With zero bogeys and with admirable play, 18-year-old Michelle Wie moves on to second place at the LPGA second qualifying round. The Stanford freshman saved the round with an amazing finish; she birdied five of her final nine holes on the Palmer Course at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. The triumph made her finish second place with a score to brag at 9-under 135. Contending with 164 golfing elite peers, Wie is at fourth place, snugly included within the top 30.
There is no doubt that she’ll put up a good fight as she advances to the LPGA final qualifying tournament in December at the Sunshine State, Florida.
Wie turned pro in 2005 at the young age of 15, which is not surprising since the teenager started playing golf at four years old. Her father, B.J. Wie, started training her at their home in Hawaii. She started winning amateur tournaments when she was barely in her teens, playing at par or even better, than most men. Her golf idol is Tiger Woods, and like Woods, Wie is attending Stanford University.
Michelle Wie has had an unconventional golf career, earning exemptions on tours when the rest of her peers had to qualify. This second place triumph at the Q-school earned Wie some accolades from golf fans who have criticized her for not following a traditional career path in the sport.