Michelle Wie accepted a sponsor's exemption Monday to play in the John Deere Classic, the second time this year the 15-year-old from Hawaii will take her promising game to the PGA Tour.
By wire services
Published April 12, 2005
Wie played the Sony Open in Honolulu the second week of the year and had rounds of 75-74 in blustery conditions to miss the cut by seven shots. A year ago, she shot 68 in the second round of the Sony Open - the lowest ever by a woman competing against men - to miss the cut by one shot.
That got the attention of the John Deere Classic, which tried to lure the teenager last year.
This time, Wie accepted.
"Everyone we've told is excited, and I think the community will react the same way," tournament director Clair Peterson said. "We expect there would be spectators here who might not come out otherwise. She may be one of those players that has interest across all kinds of different demographic lines."
The John Deere Classic on the TPC at Deere Run, a 7,193-yard course that plays to par 71, is scheduled for July 7-10 in Silvis, Ill.
Wie, a sophomore at Punahou School in Honolulu, played her first professional tournament at age 12 when she qualified for the Takefugi Classic on the LPGA Tour. She became the youngest winner of a USGA championship for adults two years ago in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.
Her focus has been on the professional tours since.
She already has played 20 times on the LPGA Tour, including a runnerup finish in Hawaii. Wie would be 10th on the LPGA Tour money list in three tournaments if she took prize money.
