MICHELLE
WIE
WINS 2003 U.S.
WOMEN’S AMATEUR
PUBLIC
LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
Palm Coast ,
Florida
– Michelle Wie
, 13, became the youngest champion
in the 108-year history of United States Golf Association adult championships
when she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at the par-72,
6,068-yard course at Ocean Hammock Golf Club.
Wie,
of Honolulu ,
Hawaii ,
outlasted Virada Nirapathpongporn
, 21, of Thailand
, in a classic match play battle,
1 up, in the 36-hole final. The much-publicized, long-hitting Wie
had never won a tournament outside of her native Hawaii
.
“It
means a lot,” Wie said. “I never won a national championship. The
Women’s Amateur Public Links was my first for everything. It was my
first national tournament to play in, when I was 10, so I’m pretty
glad.”
“It
was fun playing with her,” said Nirapathpongporn. “She obviously has
the advantage of that length. For me, it’s just unfortunate. I worked
so hard and tried my best.”
It
was superb golf. Wie was a stroke-play equivalent of seven under par
for the 36 holes. Nirapathpongporn was six under par.
Wie
had to fight back from a four-hole deficit to do it. Although Wie
went 1 up on the second hole with a birdie, Nirapathpongporn birdied
five of the next six holes and was 4 up after the 8 th .
Wie
birdied the 9 th , the 11 th and 13 th to cut the margin to one hole.
The 487-yard, par-5 14 th had surrendered birdies and eagles to her
throughout the championship. This time, she again birdied to square
the match where it remained through the 18 th hole..
In
the afternoon round, Nirapathpongporn continued to hit precise irons
at the flagstick. She won the 20 th hole when Wie’s approach landed
in an unplayable lie and went 2 up at the par-3 22 nd hole with a
short birdie putt.
Wie’s
exceptional play over the next several holes put her in command. She
sank a 10-foot birdie putt from against the fringe on the 23 rd hole.
At the 479-yard, par-5 24 th , she seemed to take charge with a brilliant
iron shot. Nirapathpongporn played the hole conservatively, hitting
the green in three strokes.
Wie
hit a drive of nearly 320 yards into a waste area, then hit a 5 iron
from 180 yards for her second shot. She slashed her ball out of the
sand with a loud crack. The ball flew over a water hazard and landed
on the green, rolling into the back fringe. Wie’s chip for eagle rimmed
the hole but the powerful birdie squared the match.
A
par on the 25 th and a birdie on the 27 th gave Wie a 2-up advantage.
She drove into the water on the 29 th , losing one hole. Nirapathpongporn’s
wonderful iron approach shot and birdie on the 31 st hole again squared
the match.
At
the 32 nd hole, (the par-5 14 th ), Wie banged a 6 iron second shot
over a palm tree to within 20 feet of the hole. Nirapathpongporn hit
her third shot to within a few feet, but Wie drained the putt for
a winning eagle to again take a 1-up lead.
Nirapathpongporn
squared the match on the very next hole when Wie was forced to play
out of a water hazard. The dizzying pace of the match came to an unfortunate
end on the 35 th hole when Nirapathpongporn, who had been steady with
her putter all day, missed a three-foot putt for a par and a half
and Wie was one up going into the 36 th hole. Both players made par
4s, and the match, attended by some 800 spectators, was over.
Wie,
who tried several daring shots during the final, said, “Golf is more
fun if you take risks.” Referring to her wonderful 5-iron shot out
of the waste area on the 24 th hole, she said. “If you make it on
the island green you feel wonderful and as if you’ve won the championship.”
Her
father, B.J. Wie
, a professor at the University
of Hawaii
, again served as her caddie.
Did he want her to try the risky shot?
“He
said, ‘Uh, uh,’ “ said Michelle
. “I said, ‘I’m going.’ “
In
her itinerary, where Michelle Wie is going next is the LPGA event
in Atlantic City, N.J., then at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pumpkin Ridge
Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. She will also compete in the U.S.
Women’s Amateur Championship at Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne
, Pa.
Where
the amazing 13-year-old, the youngest USGA champion in adult championships,
is going in the future is perhaps to greater glory.
The
Women’s Amateur Public Links is one of 13 national championships conducted
by the United States Golf Association, of which ten are strictly for
amateurs.
Palm Coast ,
Fla.
– Final results of the 2003 United States Women’s Amateur Public Links
Championship at the par-72, 6,068-yard course at Ocean Hammock Golf
Club.
FINAL
Michelle
Wie
, Honolul
, Hawaii
(144) def. Virada
Nirapathpongporn , Thailand
(141), 1 up.
