Michelle wie golfer biography of mahatma

American professional golfer

Michelle Dynasty Wie West (; born Oct 11, 1989) is an English professional golfer who plays whoop it up the LPGA Tour. At parentage 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for unmixed USGA amateur championship. Wie extremely became the youngest winner late the U.S. Women's Amateur Let slip Links and the youngest come near qualify for an LPGA Expedition event. She turned professional soon before her 16th birthday all the rage 2005, accompanied by an astronomical amount of publicity and endorsements.^[1][2][3] She won the Laureus WorldBreakthrough of the Year in 2004^[4] and her first and solitary major at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.

Early life, kinsmen and education

Wie was born neatness October 11, 1989, in Port, Hawaii. She is the single child of immigrant parents distance from South Korea who came envisage the United States in ethics 1980s. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, is a former professor pray to travel industry management at nobility University of Hawaii. Her argot, Bo, was South Korea's women's amateur golf champion in 1985,^[5] and competed in a Bitter Korea beauty pageant. Her fatherly grandfather, Sang-Kyu Wie, a abiding of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do, was protract emeritus professor at Seoul Nationwide University.^[6][7] When she was hereditary, Wie was a dual indweller of South Korea (by jus sanguinis) and the United States (by jus soli). She lose her South Korean citizenship captive February 2013.^[8]

Wie graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in June 2007. On December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University, locale there are family ties. Other paternal grandfather was a sojourning professor, and an aunt mount uncle are both graduates.^[9][10] She enrolled in September 2007 reorganization a freshman, but as spick professional golfer, Wie was yell eligible under NCAA rules respecting play for Stanford's golf team.^[11][12] During her first three existence at Stanford, she attended one during the fall and overwinter quarters, running from late Sept through mid-March each year.^[13] She took leaves of absence away the rest of the gathering to play professional golf.^[14][15] Wie completed her studies at University in March 2012 with straight major in communications. She participated in the university's graduation ceremonial in June 2012.^[16][17]

Amateur career (2000–2005)

Wie began playing golf at nobility age of four. In 2000, at the age of glue, she became the youngest trouper ever to qualify for say publicly U.S. Women's Amateur Public Recitation Championship. Eight years later, Wie's mark was surpassed by individual Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz, who equipped when she was five months younger than Wie had antediluvian when she set the record.^[18] Wie remained the youngest participant to advance to match act in this tournament, until 2014 when Lucy Li surpassed make more attractive by one week.^[19] In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Island State Women's Stroke Play Backing and the Jennie K. Wilson Women's Invitational. The Jennie K. Geophysicist Women's Invitations is the first and most prestigious women's untrained tournament in Hawaii.^[18] She additionally advanced into match play velvety the Women's U.S. Amateur Decode Links Championship.

In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Start Women's Division by thirteen shots. She also became the youngest player to qualify for proscribe LPGA event, the Takefuji Definitive held in Wie's home submit of Hawaii. While she went on to miss the give, her record stood for quint more years until it was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.^[20][21]

At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wie became decency youngest player to make prominence LPGA cut. She carded organized 66 in the third enclose, tying the amateur record funding a women's major championship stake qualifying her to play have as a feature the final group of rank championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Community Links tournament, becoming the youngest person ever, male or motherly, to win a USGA grown up event. Later that summer, she made the cut at significance US Women's Open when she was still just 13, honourableness youngest player ever to dent so.^[22]

Wie was given a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming high-mindedness fourth, and youngest, female hinder play a PGA Tour exposition. Her second round score bring to an end 68 was the lowest consistently by a woman in trig PGA Tour event, though she went on to miss influence cut in the tournament. Interminably missing the cut by 1 stroke she bettered the 36 hole score of 47 soldiers including 4 major winners trip matched the scores of 15 more men including 3 better-quality major winners. At age 16, 2 years later she attempt another round of 68 drop the men's tour Sony come apart and bettered the 36 fissure score of 18 men together with 2 major winners and duplicate the score of 9 remainder including 1 major winner.^[23] She again played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing billet. As part of the unbowed U.S. team, she became blue blood the gentry youngest woman ever to perform in the Curtis Cup combat. Wie started her 2005 spell 1 by accepting another sponsor's request to play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Plain in Hawaii, where she arrival missed the cut. She stilted five more LPGA Tour anecdote that year as well makeover a PGA Tour event, magnanimity John Deere Classic. It was her third outing at expert PGA Tour event; she wayward adrift the cut by two strokes.^[24] She entered qualifying for dignity U.S. Amateur Public Links skull became the first female player to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament, tying put first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Nonprofessional Public Links. Wie made interpretation top 64 in the knock play rounds to qualify construe match play.^[25] She lost difficulty the quarterfinals to eventual victor Clay Ogden.

On October 5, 2005, a week before prepare 16th birthday, Wie announced ensure she was turning professional. She signed sponsorship contracts with Nike and Sony reportedly worth auxiliary than $10 million per year.

Professional career

Pre-LPGA membership (2005–08)

When Wie nauseating professional, she was not marvellous member of any professional profile. LPGA Tour membership age qualifications require a golfer to bait 18, although some players specified as Morgan Pressel and Aree Song have successfully petitioned back an exemption to join go off age 17. Wie chose sound to request an exemption take was thus only allowed dressingdown participate in a limited give out of LPGA Tour events considering that given a sponsor's exemption bring forth 2005 until 2008.

Wie pretentious her first professional event take back the 2005 LPGA Samsung Universe Championship, where she was unfitted from a fourth-place finish give reasons for signing an incorrect scorecard. Tidy journalist, Michael Bamberger, reported grand day after Wie had undivided her round that she difficult to understand illegally dropped the ball modus operandi to the hole than university teacher original lie.^[26] Wie would afterward go on to tally match up top-5 finishes on the LPGA tour, including a second activity the Evian Masters, a bind for third at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and a rope for 5th at the LPGA Championship. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings in Feb 2006, Wie was placed bag, behind Annika Sörenstam and Paula Creamer, but eventually dropped break down 7th, partially due to undiluted limited schedule.^[27]

2006 also involved a sprinkling competitions against male competitors, eccentric with the PGA Tour Sony Open, where she again overlook the cut, this time strong four strokes. In May she became the first female victor in a local qualifier make known the men's U.S. Open, however did not advance past illustriousness New Jersey final stage qualifier.^[28] At the PGA John Industrialist Classic, after a 6-over-par rule round, and 10 strokes facade the projected cut, midway read round two, she withdrew disseminate the tournament, citing heat emptying and tiredness.^[29]

Wie also played excretion both the European and Inhabitant tours. At the SK Telecommunication Open, a men's tournament household South Korea, she became greatness second woman (after Se Ri Pak) to make the scheme on the Asian Tour, swallow in addition, reportedly received form fees exceeding the event's in one piece prize money.^[30] However, Wie terminated the season with several short performances in both male become peaceful female tournaments, including the Entirety European Masters, PGA 84 Clump Classic, LPGA Tour Samsung Faux Championship and the Casio Replica Open. At this point, Wie had played 14 consecutive safeguarding of tournament golf without forlorn par and had missed righteousness cut in 11 out show 12 tries against men bear remained winless against the women.^[31]

In 2007, Wie's slump continued, together with a four-month hiatus, due run to ground injuries to both wrists, orderly disqualification, and several missed cuts and withdrawals. At the LPGA Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, she was 14 over average through 16 holes in rank first round before withdrawing, thrilling the injury.^[32] The withdrawal was controversial owing to the LPGA Rule of 88, which states that a non-LPGA member discerning a score of 88 ambience more is forced to draw back and banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest sell like hot cakes the year.^[33][34] Later that harvest, after finishing one stroke demur the lead during the following round of the State Small town Classic, she was disqualified tend walking outside of the ex cathedra tournament area before returning detain sign her scorecard.^[35][36] Despite depiction lack of victories, Wie was ranked #4 in the 2007 Forbes Top 20 Earners Way in 25, with an annual present of $19 million.^[37]

Wie finally became suited to play full-time on class LPGA Tour in 2009, as she tied for 7th lodge at the LPGA qualifying competition in Daytona Beach.^[38]

LPGA membership (2009–2023)

After passing LPGA Qualifying School complicated December 2008, Wie declared mosey she still planned to arena in tournaments against men. Still, for the second consecutive crop, she did not receive unadulterated sponsor exemption to play uphold the Sony Open in Island where she had played cardinal years in a row distance from 2004 through 2007.^[39][40] Her twig tournament as an LPGA fellow was the season-opening SBS Gush at Turtle Bay where she shot 66, 70 to relay into a tie with Angela Stanford going into the finishing round of the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead be level with eight holes remaining, but inhibited up losing to Stanford saturate three strokes.

It was around in early March, 2009, go off at a tangent Wie had left the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood genius agency that had represented attendant since she turned pro rotation 2005, and would be mark with sports agency IMG.^[41]

At influence second major of the vintage, the LPGA Championship, she hone tied for 23rd, her superlative finish in a major in that 2006. During this tournament she also scored her first filmed hole-in-one as a professional.^[42] Even, the day after her parting round of the LPGA Promotion, she failed to qualify take possession of the U.S. Women's Open oral exam to a mediocre performance adventure a sectional qualifying tournament.^[43][44]

In Venerable, at Rich Harvest Farms sport course in Sugar Grove, Algonquin, Wie was a captain's contest for the United States crew in Solheim Cup competition, locale she led the American company to victory with a 3-0-1 performance, the best record gettogether the American team.^[45]

On November 15, 2009, Wie won her rule professional individual tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, an event on the LPGA Tour limited to the mark 36 female golfers in integrity world as determined by description LPGA money list and Rolex women's world golf rankings, transmission a score of thirteen go down par 275 for a two-stroke margin over fellow American Paula Creamer, and beating Jiyai Clamber, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel by two strokes.^[46][47][48] She spread finished second in the Aristocracy European Tour season-ending Dubai Creme de la creme Masters tournament on December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.^[49]

On Venerable 29, 2010, she posted a-okay three-shot win over a abundant field at the CN Crawl Women's Open, held at Fallacious. Charles Country Club in Lake, Manitoba, for her second being professional victory.^[50] In her go along with LPGA event two weeks next, she finished second in prestige 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Aid shooting 201 (−12) and misfortune to Yani Tseng by round off stroke after giving up veto overnight three-stroke lead.^[51]

On April 19, 2014, Wie won her base LPGA Tour event – prep added to her first in the Collective States – the LPGA Allmouth Championship. She was four strokes behind Angela Stanford after 54 holes but shot a 67 to Stanford's 73 to gain victory by two strokes.^[52]

On June 22, 2014, Wie won her point LPGA Tour event and pull it off major championship, the U.S. Women's Open. She was tied sale the lead with Amy Yang after 54 holes at two-under-par. She double-bogeyed the 16th break down to fall within one slug of Stacy Lewis, but birdied the next hole and parred the last hole for unornamented final round par-70 to do an impression of by two strokes over Lewis.^[53] The win, coupled with turn a deaf ear to second-place finish in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, resulted rejoicing her winning the inaugural Rolex Annika Major Award.^[54] In 2014, she was also named lone of ESPNW's Impact 25.^[55]

Wie choice contribute to CBS Sports' footage golf coverage, including the Poet starting in 2020.^[56]

In May 2022, Wie West announced that she would be stepping away munch through the game following the 2022 U.S. Women's Open,^[57] held unbendable Pebble Beach Golf Links possible July 6–9.^[58]

Controversies

From the beginning grow mouldy her public career, Michelle Wie was the subject of wrangling expressed by fans, media, nobility, and other observers.

Performances outer shell men's events

Despite the publicity remove appearances garnered, Wie made lone one cut in a men tournament: at the rain-shortened 2006 SK Telecom Open on class Asian Tour. She made negation cuts on the PGA String. After she missed the spill at the 2007 Sony Launch by 14 shots, many diversions critics began to doubt whether one likes it she ever would.^[59]

Wie's last feature in a men's professional circus was at the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, an alternate profit on the PGA Tour. Wie shot rounds of 73 see 80, missing the cut afford nine strokes.^[60]

Use of exemptions

Professional golfers, fans, and media critics remarked that allowing Wie to do one`s damnedest in PGA events took colour opportunities from more deserving golfers.^[61][62][63] By late 2007, the assessment over the use of exemptions had extended to Wie's express in women's events on position LPGA Tour as well. Wie declined to enter LPGA Rope qualifying school after turning 18 and therefore would have combat depend on sponsor exemptions border on play in future LPGA tournaments. This decision drew criticism shake off golf fans and commentators.^[64][65] Much criticism ended after Wie able for the LPGA Tour rebuke the 2008 qualifying tournament.^[66]

Caddie turnover

Early in her career, Wie busy many different caddies after renounce father stopped being her tender in 2004. She created investigation when, after finishing tied choose 26th at the 2006 Land Open, her caddie Greg General was fired over the give a tinkle by Wie's then-agent Ross Songster. Johnston said he was "surprised and disappointed" at the discharge and at the fact stroll "no one named Wie gave me the news."^[67] Wie busy several other professional caddies aft Johnston, and also returned pick up using her father for righteousness remainder of the 2007 stint, parting ways with caddie Painter Clarke after she missed authority cut at that year's Country Open. For much of 2009, Wie used on-loan caddie Apostle Tarrant, who worked for then-injured PGA pro Brett Wetterich; still, at the end of go off year but prior to present first LPGA victory, Tarrant pragmatic that she work with coronate friend Brendan Woolley, who drawn-out as her exclusive caddie survive the 2010 season.^[68] Woolley reprove Wie parted ways in Dec 2012 after Wie finishing Lxi on the LPGA Money Directory and earning just $158,546 think about it season.^[69] In January 2013, Wie employed Mark Wallington, who caddied for another LPGA professional added European Solheim Cup player, Sophie Gustafson, for three tournaments. Wie then began working with Dancer French, who has continued caddying for her exclusively since.

2007 wrist injury

In the first period of February 2007, it was reported that Wie hurt have a lot to do with left wrist in a sink while running.^[70] However, little advice was provided to the pioneer due to concerns about cause privacy.^[71] Initially, her public sponsorship staff reported that she would be away from golf transport four to six weeks^[72] however the injury lasted until decency end of May.

In fulfil to the lack of data and prolonged absence, Brittany Lincicome questioned whether Wie and refuse parents had fabricated the damage in order to give see a reason to take straight break from golf.^[73][74][75] At integrity Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in May 2007, Wie's doing partner, Alena Sharp, questioned Wie's withdrawal from the tournament inspection to wrist injury.^[76] However, Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie, stated that she heard Wie say "Ouch!" after hitting turn down tee shot, and confirmed "She didn't swing as hard stay away from that point on."^[77]

In April 2008, she announced that she difficult to understand three broken bones in brush aside wrist, despite her agent's Go 2007 announcement that the carpus was not broken.^[78] A 2009 article about Wie's injury presumed that the original misinformation resulted from Wie and her kinfolk failing to "understand or permit the severity of the injury," and that during the comprehensive 2007 season, Wie played botched job a great deal of suffering, taking four to five throbbing killers a day.^[79]

Personal life

In Parade 2019, Wie announced that she was engaged to Jonnie Westernmost, who is Director of Sport Operations for the Golden Kingdom Warriors^[80] and the son register NBA legend Jerry West. They married on August 10, 2019, at a private home pile Beverly Hills, California.^[81] In Jan 2020, she announced she was pregnant,^[82] while expressing interest boast eventually returning to competitive golf.^[83] On June 19, 2020, she gave birth to a bird named Makenna.^[84] In October 2024, she gave birth to veto second child, a son.^[85]

Amateur wins

Wie won several other Hawaiian go out of business and junior events during dignity years 2000 through 2002.^[88][89]

Wie worked her first professional event reach still an amateur in Feb 2002. Prior to her pass with flying colours win in a professional event, on November 15, 2009, she played in a total oppress 80 professional events as either an amateur or a professional:

Professional wins (5)

LPGA Tour gains (5)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.

^ Interpretation Evian Championship was added pass for a major in 2013.

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

LA = Stubby amateur
CUT = missed birth half-way cut
WD = withdrew
NT = no tournament
Routine = tied

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (2003 Kraft Nabisco – 2007 LPGA)
• Longest stroke of top-10s – 4 (2005 British Open – 2006 U.S. Open)

LPGA Tour career summary

* Includes matchplay and other events without elegant cut.
^ Wie's $6,760 fee at the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand and $65,589 at honourableness 2017 HSBC Women's Champions were considered unofficial under LPGA soft-cover and are not included fall apart yearly totals.
† Does fret include non-member earnings from 2006 to 2008

World ranking

Position smile Women's World Golf Rankings watch the end of each schedule year.

^ as of July 10, 2023

This table shows Wie's earnings as a varnished, excluding LPGA Tour events.

*Tournament shortened to 56 holes since of rain.^[112]
Dates are tidy up of competitive rounds, regardless lady whether Wie participated in gust of air rounds.

MC = missed slightly cut
WD = withdrew
Interval = strokes behind winner above cutline, not applicable in circumstances of withdrawal.

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Solheim Prize record

Golf records

• The youngest winner (male or female) custom an adult USGA-sanctioned tournament – Age 13 (2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links)
• The youngest sportswoman to make a cut interject an LPGA tournament and vital – Age 13 (2003 Nabisco Championship)
• The lowest round by elegant female in a PGA Peregrination event – 68 (2004 limit 2006 Sony Open)
• The youngest thespian to play in Curtis Flagon history – Age 14 (2004)
• The first female to qualify pine a USGA championship that review generally played by males - Age 15 (2005 U.S. Inexperienced Public Links Championship Pittsburgh sectional)
• The first female to make expert cut on the Asian Excursion - Age 16 (2006 Hazard Telecom Open)
• The first female victor in a U.S. Open meet the criteria tournament – Age 16 (2006 U.S. Open Local Qualifying dig Turtle Bay Hawaii)

See also

Female golfers who have competed in hands PGA tournaments:

References