Michelle Wie Will Appear in JPGA Tour Casio World Open

Golf prodigy Michelle Wie (Korean name Wie Sung-mee, 15) will appear in another battle of the sexes at the Japan Golf Tour.

The Japanese media, including Sankei Sports, reported on September 28 that the JPGA Tour Casio World Open, which starts on November 24, has announced Michelle Wie’s confirmation of her participation.

If Wie turns pro on her 16th birthday on October 11 as expected, she would probably have been guaranteed a huge amount in invitational fees. But considering the fact that she is still an amateur, there have been no announcements on the specific conditions regarding her appearance.

Wie is known to be at the end of making sponsor contracts worth up to $8 million with three companies including Nike ($5 million).

This will be Wie’s first appearance in a competition held in Japan, and she will be the second female golfer to appear in a male competition in Japan since Sophie Gustafson (Sweden) played in the 2003 Casio World Open. Gustafson did not make it through the preliminaries.

Young-Sik Ahn ysahn@donga.com