Michelle Wie has made the cut! The 21-year-old Hawaiian who’s playing in
Michelle Wie has made the cut! The 21-year-old Hawaiian who’s playing in her eighth U.S. Women’s Open, drained a 35-foot putt on the 18th hole to stay at 7 over par.
“I think I live my life too difficultly” said Wie, who hasn’t seen the weekend at a U.S. Open since 2006. “Hopefully it’ll be good enough. I’m really proud of myself for making it. If I don’t make it I ended on a good note.”
The Broadmoor’s final hole is the toughest one out there, yielding an average of 4.56 strokes. But Wie knew she had to make birdie to have any chance of seeing the weekend.
“I was walking up to the 18th green and everyone was like, ‘You have to make it to make the cut,'” said Wie. “I was like, ‘Okay.'”
Wie said that yesterday’s rain delay gave her some much-needed time to work on her game and avoid repeating Thursday’s 7-over par performance, which included just 11 greens in regulation and 35 putts.
“I played Thursday, came back on Friday, played one hole, and had a day’s rest,” said Wie, who spent some time on Friday working on her iron play and her putting stroke. “I have been thinking about today’s round for a long time.”
Wie has been cut in the two most recent U.S. Women’s Open she’s played in (2008 and ’10). While it looks like that trend will change this year, she’ll have to wait another hour for everyone to finish their second rounds before knowing for sure.
There’s no question that Wie has the physical ability to become one of the best players in the world. But on Wednesday, Annika Sorenstam bluntly questioned Wie’s passion for the game.
“Her focus should be more on the golf,” said Sorenstam. “She’s very distracted with school, doesn’t really play as much full time as I thought she would…Sometimes you wonder if she’s mentally strong enough to finish at the top. She has a few victories, but has not really been able to really breakthrough.”
Wie disagrees with the notion that her schooling is interfering with a standout professional career.
“Going to school is definitely one of my biggest dreams,” said Wie. “At the same time, I’m a professional golfer and I’m making that a priority even when I’m at school. If I have a choice between having is to study or having to practice, I choose to practice…I am trying my hardest. If I quit [school] now, I’m gonna regret it for the rest of my life.”