In 2005, 15-year-old Michelle Wie was already making her third foray into the men’s John Deere Classic. If she did not cross the cut, the teenager allowed the tournament to take on another dimension.
She had to smash everything in her path. Beat all the records of LPGA, win many Majors and make fun of his male colleagues. At 15, the American Michelle Wie was in heaven before he could even sound the trumpets of fame.
Several failed attempts on the PGA Tour
His career, today put in bracketsdid not have the expected results with only 5 professional victories including 1 US Women’s Open en 2014 and several missed cuts in the… men. Nowadays, Babe Zaharias remains the last to achieve this feat on the PGA Tour. It was in 1945…
At 14, she suddenly misses the cut at the Sony Open!
Sure of her talent, the Hawaiian accepted an invitation in 2005 to take part in the John Deere Classic. She has already tried her luck twice, at home in Honolulu, Sony Open. She notably missed the cut for just one small blow in 2004. This time, for her 3rd attempt on the PGA Tour, she is determined to make history.
At 14, Michelle Wie plays alongside Vijay Singh at the 2004 Sony Open ©Donald Miralle / Getty Images
A controversial invitation
As always, his arrival is not without controversy. Why is a teenager who hasn’t proven anything yet – she just finished anyway 2e du LPGA Championship – does she take the place of a male counterpart who has to work? Wie has a good reason: she needs to play because, given her age, she cannot fully integrate the LPGA.
A score of -1 in the first round
Everything begins in the best of worlds in this Thursday, July 7, 2005 when the “record-baby-woman” of precocity (1 US Open amateur at 13 years old!) begins the tournament with a 1st round in 70, or 1 under par. Coming by the thousands, the public first notices that the teenager has swapped her skirt (shocking!) for pants in order to obey PGA standards. Above all, he realizes that she is not lacking in power!
On the difficult par 5 of the 17, she even brushes the eagle after having sent a 235 m missile to wood 3 on its 2nd shot, only 3 m from the flag! But alas, his putting is not yet up to his little game, very efficient.
His goal marked on the buckle of his belt
Wie will prove it the next day before collapsing on the last 6 holes. Confident, she wears a belt bought in France whose buckle marks her favorite score of 68. The American gets off to a flying start with 2 birdies in three holes. Wie even has the baraka, as big as his youthful carelessness.
On the par 3 of the 12 (she started with the return), her tee-shot sends her ball towards the first rows of spectators. Luckily for her, the ball bounces off a man’s knee who will later declare I play American football as a linebacker and I know how to keep the ball in play on the field. »
She is at -4 on the way to the 2nd round before sinking
Indeed, the ball ends up landing 12 m from the hole. Lucky, Wie also has talent: she achieves a marvelous chip-in in front of an audience in a trance. This one ends up capsizing with happiness at 18 when she approaches very close to the hole with a 145 m iron shot… After nine holes, it goes to -4 under the admiring eyes of her male counterparts.
Michelle Wie is a loss leader first
The John Deere Classic has succeeded: the tournament has never welcomed so many people on a Friday and the organizers were even forced to pitch another media tent to welcome the multitude of journalists who came to discover the phenomenon. The majority is sure: we found a Tigress Woods!
Alas, as the future will prove, it will not live up to expectations. After a double bogey on 6 and a bogey on 7, Michelle finishes in par, 2 shots from the cut. But the experience has been profitable, having accumulated… experience. It will be for next year !
She tries her luck again in 2006
In 2006, having turned professional and secured several sponsorship contracts which guaranteed her an income of $10 million per yearthe player returns to Illinois, TPC Deere Run. But it’s already not like before, and his story with the tournament ends in blood sausage.
After a first round +6, she gives up in the middle of the 2nd round citing heat and fatigue. A big beneficiary of his presence, the John Deere Classic did not necessarily hold it against him…
Photo ©Matthew Stockman Getty Images via AFP
