Wie’s father headed
back to the classroom

Michelle Wie isn't the only member of the family who has to go back to school.

Her father, B.J. Wie, has been on a one-year sabbatical from the University of Hawaii, where he is a transportation professor. That ends when his 14-year-old daughter finishes her summer vacation by playing in the U.S. Women's Amateur next week, followed by the Wendy's Championship on the LPGA Tour.

"Right after that, I'll be in a lecture," he said.

He only has two classes -- business logistics management and a graduate course in advanced tourism analysis -- but has to keep office hours all week. And that means sending his wife and daughter out on their own.

Wie's final LPGA Tour event of the year is the Samsung World Championship on Oct. 14-17 at Bighorn. Her father said he would fly to the Palm Springs area on Friday night before the tournament, fly back to Hawaii on Monday and then return for the final two rounds on the weekend.

"It will be quite challenging for me," Wie said. "I cannot be absent during the semester, so I'll be flying more."

He takes care of all the travel arrangements, and that includes driving the rental car. Now, those duties fall to his wife, Bo, who drives sparingly at home and never on the road.

"Bo can drive, but Michelle doesn't trust Bo outside Honolulu," Wie said with a laugh. "We found a host family near the golf course (at Bighorn), so they can take a golf cart to the tournament."

Wie dispelled rumors that a relationship with Nike Golf is imminent just because swing coach Gary Gilchrist left the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida to join International Junior Golf Academy at Hilton Head, S.C., where Nike is a business partner.

Gilchrist started working with Wie in May 2002, but Leadbetter became her exclusive teacher in November. Her father said Gilchrist continued to go to Wie's tournaments because Leadbetter was busy with other clients on the PGA Tour, such as Charles Howell III and Ernie Els.

"Last year in November, Gary brought Michelle to ChampionsGate (in Orlando, Fla.) and handed it over to David," Wie said. "Since that time, David is 100 percent in charge in terms of her golf swing. Gary was the assistant. It was a like a football team, head coach and assistant coach.

"But since Gary left the Academy, that two-tier system doesn't exist anymore."