Michelle Wie, Watch Me Being Youngest Winner

‘Golf Genius Girl’ Michelle Wie has only one more game to go to win the championship.

Michelle

Michelle advanced into the final of the 2003 Women`s Amateur Public Links Championship Sunday after winning Match Plays at the par 72 course at Ocean Hammock Golf Club.

Michelle defeated Becky Lucidi (13) easily by 6 halls at the quarter finals and then also defeated Aimee Cho (19) without trouble by 5 halls at the 14th hall.

Michelle will meet in Match Play final today morning with Virada Nirapathpongporn of Thailand, the medalist of the 1st round, which was Stroke Play.

Michelle broke the record of being the youngest play ever in the championship in 2000 when she was ten years old, and now she challenges to break the record of Catherine Cartwright who got the record of being the youngest winner of the championship at the age of seventeen.

At the round of 32, she dramatically won a losing game over U.S. Korean resident Hwanhee Lee, (Las Vegas University). At the semi final, she demonstrated fine shot sense; she succeeded an eagle chip shot at the distance of 7.6 meters at 2nd hall (par 5) and then at the 4th hall (par 3, 160 yards) she fired a tee shot and the ball landed 25cms from the pin and then birdie.

Michelle is good at strong shots which fly over 300 yards but at the final four, Michelle did tee shots, instead of instead of drivers, with 4 wood which is 3 Wood Loft with head size of 4 wood loft at the rest of halls except four of par 5 hall. However, she could rather manage to have overwhelmed the opponent with 260 yards distance.

“After consulting with father, I decided to use Fairway Wood for more accuracy of drivers,” Michelle said.

The championship is one of the 13 national competitions that the United States Golf Association (USGA) hold and it began in 1977. U.S. Korean immigrant Pearl Shin advanced to the finals 3 times consecutively and won in 1988 and 1989 consecutively.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com