Golf

The 19th hole

By BOB HARIG
Published November 3, 2005

DIVOTS

MICHELLE FOR KATRINA: Michelle Wie made good on her promise to donate $500,000 to hurricane aid when she handed a check to former President Clinton on Sunday at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas. Wie, 16, who turned pro Oct. 5 and signed endorsement deals for a reported $10-million, pledged the amount that day. She gave Clinton a check for the Bush-Clinton Hurricane Katrina Fund led by the two former presidents. "I just saw clips and really wanted to help out," Wie said. "I really do hope it helps a lot of people. Compared to all the disasters, it's such a little amount of money." After presenting the check, Wie and Clinton played a round of golf. Clinton, in a statement, described Wie as an "inspiration."

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Sunday was a tough day for the Haas family. Jay Haas was seemingly on his way to an easy victory at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the season-ending tournament on the Champions Tour. He took a six-stroke lead into the final round only to be caught and passed by Tom Watson, who shot 64 to edge Haas, who shot 71. It would have been Haas' third victory in four weeks. Meanwhile, Haas' son, Bill, was trying to secure his PGA Tour card for 2006 at the Nationwide Tour Championship. But the younger Haas ended up two spots out of the 21st position by only $7,059. Now he faces a return to the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, where he missed his card last year by two strokes.

"It's a great confidence booster knowing that it's a tough golf course. You have to play some really good golf to do well on this golf course. It's a tough stretch of holes coming in. Hopefully if I get in the situation again, I'll be even more confident and knowing that I've done it."

- CARL PETTERSSON, after winning his first PGA Tour event on Sunday at the Chrysler Championship

The Chrysler Championship (preceded for two years by the Tampa Bay Classic) has had five winners who hail from five different countries: John Huston (2000, U.S.), K.J. Choi (2002, South Korea), Retief Goosen (2003, South Africa), Vijay Singh (2004, Fiji) and Carl Pettersson (2005, Sweden).

[Last modified November 3, 2005, 01:07:13]