disqualified from a fourth-place finish for signing an incorrect scorecard. A journalist (Michael Bamberger) reported she had illegally dropped the ball closer to the hole than its original lie the day after she completed her third round. At her other professional event in 2005, the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour, Wie shot four over par to miss the cut.
2006 started with the PGA Tour Sony Open at her home course, the Waialae Country Club, Hawaii where she again missed the cut, this time by four strokes. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings
in February, 2006, Wie was placed third behind Annika Sörenstam
and Paula Creamer
. She rose to second place in July but her limited schedule meant she failed to play the minimum of 15 worldwide professional women's tournaments over a twenty-four month period and she was dropped from the rankings entirely. In August, 2006, the calculation of the rankings was revised such that any player who had accumulated points in fewer than 35 tournaments had her ranking calculated as if she had played in 35. After the change, Wie's ranking dropped to 7th.
In her first two tournaments on the LPGA Tour in early 2006, Wie gained a third place finish in the Fields Open in Hawaii, finishing one stroke off the lead, and finished in a tie for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing one stroke behind, again. May, 2006, saw her play the Asian Tour
SK Telecom Open
, becoming the second woman (after Se Ri Pak
) to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea. Wie reportedly received US$700,000 in appearance fees at an event that offered only US$600,000 in total prize money. In all, she reportedly netted US$5 million in appearance and endorsement money for the two-week trip.
May, 2006, also had her become the first female medalist in a local qualifier for the Men's U.S. Open
. Wie did not compete in the "easier" Hawaii final stage qualifier, as she would have been unable to play at the LPGA Championship
the following week. She played at Summit, NJ, vying for one of 16 available spots, but finished 59th and did not advance. At the LPGA Championship
Wie finished two strokes off the lead, tied for fifth and followed this up with a tie for third at the US Women's Open
. In July, she played in the LPGA HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
where she lost in the quarterfinals, 4 and 3, to the eventual champion Brittany Lincicome
.
In July, Wie played in the PGA John Deere Classic. After a 6 over par first round, she reached 8 over par and 10 shots above the projected cut line, before withdrawing from the tournament after the 9th hole, citing heat exhaustion. Two weeks later, Wie returned to the LPGA Tour, finishing in a tie for second at the Evian Masters
, one stroke off the lead. She tied for 26th at the Women's British Open
, where she drew controversy for hitting a piece of moss on her backswing while she was in a bunker. This resulted in a two-stroke penalty. In a post-round interview, Wie said, "I guess I knew the rule wrong, from what I always knew... if you swing through it, everything would be OK."
In September, she competed in the Omega European Masters on the men's European Tour, where she finished last among the 156 competitors, 15 strokes over par. Wie missed the cut by 14 strokes, although tournament organizers reported that many of the 9,500 spectators on the first day came to see Wie. A week later, in Wie's third 2006 appearance on the PGA Tour, at the 84 Lumber Classic, she finished 14 over par after two rounds, 23 strokes behind the leader. At the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championship, Wie finished in 17th place in the 20-player field, 21 strokes behind the leader. Her last event of 2006 saw Wie compete in the Casio World Open on the men's Japan Golf Tour where she finished last, 27 shots behind the leader. With the conclusion of the Casio tournament, Wie had played 14 consecutive rounds of tournament golf without breaking par – eight on the LPGA Tour, two on the European Tour, two on the PGA Tour and two on the Japan Golf Tour. By the end of 2006, her first full year as a professional, Wie had missed the cut in 11 out of 12 tries against men, and remained winless in all 33 professional women's tournaments she had entered, the last 9 as a professional.
where she was 14-over par through 16 holes in the first round before withdrawing, after a conversation with her agent, citing an aggravated wrist injury.
The withdrawal was controversial due to the LPGA Rule of 88, which states that a non-LPGA member shooting a score of 88 or more is forced to withdraw and banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest of the year. Wie claimed the injury and not the rule of 88 was the cause of the withdrawal but some observers, including one of her playing partners, Alena Sharp
questioned this claim. There was further controversy when both Sharp and Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie
, questioned the involvement of Wie's father, B.J.. They said he appeared to give Wie advice during the course of play could have resulted in a two-stroke penalty but as Wie withdrew, this became a moot
point.
Wie was seen two days later practicing at the site of the LPGA Championship in Bulle Rock
, Maryland
, which drew criticism from Ginn Tribute host Annika Sörenstam
who said, "I just feel there's a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and come out and practice here." At the LPGA championship Wie was 3 over par and bang on the cutline after two days to extend her run of cuts made at LPGA majors to 13, but shot rounds of 83 and 79 on the weekend to finish last of those who made the cut, 35 strokes behind the eventual winner. Wie entered the US Women's Open in June but withdrew midway through the second round after hitting her second shot out of the rough on the 10th hole citing a wrist injury. Her tournament score through 27 holes was 17-over par, 22 strokes behind the second-round leader.
At the Evian Masters
in July, Wie broke her year-long streak of 24 consecutive rounds at or over par by shooting a second-round one-under par 71 but shooting a 12 over par 84 in the third round led to her finishing 20 strokes behind winner Natalie Gulbis
,third from last of those making the cut. One week later at the Women's British Open
Wie shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by two strokes, her first missed cut in an LPGA Tour event since 2003, and her first missed cut in a major.
Wie next played in August at the Canadian Women's Open
, where she was invited as a sponsor's exemption. She shot rounds of 75 and 74 on the par 71 course, missing the cut by four strokes. The following week, with another sponsor's exemption, Wie played in the Safeway Classic
, at Portland, Oregon. After shooting rounds of 79 and 75, she missed the cut by six strokes and finished 21 strokes behind the second round leader. Three weeks after beginning her freshman year at Stanford University, Wie played as a sponsor exemption in the limited field Samsung World Championship
, finishing 19th out of the 20 player field, 36 strokes behind the winner.
In December 2007, Wie was ranked at #4 in the Forbes
Top 20 Earners Under 25 with an annual earnings of 19 million dollars.
2008 was the first time since 2004 Wie was not granted one of four available sponsor exemptions to play the PGA Tour Sony Open. She started the year on a sponsor's exemption at the LPGA Fields Open where she shot 69,73,78 to finish tied for 72nd, last among players making the cut. Two LPGA sponsor exemptions were offered and accepted to the Safeway International and Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill
tournaments but Wie was unable to play at the Safeway as she announced she had injured her wrist practicing. She did play the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, shooting rounds of 75 and 71, missing the cut by four strokes. Wie's next competitive appearance was her first on the Ladies European Tour playing on a sponsor invitation in the Ladies German Open where she finished sixth place, seven strokes behind the winner, fellow eighteen year-old Amy Yang
.
In June Wie played in Maryland at a sectional qualifier for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open. She finished in second place, earning one of the 35 qualification spots available. She shot an eight-over-par 81 in the first round of 2008 U.S. Women's Open and ended up with a 10-over total of 156, missing the cut. July saw Wie playing on a sponsor exemption at the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was in the middle of her third round when it was realized she had failed to sign her second round scorecard. Event organizers waited until the conclusion of that round to notify her that she was disqualified in order to give her an opportunity to explain what had happened. She was one stroke off the lead at the time. Two days later Wie announced that she had accepted an invitation to play her eighth PGA Tour event in the alternate field
Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. She shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by nine strokes.
Wie had expressed her desire to attempt to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season by earning the equivalent of 80th place on the 2008 money list through her earnings at the events she played in through sponsor exemptions. When she failed to reach this goal, she entered an LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament. At the tournament, held from September 16 through 19 at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, she finished tied for 4th place. This was sufficient to advance her to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament held in Daytona Beach, Florida in December, 2008. During the Final Qualifying Tournament, Wie finished in a tie for 7th place to make her eligible to play full time on the LPGA Tour in 2009.
where she had played four years in a row from 2004 through 2007. Her first tournament as an LPGA member was the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay
where she shot 66, 70 to move into a tie with Angela Stanford
going into the final round of the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead with eight holes remaining, but ended up losing to Stanford by three strokes.
It was reported in early March, 2009, that Wie had left the William Morris Agency
, the Hollywood talent agency that had represented her since she turned pro in 2005, and would be signing with sports agency IMG
.
In Wie's next two tournaments, the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International and the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she struggled to make the cut, finishing on the cut line after the second round both times. She finished tied for 57th and 67th respectively in the two events. In the Kraft Nabisco, a major on the LPGA Tour, she shot a score of 81 in both the second and third rounds.
In mid-April, Wie traveled to Korea to play in a LPGA of Korea event, the Lotte Mart Open, for the first time. She finished tied for 36, earning $1,536. She spent the next two months playing in every available LPGA tournament, with results ranging from a tie for 3rd at the Sybase Classic to a tie for 54th at the State Farm Classic, the same event at which she was disqualified in 2008 for failing to sign her scorecard. At the second major of the year, the LPGA Championship, she finished tied for 23rd, her best finish in a major since 2006. During this tournament she also scored her first recorded hole-in-one as a professional.
The day after the end of the LPGA Championship, Wie participated in a sectional qualifying tournament for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open to be held during the first week in July. She joined 110 players at the Rockville, Maryland site, one of several sites around the country set up for qualifying purposes on that day. Wie missed qualifying after shooting rounds of 70 and 74.
In August, at Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove
, Illinois, Wie was a captain's pick for the United States team in Solheim Cup competition. She finished the tournament with a 3-0-1 performance in four matches.
On November 15, 2009, Wie won her first professional individual tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational
in Guadalajara, Mexico, a limited field event on the LPGA Tour, posting a score of thirteen under par 275 for a two-stroke margin over fellow American Paula Creamer
, and beating Jiyai Shin, Christie Kerr and Morgan Pressel
by two strokes. It was Wie's 81st professional tournament and her 66th LPGA Tour event.
She then finished second in the Ladies European Tour
season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters
tournament on December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.
On August 29, 2010, she posted a three-shot win over a full field at the CN Canadian Women's Open, held at St. Charles Country Club
in Winnipeg
, Manitoba, for her second career professional victory. In her next LPGA event two weeks later, she finished second in the 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Championship shooting 201 (-12) and losing to Yani Tseng
by one stroke after giving up an overnight three-stroke lead.
Wie won several other Hawaiian local and junior events during the years 2000 through 2002.
Wie played her first professional event while still an amateur in February 2002. Prior to her first win in a professional tournament, on November 15, 2009, she played in a total of 80 professional events as either an amateur or a professional:
66 against women: 64 on the LPGA Tour, 1 on the Ladies European Tour
, and 1 on the LPGA of Korea Tour
.
14 against men: 8 on the PGA Tour
, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour
, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour
, 1 on the Nationwide Tour
, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Dates are span of competitive rounds, regardless of whether Wie participated in all rounds.
** = tournament shortened to three rounds due to rain.
DQ = disqualified
MC = missed halfway cut
WD = withdrew
* = limited field, no-cut event
Margin = strokes behind winner or cutline, not applicable in cases of withdrawal, disqualification or matchplay format.
Professional
Solheim Cup
Record
remarked, "Give her another couple years to get stronger, she can play on the PGA Tour
."
The same year, her size and the observed similarity of her swing to that of Els, led some in the sports media to call her The Big Wiesy, a play on Els' nickname of The Big Easy.
Fred Couples
said, "When you see her hit a golf ball…there's nothing that prepares you for it. It's just the scariest thing you've ever seen."
Arnold Palmer
stated in 2003 that "she's probably going to influence the golfing scene as much as Tiger
, or more. She's going to attract people that even Tiger didn't attract, young people, both boys and girls, and families."
"Hopefully, I will be able to play the Ryder Cup
one day, that would be awesome and I think it is totally possible",
"My ultimate goal is to play in the Masters",
"My favorite player is Tiger Woods. I think I can beat Tiger when I’m 20. It’s a life goal."
"If I ever get bored with golf, I'm going to start over and play lefthanded".
"I watch the PGA, not the LPGA. I like the players on the PGA better".
Following Wie's poor performance at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, AP golf writer Doug Ferguson suggested that her nickname be changed from "the Big Wiesy" to a more appropriate moniker, "the Big Queasy."
By late 2007, the criticism over the use of exemptions had extended to Wie's participation in women's events on the LPGA Tour as well. Wie declined to enter LPGA Tour qualifying school after turning 18 and therefore would have to depend on sponsor exemptions to play in future LPGA tournaments. This decision drew criticism from golf fans and commentators. Such criticism ended after Wie qualified for the LPGA Tour through the 2008 qualifying tournament.
; however, at the end of that year but prior to her first LPGA victory, Tarrant recommended that she work with his friend Brendan Woolley, who has continued as her exclusive caddy through the 2010 season.
, or to state what treatment was done, citing privacy. Initially, her public relations
staff reported that she would be away from golf for 4 to 6 weeks but this stretched until the end of May.
In response to the lack of information and prolonged absence, some golf fans and LPGA players, including Brittany Lincicome
, questioned whether Wie and her parents had fabricated the injury in order to give her a reason to take a break from golf. More questions were raised about her wrist injury claim after Wie's withdrawal from the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika
in May 2007 when she flirted with the Rule of 88 before withdrawing citing a "tweaked wrist." Her playing partners were divided in their opinions. Alena Sharp questioned her injury claim but Janice Moodie stated that she heard Wie say "Ouch!" after hitting her tee shot on the first hole, which was the group's 10th of the day. Wie had said that was precisely when she began feeling the pain. Moodie said "She didn't swing as hard from that point on."
Further questions were raised about Wie's wrist injury when, in April 2008, she announced that she actually had three broken bones in her wrist, contradicting her agent's March 2007 announcement that the wrist was not broken. A 2009 article about Wie's injury stated that the original misinformation resulted from the Wies' failure to "understand or accept the severity of the injury."
Wie refused to comment on her withdrawal.
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who plays on the LPGA Tour
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a women's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the USGA and first played in 1977. The USGA officially calls the event the U.S. Women's Amateur...
and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event. Wie turned professional shortly before her 16th birthday in 2005, accompanied by an enormous amount of hype and endorsements.
Family and education
Wie was born in Honolulu, HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the only child of immigrant parents from South Korea who came to the United States in the 1980s. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, is a former professor of transportation management at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. Her mother, Bo, was South Korea's women's amateur golf champion in 1985 and competed in a Miss Korea pageant. Her paternal grandfather, Dr. Sang Kyu Wie, a resident of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do
Jeollanam-do
Jeollanam-do is a province in the southwest of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Jeolla province, remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea...
, was an emeritus professor at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
. When she was born, Wie was a dual citizen of both the Republic of Korea and the United States by default. Wie only has United States citizenship today.
Wie graduated from Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
in Honolulu in June, 2007. On December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
where there are family ties. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting professor and an aunt and uncle are both graduates. She enrolled in September, 2007 as a freshman, but as a professional golfer, Wie is not eligible under NCAA rules to play for Stanford's golf team
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
. During her first three years at Stanford, she attended only during the fall and winter quarters, running from late September through mid-March each year. She took leaves of absence during the rest of the year to play professional golf.
Amateur career: 2000–2005
Wie began playing golf at the age of four. In 2000, at the age of ten, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Eight years later, Wie's mark was broken by fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz who qualified when she was five months younger than Wie had been when she set the record. In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational, the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii. She also advanced into match play at the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by thirteen shots. She also became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic held in Wie's home state of Hawaii. While she went on to miss the cut, her record stood for five more years until it was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.
At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship
Kraft Nabisco Championship
The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
, Wie became the youngest player to make an LPGA cut,. She carded a 66 in the 3rd round, tying the amateur record for a women's major championship and qualifying her to play in the final group of the championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, becoming the youngest person ever, male or female, to win a USGA adult event. Later that summer, she made the cut at the US Women's Open when she was still just 13, the youngest player ever to do so.
Wie was given a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the fourth, and youngest, female to play a PGA Tour event. Her second round score of 68 was the lowest ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event, though she went on to miss the cut in the tournament. She again played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship
Kraft Nabisco Championship
The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
, finishing fourth. As part of the victorious U.S.team she became the youngest woman ever to play in the Curtis Cup. Wie started her 2005 season by accepting another sponsor's invitation to play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii
Sony Open in Hawaii
The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii since the event's modern-day inception as the Hawaiian Open in 1965. Starting in 1971, the tournament was held...
, where she again missed the cut. She played five more LPGA Tour events that year as well as a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic. It was her third outing at a PGA Tour event; she missed the cut by two strokes. She entered qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links
U.S. Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically calls the event the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which...
and became the first female golfer to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament, tying for first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links
U.S. Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically calls the event the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which...
. Wie made the top 64 in the stroke play rounds to qualify for match play. She lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Clay Ogden.
On October 5, 2005, a week before her 16th birthday, Wie announced that she was turning professional. She signed sponsorship contracts with Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
reportedly worth more than 10 million dollars per year.
Pre-LPGA membership (2005-2006)
Having turned professional, Wie was not a member of any professional tour. LPGA Tour membership age requirements require a golfer to be 18, although some players such as Morgan PresselMorgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings....
and Aree Song
Aree Song
Aree Song is a Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Her father is South Korean and her mother is Thai. She was born in Bangkok, Thailand...
have successfully petitioned for an exemption to join at age 17. Wie chose not to request an exemption and was thus only allowed to participate in a limited number of LPGA Tour events when given a sponsor's exemption from 2005 until 2008. She also chose not to participate in the Tour's Qualifying Tournaments (or "Q-School") until December 2008, when she finished 7th to gain LPGA membership for the 2009 season.
Wie played her first professional event in the 2005 LPGA Samsung World Championship, where she was disqualified from a fourth-place finish for signing an incorrect scorecard. A journalist (Michael Bamberger) reported she had illegally dropped the ball closer to the hole than its original lie the day after she completed her third round. At her other professional event in 2005, the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour, Wie shot four over par to miss the cut.
2006 started with the PGA Tour Sony Open at her home course, the Waialae Country Club, Hawaii where she again missed the cut, this time by four strokes. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings
Women's World Golf Rankings
The Women's World Golf Rankings, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Rolex Rankings, were introduced in February 2006. They are sanctioned by the five main women's golf tours and the organisations behind them: Ladies Professional Golf Association , Ladies European Tour, Ladies Professional...
in February, 2006, Wie was placed third behind Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
and Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...
. She rose to second place in July but her limited schedule meant she failed to play the minimum of 15 worldwide professional women's tournaments over a twenty-four month period and she was dropped from the rankings entirely. In August, 2006, the calculation of the rankings was revised such that any player who had accumulated points in fewer than 35 tournaments had her ranking calculated as if she had played in 35. After the change, Wie's ranking dropped to 7th.
In her first two tournaments on the LPGA Tour in early 2006, Wie gained a third place finish in the Fields Open in Hawaii, finishing one stroke off the lead, and finished in a tie for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing one stroke behind, again. May, 2006, saw her play the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
SK Telecom Open
SK Telecom Open
The SK Telecom Open is an annual professional golf tournament hosted in South Korea and sponsored by the Korean cell phone company SK Telecom. The tournament was inaugurated in June 1997 as "SK Telecom Classic", and renamed in 2001. It is part of the Korean Tour for men, and was co-sanctioned by...
, becoming the second woman (after Se Ri Pak
Se Ri Pak
Pak Se Ri is a South Korean professional golfer, playing on the LPGA Tour. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November 2007.-Career overview:...
) to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea. Wie reportedly received US$700,000 in appearance fees at an event that offered only US$600,000 in total prize money. In all, she reportedly netted US$5 million in appearance and endorsement money for the two-week trip.
May, 2006, also had her become the first female medalist in a local qualifier for the Men's U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. Wie did not compete in the "easier" Hawaii final stage qualifier, as she would have been unable to play at the LPGA Championship
LPGA Championship
The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
the following week. She played at Summit, NJ, vying for one of 16 available spots, but finished 59th and did not advance. At the LPGA Championship
LPGA Championship
The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
Wie finished two strokes off the lead, tied for fifth and followed this up with a tie for third at the US Women's Open
United States Women's Open Championship (golf)
The United States Women's Open Golf Championship, one of thirteen national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association , is one of the LPGA's major championships along with the LPGA Championship, the Women's British Open, and the Kraft Nabisco Championship...
. In July, she played in the LPGA HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship
The HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship was an LPGA Tour golf tournament that was played from 2005 through 2007. It was first played from June 30 to July 3, 2005 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey...
where she lost in the quarterfinals, 4 and 3, to the eventual champion Brittany Lincicome
Brittany Lincicome
Brittany Grace Lincicome is an American professional golfer playing on the LPGA Tour. She currently resides in Seminole, Florida....
.
In July, Wie played in the PGA John Deere Classic. After a 6 over par first round, she reached 8 over par and 10 shots above the projected cut line, before withdrawing from the tournament after the 9th hole, citing heat exhaustion. Two weeks later, Wie returned to the LPGA Tour, finishing in a tie for second at the Evian Masters
Evian Masters
The Evian Masters is a women's professional golf tournament played at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France each July.Founded in 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it is one of two major championships on the LET. Not a major on the LPGA Tour, it became an LPGA co-sanctioned event in...
, one stroke off the lead. She tied for 26th at the Women's British Open
Women's British Open
The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
, where she drew controversy for hitting a piece of moss on her backswing while she was in a bunker. This resulted in a two-stroke penalty. In a post-round interview, Wie said, "I guess I knew the rule wrong, from what I always knew... if you swing through it, everything would be OK."
In September, she competed in the Omega European Masters on the men's European Tour, where she finished last among the 156 competitors, 15 strokes over par. Wie missed the cut by 14 strokes, although tournament organizers reported that many of the 9,500 spectators on the first day came to see Wie. A week later, in Wie's third 2006 appearance on the PGA Tour, at the 84 Lumber Classic, she finished 14 over par after two rounds, 23 strokes behind the leader. At the LPGA Tour Samsung World Championship, Wie finished in 17th place in the 20-player field, 21 strokes behind the leader. Her last event of 2006 saw Wie compete in the Casio World Open on the men's Japan Golf Tour where she finished last, 27 shots behind the leader. With the conclusion of the Casio tournament, Wie had played 14 consecutive rounds of tournament golf without breaking par – eight on the LPGA Tour, two on the European Tour, two on the PGA Tour and two on the Japan Golf Tour. By the end of 2006, her first full year as a professional, Wie had missed the cut in 11 out of 12 tries against men, and remained winless in all 33 professional women's tournaments she had entered, the last 9 as a professional.
Pre-LPGA membership (2007-2008)
Wie accepted her fourth consecutive sponsor's exemption to the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii in January where she missed the cut by 14 strokes, finishing third from last in the 144-player field, 25 strokes behind the second-round leader. Her next competition, after a four-month absence and reported injuries to both wrists, was at the LPGA's Ginn Tribute Hosted by AnnikaGinn Tribute Hosted by Annika
The Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sörenstam, the event was played in 2007 and 2008 at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina....
where she was 14-over par through 16 holes in the first round before withdrawing, after a conversation with her agent, citing an aggravated wrist injury.
The withdrawal was controversial due to the LPGA Rule of 88, which states that a non-LPGA member shooting a score of 88 or more is forced to withdraw and banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest of the year. Wie claimed the injury and not the rule of 88 was the cause of the withdrawal but some observers, including one of her playing partners, Alena Sharp
Alena Sharp
Alena Sharp is a professional golfer from Canada, currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour...
questioned this claim. There was further controversy when both Sharp and Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie
Janice Moodie
Janice C. Moodie is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour but is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.- Amateur career :...
, questioned the involvement of Wie's father, B.J.. They said he appeared to give Wie advice during the course of play could have resulted in a two-stroke penalty but as Wie withdrew, this became a moot
Mootness
In American law, a matter is moot if further legal proceedings with regard to it can have no effect, or events have placed it beyond the reach of the law...
point.
Wie was seen two days later practicing at the site of the LPGA Championship in Bulle Rock
Bulle Rock
Bulle Rock, Maryland is a mixed-use golf, residential and corporate community located in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Bulle Rock is named for ‘Bulle Rock’, the first thoroughbred racehorse brought to America in the early 18th century....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, which drew criticism from Ginn Tribute host Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
who said, "I just feel there's a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and come out and practice here." At the LPGA championship Wie was 3 over par and bang on the cutline after two days to extend her run of cuts made at LPGA majors to 13, but shot rounds of 83 and 79 on the weekend to finish last of those who made the cut, 35 strokes behind the eventual winner. Wie entered the US Women's Open in June but withdrew midway through the second round after hitting her second shot out of the rough on the 10th hole citing a wrist injury. Her tournament score through 27 holes was 17-over par, 22 strokes behind the second-round leader.
At the Evian Masters
Evian Masters
The Evian Masters is a women's professional golf tournament played at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France each July.Founded in 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it is one of two major championships on the LET. Not a major on the LPGA Tour, it became an LPGA co-sanctioned event in...
in July, Wie broke her year-long streak of 24 consecutive rounds at or over par by shooting a second-round one-under par 71 but shooting a 12 over par 84 in the third round led to her finishing 20 strokes behind winner Natalie Gulbis
Natalie Gulbis
Natalie Anne Gulbis is an American professional golfer of Latvian descent who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.-Golf career:...
,third from last of those making the cut. One week later at the Women's British Open
Women's British Open
The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons...
Wie shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by two strokes, her first missed cut in an LPGA Tour event since 2003, and her first missed cut in a major.
Wie next played in August at the Canadian Women's Open
Canadian Women's Open
The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:...
, where she was invited as a sponsor's exemption. She shot rounds of 75 and 74 on the par 71 course, missing the cut by four strokes. The following week, with another sponsor's exemption, Wie played in the Safeway Classic
Safeway Classic
The Safeway Classic is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. Founded in 1972, the 54-hole event takes place every year in the Portland, Oregon area and is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has managed the tournament since...
, at Portland, Oregon. After shooting rounds of 79 and 75, she missed the cut by six strokes and finished 21 strokes behind the second round leader. Three weeks after beginning her freshman year at Stanford University, Wie played as a sponsor exemption in the limited field Samsung World Championship
Samsung World Championship
The Samsung World Championship was an annual golf tournament played between 1980 and 2009, for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It was a limited field event, open by invitation only....
, finishing 19th out of the 20 player field, 36 strokes behind the winner.
In December 2007, Wie was ranked at #4 in the Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Top 20 Earners Under 25 with an annual earnings of 19 million dollars.
2008 was the first time since 2004 Wie was not granted one of four available sponsor exemptions to play the PGA Tour Sony Open. She started the year on a sponsor's exemption at the LPGA Fields Open where she shot 69,73,78 to finish tied for 72nd, last among players making the cut. Two LPGA sponsor exemptions were offered and accepted to the Safeway International and Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill
tournaments but Wie was unable to play at the Safeway as she announced she had injured her wrist practicing. She did play the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, shooting rounds of 75 and 71, missing the cut by four strokes. Wie's next competitive appearance was her first on the Ladies European Tour playing on a sponsor invitation in the Ladies German Open where she finished sixth place, seven strokes behind the winner, fellow eighteen year-old Amy Yang
Amy Yang
Amy Yang, also known as Yang Hee-Young is a Korean professional golfer, currently playing on the United States-based LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour .-Amateur career:...
.
In June Wie played in Maryland at a sectional qualifier for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open. She finished in second place, earning one of the 35 qualification spots available. She shot an eight-over-par 81 in the first round of 2008 U.S. Women's Open and ended up with a 10-over total of 156, missing the cut. July saw Wie playing on a sponsor exemption at the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was in the middle of her third round when it was realized she had failed to sign her second round scorecard. Event organizers waited until the conclusion of that round to notify her that she was disqualified in order to give her an opportunity to explain what had happened. She was one stroke off the lead at the time. Two days later Wie announced that she had accepted an invitation to play her eighth PGA Tour event in the alternate field
Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. She shot rounds of 73 and 80, missing the cut by nine strokes.
Wie had expressed her desire to attempt to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2009 season by earning the equivalent of 80th place on the 2008 money list through her earnings at the events she played in through sponsor exemptions. When she failed to reach this goal, she entered an LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament. At the tournament, held from September 16 through 19 at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, she finished tied for 4th place. This was sufficient to advance her to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament held in Daytona Beach, Florida in December, 2008. During the Final Qualifying Tournament, Wie finished in a tie for 7th place to make her eligible to play full time on the LPGA Tour in 2009.
LPGA membership (2009-present)
After passing LPGA Qualifying School in December 2008, Wie declared that she still planned to play in tournaments against men. However for the second consecutive year, she did not receive a sponsor exemption to play in the Sony Open in HawaiiSony Open in Hawaii
The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii since the event's modern-day inception as the Hawaiian Open in 1965. Starting in 1971, the tournament was held...
where she had played four years in a row from 2004 through 2007. Her first tournament as an LPGA member was the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay
SBS Open at Turtle Bay
The SBS Open at Turtle Bay was a golf tournament for professional female golfers, played on the LPGA Tour that took place between 2005 and 2009 on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii, USA....
where she shot 66, 70 to move into a tie with Angela Stanford
Angela Stanford
Angela Stanford is an American professional golfer who currently competes on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Stanford was born in Fort Worth, Texas. As a junior golfer, she won the Fort Worth Girls Championship four times , the 1996 Texas State 4A High School Championship and the 1996 PING Texas...
going into the final round of the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead with eight holes remaining, but ended up losing to Stanford by three strokes.
It was reported in early March, 2009, that Wie had left the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
, the Hollywood talent agency that had represented her since she turned pro in 2005, and would be signing with sports agency IMG
IMG (business)
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City.-History:...
.
In Wie's next two tournaments, the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International and the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she struggled to make the cut, finishing on the cut line after the second round both times. She finished tied for 57th and 67th respectively in the two events. In the Kraft Nabisco, a major on the LPGA Tour, she shot a score of 81 in both the second and third rounds.
In mid-April, Wie traveled to Korea to play in a LPGA of Korea event, the Lotte Mart Open, for the first time. She finished tied for 36, earning $1,536. She spent the next two months playing in every available LPGA tournament, with results ranging from a tie for 3rd at the Sybase Classic to a tie for 54th at the State Farm Classic, the same event at which she was disqualified in 2008 for failing to sign her scorecard. At the second major of the year, the LPGA Championship, she finished tied for 23rd, her best finish in a major since 2006. During this tournament she also scored her first recorded hole-in-one as a professional.
The day after the end of the LPGA Championship, Wie participated in a sectional qualifying tournament for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open to be held during the first week in July. She joined 110 players at the Rockville, Maryland site, one of several sites around the country set up for qualifying purposes on that day. Wie missed qualifying after shooting rounds of 70 and 74.
In August, at Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Sugar Grove
Sugar Grove, Illinois
Sugar Grove is a far west suburban Chicago village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2000 census. The population was 6,016 in the 2003 special census. The population was 7,958 in the 2005 special census...
, Illinois, Wie was a captain's pick for the United States team in Solheim Cup competition. She finished the tournament with a 3-0-1 performance in four matches.
On November 15, 2009, Wie won her first professional individual tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational
Lorena Ochoa Invitational
The Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex and Jalisco It Happens Within You is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Lorena Ochoa, the event debuted in November 2008 at the course where she learned to play, Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, México.The...
in Guadalajara, Mexico, a limited field event on the LPGA Tour, posting a score of thirteen under par 275 for a two-stroke margin over fellow American Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...
, and beating Jiyai Shin, Christie Kerr and Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings....
by two strokes. It was Wie's 81st professional tournament and her 66th LPGA Tour event.
She then finished second in the Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters
Dubai Ladies Masters
The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, is a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour that was played for the first time in October 2006. Its prize fund of €500,000 makes it the fourth richest on the LET, after the Evian Masters...
tournament on December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.
On August 29, 2010, she posted a three-shot win over a full field at the CN Canadian Women's Open, held at St. Charles Country Club
St. Charles Country Club
St. Charles Country Club is a private country club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It features three nine hole golf courses, each with a distinct style that reflects the golf course designer responsible for it.- History :...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba, for her second career professional victory. In her next LPGA event two weeks later, she finished second in the 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Championship shooting 201 (-12) and losing to Yani Tseng
Yani Tseng
Yani Tseng is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings....
by one stroke after giving up an overnight three-stroke lead.
Amateur wins
- November 15–17, 2002: Hawaii State Open, Women's Division (Wie's last stroke-play victory) (67-71-70—208 (8 under), 13 strokes over Cindy Rarick)
Wie won several other Hawaiian local and junior events during the years 2000 through 2002.
- June 17–22, 2003: U.S. Women's Amateur Public LinksU.S. Women's Amateur Public LinksThe U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a women's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the USGA and first played in 1977. The USGA officially calls the event the U.S. Women's Amateur...
(Stroke play: 73-71—144 (even par); 18-hole matches: 2&1, 2&1, 5&4, 6&5, 5&4; 36-hole final: 1 up over Virada NirapathpongpornVirada NirapathpongpornVirada Nirapathpongporn is a Thai former professional golfer who won the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur.Nirapathpongporn was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She attended Duke University where she won the 2002 NCAA Division I Championship. She graduated in 2004 with a degree in psychology. She was voted the...
)
Wie played her first professional event while still an amateur in February 2002. Prior to her first win in a professional tournament, on November 15, 2009, she played in a total of 80 professional events as either an amateur or a professional:
66 against women: 64 on the LPGA Tour, 1 on the Ladies European Tour
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...
, and 1 on the LPGA of Korea Tour
LPGA of Korea Tour
The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional golf tour for women. LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association; it is the independent LPGA of Korea which runs this tour, not the American LPGA...
.
14 against men: 8 on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
, 1 on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
LPGA Tour (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 15 2009 2009 LPGA Tour The 2009 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through November 2009. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association .... |
 Lorena Ochoa InvitationalLorena Ochoa Invitational The Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex and Jalisco It Happens Within You is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Lorena Ochoa, the event debuted in November 2008 at the course where she learned to play, Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, México.The... |
2 strokes |  Paula CreamerPaula Creamer Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S... |
|
| 2 | Aug 29, 2010 2010 LPGA Tour The 2010 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that began in Thailand on February 13, 2010 and ended in Florida on December 5, 2010... |
 CN Canadian Women's Open |
3 strokes | Kristy McPherson Kristy McPherson Kristy McPherson is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour.-Early life and amateur career:A native of South Carolina, McPherson was diagnosed at age 11 with Still's disease, a form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis...  Suzann PettersenSuzann Pettersen Suzann Pettersen is a Norwegian professional golfer. She plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Her career best world ranking is second. She has held that position at several times, most recently beginning 22 August 2011.-Amateur...  Jee Young LeeJee Young Lee Jee Young Lee is a South Korean professional golfer now playing on the United States LPGA Tour.Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee began playing golf at age 14 and turned professional in 2004, playing on the LPGA of Korea Tour. In 2005, as a member of the KLPGA, she won the CJ Nine Bridges Classic,... Jiyai Shin |
Results in LPGA majors
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
T9 LA | 4 LA | T14 LA | T3 | DNP | DNP | T67 |
| LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
DNP | DNP | 2 LA | T5 | 84 | DNP | T23 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T39 | T13 TLA | T23 | T3 | WD | CUT | DNP |
| Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
DNP | DNP | T3 LA | T26 | CUT | DNP | T11 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
T27 | 6 |
| LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
T19 | T72 |
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | T55 |
| Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
T17 | T28 |
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
LPGA Tour career summary
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... ) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 2002 LPGA Tour The 2002 LPGA Tour was the 53rd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 28 to November 24. The season consisted of 32 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, 11. She also led the money list with earnings of $2,863,904.The season... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MC | n/a | 75.67 | ||
| 2003 2003 LPGA Tour The 2003 LPGA Tour was the 54th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from March 13 to November 23. The season consisted of 31 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, six... |
7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T9 | n/a | 73.00 | ||
| 2004 2004 LPGA Tour The 2004 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from March through December 2004. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association . This was the 55th season since the LPGA Tour... |
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | n/a | 71.00 | ||
| 2005 2005 LPGA Tour The 2005 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from February through December 2005. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association... |
8 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | n/a | 70.76 | ||
| 2006 2006 LPGA Tour The 2006 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from February through December 2006. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association... |
8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | T2 | 730,921 | n/a | 70.78 | n/a |
| 2007 2007 LPGA Tour The 2007 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through December 2007. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association... |
7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 23,024 | n/a | 76.68 | n/a |
| 2008 2008 LPGA Tour The 2008 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through December 2008. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association... |
7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T12 | 62,763 | n/a | 72.15 | n/a |
| 2009 2009 LPGA Tour The 2009 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that took place from February through November 2009. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association .... |
19 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 918,659 | 14 | 70.57 | 9 |
| 2010 2010 LPGA Tour The 2010 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that began in Thailand on February 13, 2010 and ended in Florida on December 5, 2010... |
19 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 888,017 | 9 | 71.34 | 18 |
| 2011 2011 LPGA Tour The 2011 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world that began in Thailand on February 17, 2011 and had its last official event end on November 20, 2011 in Florida... |
20 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 627,936 | 28 | 71.94 | 24 |
- official as of November 20, 2011
Professional record and earnings outside of LPGA membership
| Year | Dates | Tournament | Tour | Finish | Margin | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Oct 13-16 | Samsung World Championship Samsung World Championship The Samsung World Championship was an annual golf tournament played between 1980 and 2009, for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It was a limited field event, open by invitation only.... |
LPGA | DQ | n/a | 0 |
| 2005 | Nov 24-27 | Casio World Open Casio World Open The is an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November and attracts some of the leading international golfers. It was founded in 1981... |
Japan Golf Tour Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with... |
MC | 1 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Jan 12-15 | Sony Open in Hawaii Sony Open in Hawaii The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii since the event's modern-day inception as the Hawaiian Open in 1965. Starting in 1971, the tournament was held... |
PGA PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America... |
MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Feb 23-25 | Fields Open in Hawaii Fields Open in Hawaii The Fields Open in Hawaii was a golf tournament for professional female golfers, played on the LPGA Tour. It was held from 2006 and 2008 at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, an incorporated community within the city of Honolulu, Hawaii.... |
LPGA | 3 | 1 behind playoff | 73,227 |
| 2006 | Mar 30 – Apr 2 | Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
LPGA | T3 | 1 behind playoff | 108,222 |
| 2006 | May 4–7 |
SK Telecom Open SK Telecom Open The SK Telecom Open is an annual professional golf tournament hosted in South Korea and sponsored by the Korean cell phone company SK Telecom. The tournament was inaugurated in June 1997 as "SK Telecom Classic", and renamed in 2001. It is part of the Korean Tour for men, and was co-sanctioned by... |
Asian Tour Asian Tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore... |
T35 | 12 behind winner | 4,303 |
| 2006 | Jun 8-11 | LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
LPGA | T5 | 2 behind winner | 57,464 |
| 2006 | Jun 29 – Jul 2 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | T3 | 2 behind playoff | 156,038 |
| 2006 | Jul 6-9 | HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship The HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship was an LPGA Tour golf tournament that was played from 2005 through 2007. It was first played from June 30 to July 3, 2005 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey... |
LPGA | T5 | n/a | 50,000 |
| 2006 | Jul 13-16 | John Deere Classic John Deere Classic The John Deere Classic is an American professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in July, the week before the British Open, at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.... |
PGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2006 | Jul 26-29 | Evian Masters Evian Masters The Evian Masters is a women's professional golf tournament played at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France each July.Founded in 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it is one of two major championships on the LET. Not a major on the LPGA Tour, it became an LPGA co-sanctioned event in... |
LPGA | T2 | 1 behind winner | 255,333 |
| 2006 | Aug 3-6 | Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
LPGA | T26 | 13 behind winner | 18,059 |
| 2006 | Sep 7-10 | Omega European Masters Omega European Masters The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 will become the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.... |
European Tour PGA European Tour The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England... |
MC | 14 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Sep 14-17 | 84 Lumber Classic 84 Lumber Classic The 84 Lumber Classic was an golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 2000 to 2006. The event's title sponsor was lumber company 84 Lumber. The host course from 2003 to 2006, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, was owned by 84 Lumber founder Joseph Hardy.-History of the 84 Lumber... |
PGA | MC | 13 from cutline | 0 |
| 2006 | Oct 12-15 | Samsung World Championship Samsung World Championship The Samsung World Championship was an annual golf tournament played between 1980 and 2009, for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It was a limited field event, open by invitation only.... |
LPGA | 17 | 21 behind winner | 12,578 |
| 2006 | Nov 23-26 | Casio World Open Casio World Open The is an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November and attracts some of the leading international golfers. It was founded in 1981... |
Japan Golf Tour | MC | 17 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Jan 11-14 | Sony Open in Hawaii Sony Open in Hawaii The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii since the event's modern-day inception as the Hawaiian Open in 1965. Starting in 1971, the tournament was held... |
PGA | MC | 14 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | May 31 – Jun 3 | Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika The Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sörenstam, the event was played in 2007 and 2008 at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.... |
LPGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2007 | Jun 7-10 | LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
LPGA | 84 | 35 behind winner | 3,273 |
| 2007 | Jun 28 – Jul 1 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | WD | n/a | 0 |
| 2007 | Jul 26-29 | Evian Masters Evian Masters The Evian Masters is a women's professional golf tournament played at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France each July.Founded in 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it is one of two major championships on the LET. Not a major on the LPGA Tour, it became an LPGA co-sanctioned event in... |
LPGA | T69 | 20 behind winner | 6,626 |
| 2007 | Aug 2-5 | Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... |
LPGA | MC | 2 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Aug 16-19 | Canadian Women's Open Canadian Women's Open The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:... |
LPGA | MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Aug 24-26 | Safeway Classic Safeway Classic The Safeway Classic is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. Founded in 1972, the 54-hole event takes place every year in the Portland, Oregon area and is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has managed the tournament since... |
LPGA | MC | 6 from cutline | 0 |
| 2007 | Oct 11-14 | Samsung World Championship Samsung World Championship The Samsung World Championship was an annual golf tournament played between 1980 and 2009, for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It was a limited field event, open by invitation only.... |
LPGA | 19 | 36 behind winner | 13,125 |
| 2008 | Feb 21-23 | Fields Open in Hawaii Fields Open in Hawaii The Fields Open in Hawaii was a golf tournament for professional female golfers, played on the LPGA Tour. It was held from 2006 and 2008 at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, an incorporated community within the city of Honolulu, Hawaii.... |
LPGA | T72 | 20 behind winner | 2,570 |
| 2008 | May 8–11 | Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill The Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill was a women's professional golf tournament, played from 2003 through 2009 on the LPGA Tour. It took place annually in Virginia in May, with the final round traditionally played on Mother's Day since 2004... |
LPGA | MC | 4 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | May 29 – Jun 1 | Ladies German Open Ladies German Open The Ladies German Open, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Unicredit Ladies German Open, is a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour schedule. It has been held annually since 1986 except for two interruptions, 1992 to 1994 and 2002 to 2007.-Winners:-External links:*... |
LET Ladies European Tour The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,... |
6 | 7 behind winner | 13,563 |
| 2008 | Jun 19-22 | Wegmans LPGA Wegmans LPGA Wegmans LPGA is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. It has taken place every year since 1977 at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.The tournament was originally known as the Bankers Trust Classic... |
LPGA | T24 | 12 behind winner | 18,887 |
| 2008 | Jun 26-29 | U.S. Women's Open | LPGA | MC | 6 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | Jul 10-13 | Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, in full the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour... |
LPGA | T46 | 15 behind winner | 4,831 |
| 2008 | Jul 17-20 | State Farm Classic State Farm Classic The LPGA State Farm Classic is a golf tournament for professional female golfers that is part of the LPGA Tour. It has been played annually since 1976 in Springfield, Illinois, United States. From 1976 through 2006, the tournament was held at The Rail Golf Course... |
LPGA | DQ | n/a | 0 |
| 2008 | Jul 31 – Aug 3 | Reno-Tahoe Open | PGA | MC | 9 from cutline | 0 |
| 2008 | Aug 14-17 | Canadian Women's Open Canadian Women's Open The CN Canadian Women's Open is a women's professional golf tournament managed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.-History:... |
LPGA | T12 | 8 behind winner | 36,475 |
| 2009 | Apr 15-17 | Lotte Mart Open | KLPGA | T36 | 13 behind winner | 1,534 |
| 2009 | Dec 9-12 | Dubai Ladies Masters Dubai Ladies Masters The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, is a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour that was played for the first time in October 2006. Its prize fund of €500,000 makes it the fourth richest on the LET, after the Evian Masters... |
LET | 2 | 3 behind winner | 72,990 |
| 2010 | Dec 8-1 | Dubai Ladies Masters | LET | T6 | 6 behind winner | 16,250 |
Dates are span of competitive rounds, regardless of whether Wie participated in all rounds.
DQ = disqualified
MC = missed halfway cut
WD = withdrew
Margin = strokes behind winner or cutline, not applicable in cases of withdrawal, disqualification or matchplay format.
Team appearances
Amateur- Curtis CupCurtis CupThe Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
(representing the United States): 2004 (winners)
Professional
- Solheim CupSolheim CupThe Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation.The inaugural Cup was held in 1990,...
(representing the United States): 2009 (winners), 2011
Solheim Cup
Solheim Cup
The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation.The inaugural Cup was held in 1990,...
Record
| Year | Total Matches | Total W-L-H | Singles W-L-H | Foursomes W-L-H | Fourballs W-L-H | Points Won | Points % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 8 | 4-3-1 | 1-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 1-2-1 | 4.5 | 56.3% |
| 2009 2009 Solheim Cup The 11th Solheim Cup Matches were held between August 21 and August 23, 2009 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois in the United States... |
4 | 3-0-1 | 1-0-0 defeated H. Alfredsson Helen Alfredsson Helen Christine Alfredsson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays primarily on the U.S. based LPGA Tour and is also a life member of the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:... 1 up |
1-0-0 won w/ C. Kerr Cristie Kerr Cristie Kerr is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has 14 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, and over $13 million in career earnings... 1 up |
1-0-1 halved w/ M. Pressel Morgan Pressel Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings.... , won w/ C. Kim Christina Kim Christina Kim is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour . From San Jose, California, she is known for her animated style of play, flamboyant dress, and outgoing personaliity.Not long after her 18th birthday, Kim turned pro... 5&4 |
3.5 | 87.5% |
| 2011 2011 Solheim Cup The 2011 Solheim Cup was the 12th Solheim Cup matches, held between 23 September and 25 September 2011 at Killeen Castle in County Meath in Ireland... |
4 | 1-3-0 | 0-1-0 lost to S. Pettersen Suzann Pettersen Suzann Pettersen is a Norwegian professional golfer. She plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Her career best world ranking is second. She has held that position at several times, most recently beginning 22 August 2011.-Amateur... 1 down |
1-0-0 won w/ C. Kerr Cristie Kerr Cristie Kerr is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has 14 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, and over $13 million in career earnings... 2&1 |
0-2-0 lost w/ C. Kerr Cristie Kerr Cristie Kerr is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has 14 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, and over $13 million in career earnings... 2 down, lost w/ B. Lang Brittany Lang Brittany Lang is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in McKinney, Texas, Lang had a decorated amateur career. She won eight American Junior Golf Association events and was a two-time First-Team Polo Golf Junior... 4&3 |
1.0 | 25.0% |
Golf records
- The youngest winner (male or female) of an adult USGA-sanctioned tournament – Age 13 (2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public LinksU.S. Women's Amateur Public LinksThe U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, is a women's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the USGA and first played in 1977. The USGA officially calls the event the U.S. Women's Amateur...
) - The youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA tournament and major – Age 13 (2003 Nabisco Championship)
- The youngest player to play in a PGA Tour event – Age 14 (2004 Sony Open)
- The lowest round by a female in a PGA Tour event – 68 (2004 and 2006 Sony Open)
- The youngest player to play in Curtis CupCurtis CupThe Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
history – Age 14 (2004) - The first female to qualify for a USGA championship that is generally played by males - Age 15 (2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Pittsburgh sectional)
- The first female to make a cut on the Asian TourAsian TourThe Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
- Age 16 (2006 SK Telecom Open) - The first female medalist in a U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
qualifying tournament – Age 16 (2006 U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Turtle Bay Hawaii)
Quotes about Wie
When Wie was fourteen in 2004, professional golfer Ernie ElsErnie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
remarked, "Give her another couple years to get stronger, she can play on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
."
The same year, her size and the observed similarity of her swing to that of Els, led some in the sports media to call her The Big Wiesy, a play on Els' nickname of The Big Easy.
Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
said, "When you see her hit a golf ball…there's nothing that prepares you for it. It's just the scariest thing you've ever seen."
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
stated in 2003 that "she's probably going to influence the golfing scene as much as Tiger
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, or more. She's going to attract people that even Tiger didn't attract, young people, both boys and girls, and families."
Quotes by Wie
Wie has been criticized for making statements which are considered arrogant and unfounded by many. Some of these statements have been considered offending to her (female) peers on the LPGA."Hopefully, I will be able to play the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
one day, that would be awesome and I think it is totally possible",
"My ultimate goal is to play in the Masters",
"My favorite player is Tiger Woods. I think I can beat Tiger when I’m 20. It’s a life goal."
"If I ever get bored with golf, I'm going to start over and play lefthanded".
"I watch the PGA, not the LPGA. I like the players on the PGA better".
Poor performance in men's events
Observers of golf have criticized Wie's efforts to play in PGA Tour events through sponsors' exemptions. Wie has made only one cut in a men's tournament, and has made no cuts on the PGA Tour. After missing the cut at the 2007 Sony Open by 14 shots, many sports critics began to doubt whether she ever will.Following Wie's poor performance at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, AP golf writer Doug Ferguson suggested that her nickname be changed from "the Big Wiesy" to a more appropriate moniker, "the Big Queasy."
Use of exemptions
Professional golfers, fans, and media critics have remarked that allowing Wie to compete in PGA events takes away opportunities from more deserving golfers. However, a tournament sponsor has a maximum of only four completely unrestricted exemptions available, and those exemptions are often used to invite players (including amateurs) who can increase ticket sales and tournament visibility. The first four exemptions offered by a sponsor must be offered to PGA Tour players or other competitive players.By late 2007, the criticism over the use of exemptions had extended to Wie's participation in women's events on the LPGA Tour as well. Wie declined to enter LPGA Tour qualifying school after turning 18 and therefore would have to depend on sponsor exemptions to play in future LPGA tournaments. This decision drew criticism from golf fans and commentators. Such criticism ended after Wie qualified for the LPGA Tour through the 2008 qualifying tournament.
Caddie turnover
Wie has employed at least nine caddies since her father stopped caddying for her in 2004. She created controversy when, after finishing tied for 26th at the 2006 British Open, her caddie Greg Johnston was fired over the phone by Wie's then-agent Ross Berlin. Johnston said he was "surprised and disappointed" at the firing and at the fact that "no one named Wie gave me the news." Wie employed several other professional caddies after Johnston, and also returned to using her father for the remainder of the 2007 season, parting ways with caddie David Clarke after she missed the cut at that year's British Open. For much of 2009, Wie used on-loan caddy Patrick Tarrant, who worked for then-injured PGA pro Brett WetterichBrett Wetterich
Brett Milton Wetterich is an American professional golfer.Wetterich was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Oak Hills High School and Wallace State Community College...
; however, at the end of that year but prior to her first LPGA victory, Tarrant recommended that she work with his friend Brendan Woolley, who has continued as her exclusive caddy through the 2010 season.
Inappropriate clothing
In the summer of 2004 when Wie was 14 years old, some fans and media commented that Wie had increasingly dressed in inappropriate clothing during golf tournaments. These criticisms increased after Wie began wearing Nike-provided clothing in 2006.2007 wrist injury claim
In the first week of February 2007, it was reported that Wie hurt her left wrist in a fall while running, though when family members acting as her spokespeople were asked by the media, they declined either to give any details on the nature of the injury, other than to report that she was wearing a hard castOrthopedic cast
An orthopedic cast, body cast or surgical cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster, encasing a limb to hold a broken bone in place until healing is confirmed...
, or to state what treatment was done, citing privacy. Initially, her public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
staff reported that she would be away from golf for 4 to 6 weeks but this stretched until the end of May.
In response to the lack of information and prolonged absence, some golf fans and LPGA players, including Brittany Lincicome
Brittany Lincicome
Brittany Grace Lincicome is an American professional golfer playing on the LPGA Tour. She currently resides in Seminole, Florida....
, questioned whether Wie and her parents had fabricated the injury in order to give her a reason to take a break from golf. More questions were raised about her wrist injury claim after Wie's withdrawal from the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika
Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika
The Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. Hosted by Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sörenstam, the event was played in 2007 and 2008 at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina....
in May 2007 when she flirted with the Rule of 88 before withdrawing citing a "tweaked wrist." Her playing partners were divided in their opinions. Alena Sharp questioned her injury claim but Janice Moodie stated that she heard Wie say "Ouch!" after hitting her tee shot on the first hole, which was the group's 10th of the day. Wie had said that was precisely when she began feeling the pain. Moodie said "She didn't swing as hard from that point on."
Further questions were raised about Wie's wrist injury when, in April 2008, she announced that she actually had three broken bones in her wrist, contradicting her agent's March 2007 announcement that the wrist was not broken. A 2009 article about Wie's injury stated that the original misinformation resulted from the Wies' failure to "understand or accept the severity of the injury."
Withdrawal from pro-am event at 2009 KLPGA tournament
Wie refused to play the pro-am event at the Lotte Sky Hill Jeju Country Club a day before the first round of the KLPGA Lotte Mart Ladies' Open after her request for waiving a rule which prohibits players from using their own caddy during the pro-am was denied by the tournament organizers. This caused many negative comments in the Korean media, labeling Wie as being too arrogant.Wie refused to comment on her withdrawal.