The 2005 Sony Open kicks off Thursday. The news this year? Pretty much the same as last: teenage phenom Michelle Wie is in the field and looking to make the cut. Last year Michelle came within a shot, shooting even-par 72-68 (and beating 47 men in the process).
The Sony Open, contested along the windy Hawaiian Waialae Country Club, is the first full-field event of the 2005 PGA Tour season. Waialae is one of the Hawaiian native Wie’s home courses.
Ernie Els, the defending champ, played a practice round with the teen star on Tuesday. Els, known on tour as “The Big Easy” for his long, flowing swing, tagged Michelle with the nickname “The Big Wiesy” during last year’s event.
Not all is coming up rosy for Wie, who has endured criticism for not playing – and winning – more amateur events, instead choosing to play with the men of the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods expressed his thoughts during the Mercedes Championships last week, saying:
There is an art form to winning, and learning how to win different ways. Learning how to win when you’re dominating, learning how to win when you don’t have anything at all. There’s so many different ways you can win a golf tournament. I think I’ve gone through all of that, so I’ve learned. And it served me very well once I got out here.
Woods later added “What she’s doing might hurt her, but in the end, she might be so talented she might just win everything. And it might be a new way of doing it.” Way to give yourself an out, there, Tiger.
Wie’s only trophy of 2004 was the Curtis Cup, shared with seven other players. She did not defend her US Women’s Amateur Public LInks title and she lost in the second round of the US Women’s Amateur played at Kahkwa Club (about twenty miles from my current location). The common opinion: Wie should concentrate on winning tournaments at her level – the amateur level – before tackling the PGA or even LPGA tours.
Wie will be paired in her first two rounds with Matt Davidson and Brett Wettrich, who placed 11th at Q-School and 10th on the 2004 Nationwide money list, respectively.
ESPN will be televising all four rounds of the Sony Open. Here’s the coverage schedule:
Thursday: 6:30-9:00pm ET
Friday: 7:00-9:00pm ET
Saturday: 7:00-10:30pm ET
Sunday: 7:30-10:00pm ET
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