[ GOLF ]
Michelle Wie went to France a week early to get ready.
Wie, Wie: Michelle in
France for Evian MastersTeen sensation Michelle Wie makes
a media splash in Europe debut
EVIAN, France >> Even before hitting a ball in continental Europe, Michelle Wie was working the cameras.
The 14-year-old sensation from Hawaii arrived a week early for the $2.5 million Evian Masters that begins today, but acknowledged she hasn't spent much time checking out the course.
French media just can't seem to get enough of the young star.
Last Wednesday, it was a photo shoot with glossy weekly Paris Match. There were interviews with state-run TV networks France-2 and France-3. Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche published an interview.
"So, I've only played two 18-holes since I got here," Wie said yesterday.
Now, it's back to golf in the second-richest event on the LPGA schedule, with 19 of the top-20 in the money-list lining up. The trip marks Wie's first play in continental Europe.
"I've had a busy summer," the teen said. "It's great to be in Europe. I'm having a fun time ... It's more relaxed here than in the States."
Relaxed or not, she doesn't lose sight of her goals. While the $375,000 winner's check is not for amateurs, Wie is looking for title-win glory.
"Every week I look to win. I try and shoot the lowest I can and go for birdie on every hole," said Wie, whose fourth-place finish at this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship was her best on the LPGA Tour.
Wie will have her father, B.J., on her bag this week.
At Evian, she won't be using too much of the new knowledge of links golf she acquired at Formby, near Liverpool, England, during the Curtis Cup last month.
"I really learned a lot from that links: How to hit the ball low, how to bump it around -- it was great," said Wie. "But I won't need much of that here, which is more a U.S.-style course."
"It isn't very long," she said of Evian.
"Here I'll just try and get my wedges real close!"
Evian Masters
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