Michelle Wie Visits Incheon Stadium

Michelle Wie visited Incheon Munhak ballpark yesterday to throw out an opening pitch.

She is scheduled to play in the SK Telecom Open hosted by the KPGA on May 4.

Arriving at the ballpark 40 minutes behind schedule due to a practice round, the teen golfer dressed in a white jersey entered the stadium and met with cheers from the 20,000 strong baseball crowd. The 54 on her jersey signified the 54 strokes, the holy grail of golf scores resulting from finishing eighteen holes with all birdies.

Wie used to play baseball as a child, and said to have sent the ball flying into her neighbor’s backyard on a few occasions.

The confident long-hitter looked out of place holding a baseball bat for the first time in 10 years.

Wie swung at and missed several balls thrown by SK captain Kim Jae-hyeon. But it all came back to her after a little practice. With the crowd chanting for a homerun, she made solid contact a few times and won praise from SK batting coach Choi Tae-won.

A day earlier, Michelle Wie donated 150 million won, MP3 players and bags to Korea and Yonsei University Medical Center. The money will be used to treat needy children.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com