[Opinion] An Amazing Girl

All spotlights will be on the 14-year-old teenager in her first year of high school, at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open being held today at Honolulu, Hawaii. The New York Times and the LA Times have written long articles on her, and a massive gallery was behind her during practice rounds. More attention is falling on whether or not a 14-year-old girl can survive the cut competing against male pros than if Ernie Els from South Africa will retain his champion title.

In the 1990s, PGA pro golfers used to watch a teenager named Tiger Woods play in amateur competitions after their games. The amateur teenage golfer had extraordinary talent even in the eyes of professionals, and his smooth driver shots made them hold their breath. It seemed that he had infinite potential. They didn’t know if he would enter pro events and win championship cups, but they could sense the golf genius inside the teenage boy. And they were right.

U.S. pro golfers are now saying about Michelle Wie (Korean name, Wie Sung-mi) what they used to say about Woods in his amateur years. She is 183cm and has a driver shot that flies over 300 yards. Els said, “Her swings today reminded me of the swings Woods used to make in the past.” However, she is just an ordinary teenager who is too busy with classes and friends to think about golf when she is at school. She can concentrate on golf this week, for she took all four of her semester exams including geometry, biology, Japanese, and social studies, last week.

Golf “goddess” Annika Sorenstam engaged in a battle of sexes on the PGA Tour last year, but failed to make the cut. “Michelle lacks experience. She will gain a lot from this event,” said Sorenstam. “It is important for Michelle to gain experience by winning small events,” advised Woods. We have seen that Wie is not able to keep her cool in major championships. At the Jeju CJ Nine Bridge Classic last year, where Ahn Shi-hyun made a spectacular finish, Wie missed the cut with a low score. There is no need to be disappointed if Wie does not go down in history as the first female to survive the cut of a PGA event. Fourteen is an age with unlimited possibilities.

Editorial Writer Hwang Ho-taek hthwang@donga.com