Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie (Korean: ???(???), Wie Sung-mi; born October 11, 1989) is a Korean American golfer.

2002-2004: A star in the making

In 2002, Wie became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic. In 2003, she shot a 66 in a round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, tying the amateur record for a women's major championship. She also won the Women's Amateur Public Links in 2003, becoming the youngest person ever to win a USGA event for adults. On January 15, 2004, Michelle Wie became only the fourth woman, and the youngest ever, to play in an event on the main U.S.-based men's golf tour, the PGA TOUR, at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club near Diamond Head in Hawaii. She shot rounds of 72 and 68 to finish at even par, missing the cut by one stroke. The same year she also became the first amateur to receive a special exemption to the US Women's Open, a decision which led to some division in the women's golf community. The invitation was based on her theoretical position on the money list, which would have given her automatic qualification had she been a professional. She finished tied for 13th place in the tournament.

Related Topics:
2002 - LPGA - 2003 - Kraft Nabisco Championship - Women's major championship - January 15 - 2004 - PGA TOUR - Diamond Head - Hawaii - US Women's Open

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Wie was named to the U.S. team for the 2004 Curtis Cup, a team golf competition similar to the Ryder Cup, in which amateur female players from the U.S. and Great Britain compete. She became the youngest woman ever to compete in the Curtis Cup as the U.S. team went on to win. She also finished fourth in the 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing four shots behind winner Grace Park. If she had played the 2004 season as a professional, she would have earned over a quarter of a million dollars from her tournament results alone, but as an amateur she was not allowed to earn money for playing.

Related Topics:
Curtis Cup - Ryder Cup - Kraft Nabisco Championship - Grace Park - Amateur

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