ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tiger Woods issued a playful challenge to Michelle Wie yesterday for a long-drive contest.
From one
child prodigy
to anotherTiger Woods knows all about
what Michelle Wie is going through
as a young golf phenom
KAPALUA, Maui >> Child prodigies in golf take the fairways less traveled by than most.
Tiger Woods discovered that long ago. Michelle Wie is learning it these days by carefully following in Woods' spike marks. The two met for the first time during yesterday's Mercedes Championships Pro-Am.
Woods said Wie was taller than he thought. Wie said Woods was very nice. The two exchanged pleasantries, with Woods issuing a playful challenge before the two parted company on the frontside of the sprawling Plantation Course.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie: The 14-year-old golf star met Tiger Woods yesterday in Kapalua
"He told me he wanted to challenge me in a longest-drive contest," Wie said, a smile spreading across the 14-year-old's face as she described their brief meeting. "He was very nice. It was exciting for me to meet him."
Woods was animated as well as he talked about Wie and the challenges that lie ahead for the ninth-grader from Punahou School. Next week, she will tee it up at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the first full-field event of the PGA Tour season.
Some of the other 143 golfers will welcome the teenage sensation. Others will question whether a sponsor's exemption should have been issued to Wie, who failed to qualify for the Sony Open twice before.
Woods is all for Wie and her journey toward stardom. But he issued some sage advice for Wie and her family.
"It's just pretty neat," Woods said of their meeting. "I didn't realize she's taller than I am (laughter). Oh, man. But, no, I think it's pretty neat that she's playing (here and the Sony Open). I wished her all the luck in the world, and I hope she goes out there and plays her game.
"I think it's a good experience to obviously move up and play against people who are better than you. You do learn that way. But I also look at the philosophy, too. You need to play and win, too, learn the art of winning. My dad was a big believer in that. I didn't go nationally until I was playing well enough to win consistently at the junior level in my own Orange County.
"Then when I went nationally, I didn't play amateur golf until I was able to win consistently. So I learned the art of winning. I think that's what she needs to try to do, because she's won one tournament, women's Publinx, but I think there's a certain art to winning. If you can instill that early on, I think you're going to have more of a successful career."
Wie is so in tune with Woods she even studies videotapes of Woods' press conferences because she wants to learn how to handle the media.
"That's all well and good, but I think it's also experience, too," Woods said. "I had to develop relationships with you guys, learn from my mistakes. You can get all the help in the world, but you're going to make some mistakes."
Wie learned some valuable lessons at the U.S. Women's Open last year when she had a run-in with veteran playing partner Danielle Ammaccapane. The encounter was blown out of proportion, leaving Wie and her family dealing with plenty of publicity, good and bad.
Annika Sorenstam, who also played in yesterday's pro-am, knows all about the glare of the national spotlight. She stepped into it big-time last year when she became the first woman in 48 years to play in a PGA Tour event. She didn't make the cut at The Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, but she did earn a certain measure of respect.
Now, Wie faces a similar challenge next week at the Sony Open, one Sorenstam believes will bring plenty of pressure to bear on Wie.
"I started playing golf when I was 12," said Sorenstam, the top-rated female player in the world. "I didn't break 70 until I was maybe 17. So I can't really relate to what she's going through (being so young). But I can relate to what if feels like to play in a PGA Tour event.
"With all the experience, I have 10 years on tour, playing college golf, playing national teens, world championships. I feel like I've gotten everything. And I thought it was tough. You need experience. But if she's just going in to learn, then yes she's going to learn a lot.
"But when you jump into the highest division, it's not going to be easy. Everybody is going to support her, but you've got to give her a break. On the other hand, she's jumping into the lion's pit and she's going to have to deal with it."
Wie dealt with the pro-am portion of yesterday's Mercedes with style and grace. While she shot a 3-under for the round, her team finished tied for sixth. The pro in that group was John Huston, who set a 72-hole record at the Hawaiian Open in 1998.
"I think what she's doing is great for golf," Sorenstam said. "But she needs some time to gain experience. There's no substitution for that on a golf course."
