Rose offers support as Wie struggles
Words of encouragement from Justin Rose could not save Michelle Wie from a nightmare start to her fourth appearance on the US Tour today.
The 16-year-old, yet to make a halfway cut, was five over par after only six holes of the Sony Open in Honolulu. And that put her eight adrift of joint leaders Jim Furyk, David Toms, Rory Sabbatini, Peter Lonard and Brad Faxon.
Wie, who turned professional just before her 16th birthday last October, three-putted the 12th, her third, and then double-bogeyed both the 478-yard next and 396-yard 15th.
On her debut in the event two years ago Wie amazed the golfing world by scoring 72-68, but she still missed the cut by one and last year she failed by seven after rounds of 75 and 74.
She also appeared in the John Deere Classic and was on course to become the first woman to play all four rounds of a US Tour since Babe Zaharias in 1945 until a double bogey on her fourth last hole.
Wie’s one appearance on each of the Nationwide Tour, Canadian tour and Japanese circuit has also seen her bow out after 36 holes, though in Japan last November she would have made it but for bogeys at the final two holes.
She practised this week with Rose, who was among today’s later starters and is also coached by David Leadbetter.
Rose knows all about the difficulties of being in the limelight at an early age. He turned pro at 17 straight after finishing fourth in the 1998 Open, but missed his first 21 halfway cuts stretching almost a year.
“When I began to miss a couple of cuts my focus turned into making the cut rather than going into a tournament playing it for what it is – playing to win, really, which is what I’m sure she does in LPGA events,” Rose said.
“I know she’s incredibly strong mentally. I’m sure she goes into a tournament believing she can do more than make the cut. But it’s amazing how the cut creeps into your mind.
“And it snowballs from there. It was an uphill battle until I got to the point where I missed so many I had to take a step back and find another route.
“You limit yourself by thinking ’Let’s just make the cut.’ She’s plenty good enough to make it.
“When I was 17 I wanted a tour card desperately, but when I look back all that matters is that you keep improving.
“Obviously, I was a good player. And that’s what I would say to her. It’s not the end of the world if you miss the cut, as long as you’re learning and getting better.”
Even at five over par Wie was in good company. On the same mark were former Open champions David Duval and Todd Hamilton.
But with half the field on the course only two players were behind them.
