Wie Survives First Round of SK Open

With an upgraded short game and rock-solid risk management, Michelle Wie’s mature play has won much praise at the SK Telecom Open. At the first round of the tournament as of 5:00 p.m. yesterday, Wie was tied for 31st place with a two-under-par 70 score after making four birdies and two bogeys.

If Wie makes the top 60 in the second round, she will make the cut in a men’s event for the first time in her career. The second round tee off is scheduled to take place on May 5 at 11:19 a.m.

Michelle Wie said after the game that she was energized by the size of the gallery and that she could not wait to find out how much better she would be in the next round. Known to be a long hitter, Michelle Wie recorded an average flight distance of 269 yards and stood toe-to-toe with Kim Dae-seop (263 yards) and Terry Pilkadaris (270 yards) in yesterday’s play.

The farthest she hit was at the 13th hole (par 4) where the ball took flight and flew 290 yards. Kim Dae-seop’s tee off distance was 270 yards at the same hole.

Although putting was the weak spot for Wie, she made all her putts within two tries. Wie managed to clear seven holes with a single putt, making a total of 29 putts throughout the game.

Wie reportedly had suffered from combination of flu and upset stomach for the past two days and had not eaten much. While her ill condition was displayed in her impassive facial expression, Wie remained relatively stable throughout the game. At hole 12, (par 3, 211 yards), her tee shot landed in a bunker next to the green. Coping with a tricky stance, Wie made a 20-yard bunker shot, putting the ball three meters away from the pin. At hole 16, (par 3, 197 yards) Wie’s tee shot landed near the base of the hill on the left, and the approach shot that followed ended up seven meters away from the pin. But Wie successfully putted for par to the gallery’s delight.

Wie got in trouble at hole 17 (par 4) where her second shot from the rough fell in the pond. But she ended up losing only one stroke by putting her fourth shot 50cm away from the cup. In the later part of the game, Wie saved two strokes by making birdies at hole 1 (par 4) and hole 2 (par 4).

Defending champ Choi Kyung-ju (Nike Golf) made five birdies and one bogey, ending the first round in a tie for fifth place (4 under par, 68 strokes) alongside Choi Sang-ho. Choi Kyung-ju said he made some mistakes reading his putt lines later in the game, but was generally satisfied with his score.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com