Friday, June 22, 2001
Wie surprises LONG GROVE, Ill. >> Honolulu's Michelle Wie continues to make headlines.
another elder
The Punahou girl is the only
Hawaii player left standingStar-Bulletin wire services
Wie became the youngest player to qualify for a U.S. Golf Association women's amateur event when she competed in the Women's Public Links Championship field last year.
Yesterday, she was a headline item on ESPN.com after defeating a golfer twice her age.
The 11-year-old Wie beat Hilary Homeyer in the second round of this year's Public Links Championship, 1-up, yesterday to advance to today's third round.
Last year, Wie lost in the first round. Yesterday, she won her first-round match, 4 and 3, over Kathi Eutzler of Atlanta.
Wie had 17 pars and one bogey in the match against Homeyer, of Edina, Minn., at the 6,110-yard, par-72 Kemper Lakes Golf Club course.
Wie, who will enter the seventh grade at Punahou in the fall, used her advantage off the tee to beat Homeyer, who graduated from Stanford last Sunday.
"She's really impressive," Homeyer said of Wie. "She hits it hard and far. I didn't see any flaws in her game. Her swing is just unbelievable. She's a great player and she's going to do a lot of good things. Her bad shots are only 20 feet from the hole. Why, I didn't even start playing golf until I was 13."
Homeyer was down three holes in the second round, then closed to within one after Wie three-putted for her only bogey.
Leading by one at the 354-yard, par-4 18th, Wie flirted with water on the left with her tee shot but carried the hazard and wound up some 50 yards past Homeyer's ball.
Both players hit the green with their second shots, Homeyer with a wood, Wie with a short iron, and both made 4, ending the match.
Wie was told Homeyer was a member of the 2000 U.S. Curtis Cup team and the 2000 U.S. Women's World Amateur team.
"Really?" she said. "I didn't know any of those facts, only that she went to Stanford. She's a really nice girl, fun to talk to."
Hawaii's two other participants were eliminated yesterday. Hilo's Leah Whiting defeated Meghan Ingalls, 3 and 1, in the first round but lost to Annie Kirkland on the 19th hole.
Maui's Lisa Kajihara was eliminated in the first round by Jennifer Tannehill, 2 and 1.
The tourney continues today with the 18-hole final tomorrow.