[ GOLF ]
Wie plays with legends
WAILEA, Maui >> Michelle Wie won't know what to do with herself now that all the game's greats have left town.
What began with a four-hole walk with Tiger Woods during the Mercedes Championships three weeks ago and then a practice round with Ernie Els at the Sony Open in Hawaii a week later, ended yesterday with a nine-hole round with Jack Nicklaus at yesterday's pro-am portion of the Wendy's Champions Skins Game.
Autograph seekers shot past Nicklaus after the two finished yesterday morning and straight for Wie and her hooped earrings. A little tired and hungry, Wie had some lunch before meeting with reporters to discuss her latest venture in the world of golf.
"It was very enjoyable, a lot of fun," said Wie. When asked to compare it to playing with Els, she said, "He's more young obviously. It's different because Jack Nicklaus is a golf legend and Ernie Els is one of the top players now. But in the same way, they are both very nice and very good players."
At the beginning of the round, Nicklaus asked Wie whether she would like to hit from the front tees with her other pro-am partners or from the back where Nicklaus would tee it up. She said she wanted to play from the back, prompting Nicklaus to say, "You want to play back here? You want to embarrass me that much?"
Wie consistently hit past Nicklaus for most of the round, or as Wie put it, "He outdrove me twice."
Nicklaus was obviously impressed with the 14-year-old Punahou School ninth-grader. He raved about her at the end of yesterday's Skins Game won by Tom Watson.
"She's going to be something else," Nicklaus said. "I told her just keep your head on your shoulders, keep it there square in the middle. I hope she finishes her education and does the things she needs to do to be a normal human being. Because if she is a normal human being, then she has got a chance to be an exceptional athlete.
"If it goes the other way, then you don't know what is going to happen to her. Her parents have their feet on the ground and she seems to have her feet on the ground and that's great. I'm pleased to see that. If she does that, she'll be able to do whatever she wants in life."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arnold Palmer handed a pen and hat to Michelle Wie after autographing them for her yesterday.
Ishii wins pro-am: David Ishii set himself up nicely for this week's Pearl Open at the Pearl Country Club by winning the pro-am portion of the Champions Skins Game. His team shot a two-day total of 57, including a blistering 26 on the front side.
They played a best-ball scramble to procure the 15-under-par finish. His partners received nice crystal trophies; he won a free lunch.
"I had a lot of fun," Ishii said. "We played well as a group."
Not very hospitable: Interviewing Wie after yesterday's round proved to be an exercise in futility. Because the media wasn't allowed in the dining area, Wie had a hard time hooking up with reporters interested in her round.
ESPN-TV regional director Chuck Gerber had expressly forbid anyone without the proper credentials to follow Wie into the lunch area. Her father, B.J. Wie, who had set up an impromptu session, did his part to allow four members in, but Gerber executive secretary Elizabeth Barry took Wie away, saying, "You don't have to talk with them. Come in here and enjoy your lunch."
Later, tournament director Barry Helle apologized for Barry's behavior. Wie later said she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Neither did anyone in the media or with the Champions Tour public relations department, who also apologized.
