Wie Closes In on LPGA’s First Major

Will Michelle Wie (17) take a dip in the pool of champions?

The third round of the season’s first major LPGA tour competition, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, will be held on April 2 at the Rancho Mirage Mission Hills Country Club (Par 72) in California. The event is Michelle’s first LPGA major since her pro debut last October.

At the end of the second round yesterday, Wie said, “I will not wear white tomorrow,” meaning that she will have a chance to make the traditional champion’s dip in the pond next to 18th hole, and that she feels she can win the historic competition.

Wie had one birdie and two bogies in second round play, good enough for a one over par 73 round score. Wie currently sits at six under par and 210 strokes overall.

Long roughs, tricky pins, and fast greens robbed Wie of one stroke, but she gained ground on leader Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, 9 under par 207 strokes), closing the gap from four strokes to three.

Ochoa, looking to win her fourth major trophy, has lost two previous tournaments she led going into the last round.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com