Michelle Wei…Number 1 to Be?
In 2003, amateur Michelle Wei became the youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA event at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, shooting a 66 in the 3rd round. This tied the amateur record for a women’s major championship, and placed her in the final group alongside Annika Sorenstam and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc. At 13 years of age, the world was her oyster and golf domination awaited the 6″1 athletic Hawaiian….or so you would have thought!
In 2004, she was invited to play on the men’s tour and only missed the cut by a single stroke at the Sony Open. She also finished 4th in the Kraft Nabisco Championship on the LPGA Tour, suggesting that it was only a matter of time before her first victory. If she had played the season as a professional, she would have earned $250,000.
Since then however, despite some excellent performances in the majors, she has flattered to deceive and has encountered various stumbling blocks, being accused of illegally dropping a golf ball in one tournament, controversially withdrawing from another and being disqulified from the State Farm Classic in 2008. She has had 9 caddies since her father stopped carrying her bag in 2004 and to date, she remains win-less.
In September 2008 however, she entered an LPGA Section Qualifying Tournament, where she finished 4th and advanced to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Wei again performed well here, finishing in a tie for 7th and making her eligible to play on the LPGA Tour in 2009.
2009 could therefore be her year. The hype and expectation that comes with being a young prodigy seemed to have taken its toll but she now appears more focused than ever before. If she can remain focused on her golf and understand the commitment and sacrifices that need to be made in order to become a success on tour, she can undoubtedly fulfill her potential. I expect to see her win her first tournament this year on the LPGA Tour and to would go a step further to suggest that she has the talent, temperment, physique and the will to challenge for the number one spot in ladies golf.
If you would like to have your say, please leave a comment below, or alternatively you can email me at wegetgolf@gmail.com
Michelle Wei has made all the wrong moves in her career . She should have never tried to play in the mens tour especially since she was so young. She’s too fickle and should try to stick with one caddy, otherwise she’ll never win anything.