[ SONY OPEN ]
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Michelle Wie's shot toward the ninth hole just missed during yesterday's Sony Open second round. She parred the hole.
Wie’s run ends
The 14-year-old was a stroke
away from making history
at the Sony OpenHAWAII NEWS
Wow, Wie!
The leaders through 36 holes at the $4.8 million Sony Open in Hawaii were safely in their hotel rooms by the time Michelle Wie teed it up yesterday.
Most of the golfers in the afternoon round played in relative obscurity, as nearly every spectator was drawn to the young golf phenom who was doing everything she could to be the first female in 58 years to survive the cut at a PGA Tour event. Not until she failed to make eagle at the 18th did her quest finally end, settling for a 2-under 68 yesterday and an even-par finish of 140, missing the cut by one.
"I think I played very well," Wie said. "The first day, my putts didn't fall in. If they fell in just like they did today, I would have easily made the cut."
She birdied two of the last three holes and believed that was good enough to get her in for he weekend rounds, only to learn while standing beside the 18th that it wasn't.
"I thought I just have to make a birdie to make it," Wie said. "Even par, it usually makes it. I was like, 'I'll be very sad if the cut is 1-under,' and it was."
Normally, a defending champion making a move toward the top of the leaderboard, as Ernie Els did yesterday morning, would be the story for the day. But he was lost in Wie's wake and even was asked before she embarked on her historic quest whether he would watch inside the ropes.
"No," Els said laughing. "But if she can make it, that would be a lifetime achievement on this tour, a 14-year-old making the cut on the big tour. That's unheard of. But I'd like to watch it (on TV). Might sit down and watch it a little bit."
Those competing for the title in the first full event on the tour this season had best watch out for Els, whose 6-under 64 took him to 9-under 131 for the tournament. He trails little-known Aussie Steve Allan (129) by two shots and Harrison Frazar (130) by one entering the all-important weekend rounds.
--Michelle Wie
Punahou student who was even-par for the tournament
Allan went out and shot an 8-under 62. The tournament record of 60 was set by Davis Love III at the 1994 Hawaiian Open. Waialae Country Club was a par 72 in those days. In 1999, the course was reduced to a par 70 and only three other golfers have shot 62 in Sony Open competition, including Frank Lickliter yesterday.
"I played really good starting on the 10th tee right through until the first," Allan said. "I missed a couple of greens, had good chips and putted obviously very well. I really struggled from the second until the sixth. Missed every green, but managed to get them all up and down, and a big finish."
The finish was an eagle on the par-5 ninth, his 18th hole. That 30-footer propelled him into the lead. Last year, Allan's best finish was a tie for second at the Milwaukee Open, so he's not in foreign territory.
"I feel like my game could get to (a higher) level," Allan said. "It's been improving slowly the last few years. Hopefully, I can continue to, so that I can be there before. But to do that, I have to be up there a hell of a lot more often than once or twice a year. I have to be up there consistently."
Frazar is another who makes sporadic jumps up the leaderboard, but like Allan, he has yet to win. His best finishes were ties for second at the 1998 Byron Nelson Classic and 1999 Compaq Classic of New Orleans, but he has yet to hoist a trophy. His 7-under 63 left him at 10 under for the tourney and in position to do some damage over the weekend.
Joining Allan, Frazar and Els is Luke Donald in fourth with a pair of 66s, and nine other golfers tied for fifth at 7-under 133, including 2002 Sony Open champ Jerry Kelly, 2000 winner Paul Azinger, Jesper Parnevik and former Ko Olina touring pro Robert Gamez.
Some 79 golfers shot 1 under or better in excellent scoring conditions the past two days. There are 17 golfers within five shots of the lead, but there were also several notables who failed to make the cut. They were 2004 Mercedes Championships winner Stuart Appleby (140), U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk (140), British Open winner Ben Curtis (140), Kaneohe's Dean Wilson (140), Darren Clarke (140), 1992 Hawaiian Open champ John Cook (141), Scott Hoch (141) and Craig Stadler (143), who will play in the MasterCard Championship next week on the Big Island.
Shaun Micheel is the only Grand Slam winner of a year ago to be in the field. The defending PGA Championship winner came back with a 6-under 64 to be at 4-under 136 for the tournament. Masters champion Mike Weir decided not to play this week.
Sony Open scores
Yesterday's results
At Waialae CC
Purse; $4.8 million
Yardage: 7,060; Par 70
Second round
Failed to qualify
Steve Allan 67-62 -- 129 Harrison Frazar 67-63 -- 130 Ernie Els 67-64 -- 131 Luke Donald 66-66 -- 132 Robert Gamez 67-66 -- 133 Jesper Parnevik 65-68 -- 133 Hideto Tanihara 67-66 -- 133 Pat Bates 68-65 -- 133 Fred Funk 69-64 -- 133 Frank Lickliter II 71-62 -- 133 Jerry Kelly 68-65 -- 133 Paul Azinger 67-66 -- 133 John Riegger 68-66 -- 134 John Huston 67-67 -- 134 D.J. Brigman 69-65 -- 134 Briny Baird 68-66 -- 134 Craig Bowden 70-64 -- 134 Richard S. Johnson 68-67 -- 135 Jason Bohn 69-66 -- 135 Kevin Na 68-67 -- 135 Carlos Franco 63-72 -- 135 Jonathan Kaye 67-68 -- 135 Corey Pavin 68-67 -- 135 Davis Love III 70-65 -- 135 Craig Barlow 66-69 -- 135 Scott Simpson 70-66 -- 136 Stephen Ames 66-70 -- 136 Joe Durant 70-66 -- 136 Charles Howell III 68-68 -- 136 Tim Herron 67-69 -- 136 Retief Goosen 67-69 -- 136 Shaun Micheel 72-64 -- 136 Bo Van Pelt 71-65 -- 136 Ryan Palmer 70-66 -- 136 John Maginnes 68-68 -- 136 Brian Gay 69-67 -- 136 Jonathan Byrd 67-69 -- 136 Brenden Pappas 67-69 -- 136 Hidemichi Tanaka 67-70 -- 137 Brent Geiberger 70-67 -- 137 Mark Hensby 68-69 -- 137 Tjaart Van der Walt 69-68 -- 137 Vijay Singh 69-68 -- 137 Duffy Waldorf 70-67 -- 137 Michael Allen 68-69 -- 137 Ted Purdy 66-71 -- 137 David Ishii 66-71 -- 137 Olin Browne 70-68 -- 138 Bart Bryant 68-70 -- 138 Danny Briggs 71-67 -- 138 Omar Uresti 72-66 -- 138 Aaron Baddeley 66-72 -- 138 Chris Riley 69-69 -- 138 Ben Crane 68-70 -- 138 Shigeki Maruyama 71-67 -- 138 Heath Slocum 67-71 -- 138 Andre Stolz 68-70 -- 138 Bobby Kalinowski 70-68 -- 138 Russ Cochran 69-69 -- 138 Jeff Brehaut 69-69 -- 138 Bob Burns 71-67 -- 138 John Senden 71-67 -- 138 Brad Lardon 69-69 -- 138 Joe Ogilvie 71-68 -- 139 Todd Fischer 69-70 -- 139 Tom Lehman 72-67 -- 139 Peter Jacobsen 69-70 -- 139 Tom Carter 70-69 -- 139 Ken Duke 70-69 -- 139 Rod Pampling 72-67 -- 139 Cameron Beckman 70-69 -- 139 Pat Perez 70-69 -- 139 Tommy Armour III 72-67 -- 139 Loren Roberts 71-68 -- 139 Woody Austin 69-70 -- 139 Kenichi Kuboya 73-66 -- 139 Arjun Atwal 71-68 -- 139 Jason Dufner 69-70 -- 139 Lucas Glover 71-68 -- 139
Brett Quigley 70-70 -- 140 Jim Furyk 67-73 -- 140 Chad Campbell 69-71 -- 140 Gene Sauers 73-67 -- 140 Kenny Perry 69-71 -- 140 Jeff Maggert 70-70 -- 140 David Morland IV 70-70 -- 140 Boyd Summerhays 68-72 -- 140 Rich Barcelo 71-69 -- 140 Grant Waite 72-68 -- 140 Dean Wilson 73-67 -- 140 Stuart Appleby 71-69 -- 140 Ben Curtis 71-69 -- 140 Darren Clarke 71-69 -- 140 Craig Perks 72-68 -- 140 Daniel Chopra 67-73 -- 140 Michelle Wie 72-68 -- 140 John Cook 70-71 -- 141 Zach Johnson 70-71 -- 141 Ron Castillo, Jr. 69-72 -- 141 Tripp Isenhour 69-72 -- 141 Roger Tambellini 71-70 -- 141 Tom Pernice, Jr. 67-74 -- 141 Esteban Toledo 72-69 -- 141 Scott Hoch 73-68 -- 141 David Branshaw 70-71 -- 141 Brian Kortan 73-68 -- 141 Kris Cox 70-71 -- 141 David Peoples 70-72 -- 142 Chris Couch 71-71 -- 142 Spike McRoy 74-68 -- 142 Steve Flesch 74-68 -- 142 Vaughn Taylor 71-71 -- 142 Greg Meyer 74-68 -- 142 Chris Smith 71-72 -- 143 Adam Scott 73-70 -- 143 Tim Petrovic 75-68 -- 143 Hunter Mahan 70-73 -- 143 Notah Begay III 71-72 -- 143 Craig Stadler 71-72 -- 143 Roland Thatcher 74-69 -- 143 Dan Olsen 71-72 -- 143 Skip Kendall 74-70 -- 144 Patrick Sheehan 71-73 -- 144 Wes Short, Jr. 71-73 -- 144 Blaine McCallister 71-73 -- 144 Matt Kuchar 73-71 -- 144 Jeff Sluman 72-72 -- 144 Brian Bateman 73-71 -- 144 John Morse 76-69 -- 145 Todd Hamilton 74-71 -- 145 J.P. Hayes 74-71 -- 145 Hirofumi Miyase 73-72 -- 145 Yusaku Miyazato 72-73 -- 145 Kevin Hayashi 75-70 -- 145 Tetsuji Hiratsuka 75-70 -- 145 Scott Hend 76-70 -- 146 Carl Pettersson 74-72 -- 146 Kevin Muncrief 73-73 -- 146 Myung Jun Park 76-72 -- 148 Guy Boros 75-73 -- 148 Jonathan Ota 74-74 -- 148 Tom Byrum 77-73 -- 150 Dave Eichelberger 79-78 -- 157
Wie's professional record
2004
PGA TOUR
Tournament, scores, total, finish
2003
Sony Open 72-68 -- 140 Cut
LPGA TOUR
Tournament, scores, total, finish
CANADIAN TOUR
Nabisco Championship 72-74-66-76 -- 288 T9 Chick Fil-A 72-70-71 -- 213 T33 Shop-Rite 71-72-72 -- 215 T52 U.S. Women's Open 73-73-76-76 -- 298 T39 Kroger Classic 73-72 -- 145 Cut Safeway Classic 69-72-73 -- 214 T28 Nine Bridges Korea 85-78-70 -- 233 69
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Bay Mills Open 74-79 -- 153 Cut
2002
Boise Open 78-76 -- 154 Cut
LPGA TOUR
Tournament, scores, total, finish
Takefuji Classic 72-74 -- 146 Cut Asahi Ryokuken 81-75 -- 156 Cut Wendy's Championship 77-75 -- 152 Cut
