Michelle wie biography wikipedia

American professional golfer

Michelle Sung Wie West (; born October 11, 1989) is an American glossed golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Tackle age 10, she became the youngest player commerce qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie further became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to fit out for an LPGA Tour event. She turned outdated shortly before her 16th birthday in 2005, attended by an enormous amount of publicity and endorsements.^[1][2][3] She won the Laureus WorldBreakthrough of the Assemblage in 2004^[4] and her first and only greater at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.

Early people, family and education

Wie was born on October 11, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is the sole child of immigrant parents from South Korea who came to the United States in the Decennium. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, is a former head of faculty of travel industry management at the University go rotten Hawaii. Her mother, Bo, was South Korea's women's amateur golf champion in 1985,^[5] and competed pierce a Miss Korea beauty pageant. Her paternal old man, Sang-Kyu Wie, a resident of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do, was an emeritus professor at Seoul National University.^[6][7] Conj at the time that she was born, Wie was a dual local of South Korea (by jus sanguinis) and integrity United States (by jus soli). She renounced in exchange South Korean citizenship in February 2013.^[8]

Wie graduated deprive Punahou School in Honolulu in June 2007. Simulation December 19, 2006, she announced that she would be attending Stanford University, where there are kinsfolk ties. Her paternal grandfather was a visiting lecturer, and an aunt and uncle are both graduates.^[9][10] She enrolled in September 2007 as a fledgeling, but as a professional golfer, Wie was need eligible under NCAA rules to play for Stanford's golf team.^[11][12] During her first three years mass Stanford, she attended only during the fall build up winter quarters, running from late September through mid-March each year.^[13] She took leaves of absence by means of the rest of the year to play salaried golf.^[14][15] Wie completed her studies at Stanford beginning March 2012 with a major in communications. She participated in the university's graduation ceremony in June 2012.^[16][17]

Amateur career (2000–2005)

Wie began playing golf at magnanimity age of four. In 2000, at the queue of ten, she became the youngest player period to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur Commence Links Championship. Eight years later, Wie's mark was surpassed by fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz, who equipped when she was five months younger than Wie had been when she set the record.^[18] Wie remained the youngest player to advance to twin play in this tournament, until 2014 when Lucy Li surpassed her by one week.^[19] In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Hawaii State Women's Stroke Play Championship see the Jennie K. Wilson Women's Invitational. The Jennie Infant. Wilson Women's Invitations is the oldest and chief prestigious women's amateur tournament in Hawaii.^[18] She too advanced into match play at the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by 13 shots. She also became the youngest player contest qualify for an LPGA event, the Takefuji Archetypal held in Wie's home state of Hawaii. Reach she went on to miss the cut, take five record stood for five more years until arise was broken in 2007 by 11-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn.^[20][21]

At the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wie became say publicly youngest player to make an LPGA cut. She carded a 66 in the third round, beating the amateur record for a women's major backing and qualifying her to play in the last group of the championship. In June 2003, Wie won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, flatter the youngest person ever, male or female, unearth win a USGA adult event. Later that summertime, she made the cut at the US Women's Open when she was still just 13, honourableness youngest player ever to do so.^[22]

Wie was obtain a sponsor's exemption to the 2004 Sony Running away in Hawaii, becoming the fourth, and youngest, somebody to play a PGA Tour event. Her following round score of 68 was the lowest sharp-witted by a woman in a PGA Tour exhibition, though she went on to miss the unadulterated in the tournament. While missing the cut fail to notice 1 stroke she bettered the 36 hole tally of 47 men including 4 major winners favour matched the scores of 15 more men inclusive of 3 more major winners. At age 16, 2 years later she shot another round of 68 in the men's tour Sony open and bettered the 36 hole score of 18 men inclusive of 2 major winners and matched the score accept 9 others including 1 major winner.^[23] She give back played in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship, completion fourth. As part of the victorious U.S. band, she became the youngest woman ever to exercise in the Curtis Cup tournament. Wie started give someone the boot 2005 season by accepting another sponsor's invitation appeal play on the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where she again missed rectitude cut. She played five more LPGA Tour yarn that year as well as a PGA Peregrination event, the John Deere Classic. It was throw away third outing at a PGA Tour event; she missed the cut by two strokes.^[24] She entered qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links final became the first female golfer to qualify look after a USGA national men's tournament, tying for lid place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Wie made the top 64 in the stroke play rounds to qualify convey match play.^[25] She lost in the quarterfinals quick eventual champion Clay Ogden.

On October 5, 2005, a week before her 16th birthday, Wie declared that she was turning professional. She signed shelter contracts with Nike and Sony reportedly worth addition than $10 million per year.

Professional career

Pre-LPGA membership (2005–08)

When Wie turned professional, she was not a associate of any professional tour. LPGA Tour membership pressing requirements require a golfer to be 18, allowing some players such as Morgan Pressel and Aree Song have successfully petitioned for an exemption practice join at age 17. Wie chose not skill request an exemption and was thus only legalized to participate in a limited number of LPGA Tour events when given a sponsor's exemption steer clear of 2005 until 2008.

Wie played her first glossed event in the 2005 LPGA Samsung World Patronage, where she was disqualified from a fourth-place sojourn for signing an incorrect scorecard. A journalist, Archangel Bamberger, reported a day after Wie had primed her round that she had illegally dropped nobleness ball closer to the hole than its another lie.^[26] Wie would later go on to count up four top-5 finishes on the LPGA tour, as well as a second at the Evian Masters, a tie up for third at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, extra a tie for 5th at the LPGA Title. In the initial Rolex World Golf Rankings bring into being February 2006, Wie was placed third, behind Annika Sörenstam and Paula Creamer, but eventually dropped halt 7th, partially due to a limited schedule.^[27]

2006 besides involved several competitions against male competitors, starting engross the PGA Tour Sony Open, where she reevaluate missed the cut, this time by four strokes. In May she became the first female golfer in a local qualifier for the men's U.S. Open, but did not advance past the Additional Jersey final stage qualifier.^[28] At the PGA Ablutions Deere Classic, after a 6-over-par first round, standing 10 strokes off the projected cut, midway read round two, she withdrew from the tournament, shocking heat exhaustion and tiredness.^[29]

Wie also played on both the European and Asian tours. At the Undertaking Telecom Open, a men's tournament in South Choson, she became the second woman (after Se Ri Pak) to make the cut on the Indweller Tour, and in addition, reportedly received appearance fees exceeding the event's total prize money.^[30] However, Wie finished the season with several disappointing performances top both male and female tournaments, including the Whole European Masters, PGA 84 Lumber Classic, LPGA Outward appearance Samsung World Championship and the Casio World Ajar. At this point, Wie had played 14 continuous rounds of tournament golf without breaking par obscure had missed the cut in 11 out unknot 12 tries against men and remained winless desecrate the women.^[31]

In 2007, Wie's slump continued, including exceptional four-month hiatus, due to injuries to both wrists, a disqualification, and several missed cuts and withdrawals. At the LPGA Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, she was 14 over par through 16 holes in the first round before withdrawing, citing grandeur injury.^[32] The withdrawal was controversial owing to blue blood the gentry LPGA Rule of 88, which states that clean non-LPGA member shooting a score of 88 fit in more is forced to withdraw and banned circumvent LPGA co-sponsored events for the rest of position year.^[33][34] Later that year, after finishing one stripe off the lead during the second round accustomed the State Farm Classic, she was disqualified buy walking outside of the official tournament area heretofore returning to sign her scorecard.^[35][36] Despite the dearth of victories, Wie was ranked #4 in authority 2007 Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25, get a feel for an annual earnings of $19 million.^[37]

Wie finally became fitting to play full-time on the LPGA Tour hurt 2009, when she tied for 7th place withdraw the LPGA qualifying tournament in Daytona Beach.^[38]

LPGA fellowship (2009–2023)

After passing LPGA Qualifying School in December 2008, Wie declared that she still planned to chuck in tournaments against men. However, for the alternative consecutive year, she did not receive a endorse exemption to play in the Sony Open impossible to tell apart Hawaii where she had played four years modern a row from 2004 through 2007.^[39][40] Her greatest tournament as an LPGA member was the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay where she pellet 66, 70 to move into a tie touch Angela Stanford going into the final round fend for the tournament. Wie held a three-stroke lead resume eight holes remaining, but ended up losing interrupt Stanford by three strokes.

It was reported slur early March, 2009, that Wie had left rendering William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent agency deviate had represented her since she turned pro reliably 2005, and would be signing with sports medium IMG.^[41]

At the second major of the year, decency LPGA Championship, she finished tied for 23rd, convoy best finish in a major since 2006. By means of this tournament she also scored her first taped hole-in-one as a professional.^[42] However, the day aft her final round of the LPGA Championship, she failed to qualify for the U.S. Women's Gaping due to a mediocre performance at a regional qualifying tournament.^[43][44]

In August, at Rich Harvest Farms sport course in Sugar Grove, Illinois, Wie was deft captain's pick for the United States team unimportant Solheim Cup competition, where she led the Indweller squad to victory with a 3-0-1 performance, nobility best record on the American team.^[45]

On November 15, 2009, Wie won her first professional individual match, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, break off event on the LPGA Tour limited to influence top 36 female golfers in the world type determined by the LPGA money list and Rolex women's world golf rankings, posting a score apparent thirteen under par 275 for a two-stroke side over fellow American Paula Creamer, and beating Jiyai Shin, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel by match up strokes.^[46][47][48] She then finished second in the Landed gentry European Tour season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters tournament meeting December 9–12, 2009, shooting a 15-under-par 273, which put her three shots behind winner In-Kyung Kim.^[49]

On August 29, 2010, she posted a three-shot add over a full field at the CN River Women's Open, held at St. Charles Country Truncheon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for her second career veteran victory.^[50] In her next LPGA event two weeks later, she finished second in the 54-hole P&G NW Arkansas Championship shooting 201 (−12) and disappearance to Yani Tseng by one stroke after hardened up an overnight three-stroke lead.^[51]

On April 19, 2014, Wie won her third LPGA Tour event – and her first in the United States – the LPGA Lotte Championship. She was four strokes behind Angela Stanford after 54 holes but bullet a 67 to Stanford's 73 to win strong two strokes.^[52]

On June 22, 2014, Wie won accumulate fourth LPGA Tour event and first major aid, the U.S. Women's Open. She was tied on line for the lead with Amy Yang after 54 holes at two-under-par. She double-bogeyed the 16th hole friend fall within one shot of Stacy Lewis, on the contrary birdied the next hole and parred the behind hole for a final round par-70 to gain victory by two strokes over Lewis.^[53] The win, conjugated with her second-place finish in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, resulted in her winning the initiatory Rolex Annika Major Award.^[54] In 2014, she was also named one of ESPNW's Impact 25.^[55]

Wie volition declaration contribute to CBS Sports' multimedia golf coverage, counting the Masters starting in 2020.^[56]

In May 2022, Wie West announced that she would be stepping opportunity from the game following the 2022 U.S. Women's Open,^[57] held at Pebble Beach Golf Links highlight July 6–9.^[58]

Controversies

From the beginning of her public duration, Michelle Wie was the subject of controversy said by fans, media, peers, and other observers.

Performances in men's events

Despite the publicity her appearances garnered, Wie made only one cut in a hands tournament: at the rain-shortened 2006 SK Telecom Eject on the Asian Tour. She made no cuts on the PGA Tour. After she missed authority cut at the 2007 Sony Open by 14 shots, many sports critics began to doubt no she ever would.^[59]

Wie's last appearance in a restroom professional event was at the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, an alternate event on the PGA Voyage. Wie shot rounds of 73 and 80, short the cut by nine strokes.^[60]

Use of exemptions

Professional golfers, fans, and media critics remarked that allowing Wie to compete in PGA events took away opportunities from more deserving golfers.^[61][62][63] By late 2007, greatness criticism over the use of exemptions had long to Wie's participation in women's events on rank LPGA Tour as well. Wie declined to compose LPGA Tour qualifying school after turning 18 become calm therefore would have to depend on sponsor exemptions to play in future LPGA tournaments. This choosing drew criticism from golf fans and commentators.^[64][65] Much criticism ended after Wie qualified for the LPGA Tour through the 2008 qualifying tournament.^[66]

Caddie turnover

Early play a part her career, Wie employed many different caddies end her father stopped being her caddie in 2004. She created controversy when, after finishing tied bolster 26th at the 2006 British Open, her attender Greg Johnston was fired over the phone bid Wie's then-agent Ross Berlin. Johnston said he was "surprised and disappointed" at the firing and contention the fact that "no one named Wie gave me the news."^[67] Wie employed several other experienced caddies after Johnston, and also returned to somewhere to stay her father for the remainder of the 2007 season, parting ways with caddie David Clarke afterwards she missed the cut at that year's Nation Open. For much of 2009, Wie used on-loan caddie Patrick Tarrant, who worked for then-injured PGA pro Brett Wetterich; however, at the end appreciated that year but prior to her first LPGA victory, Tarrant recommended that she work with ruler friend Brendan Woolley, who continued as her thorough caddie through the 2010 season.^[68] Woolley and Wie parted ways in December 2012 after Wie completion 64th on the LPGA Money List and appeal just $158,546 that season.^[69] In January 2013, Wie employed Mark Wallington, who caddied for another LPGA professional and European Solheim Cup player, Sophie Gustafson, for three tournaments. Wie then began working go-slow Duncan French, who has continued caddying for dip exclusively since.

2007 wrist injury

In the first workweek of February 2007, it was reported that Wie hurt her left wrist in a fall long-standing running.^[70] However, little information was provided to say publicly public due to concerns about her privacy.^[71] Primarily, her public relations staff reported that she would be away from golf for four to disturb weeks^[72] but the injury lasted until the stop of May.

In response to the lack tip off information and prolonged absence, Brittany Lincicome questioned perforce Wie and her parents had fabricated the wound in order to give her a reason withstand take a break from golf.^[73][74][75] At the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in May 2007, Wie's playing partner, Alena Sharp, questioned Wie's withdrawal cause the collapse of the tournament due to wrist injury.^[76] However, Wie's other playing partner, Janice Moodie, stated that she heard Wie say "Ouch!" after hitting her mull it over shot, and confirmed "She didn't swing as firm from that point on."^[77]

In April 2008, she declared that she had three broken bones in deduct wrist, despite her agent's March 2007 announcement avoid the wrist was not broken.^[78] A 2009 affair about Wie's injury stated that the original false trail resulted from Wie and her family failing assume "understand or accept the severity of the injury," and that during the entire 2007 season, Wie played under a great deal of pain, charming four to five pain killers a day.^[79]

Personal life

In March 2019, Wie announced that she was reserved to Jonnie West, who is Director of Hoops Operations for the Golden State Warriors^[80] and nobility son of NBA legend Jerry West. They ringed on August 10, 2019, at a private residence in Beverly Hills, California.^[81] In January 2020, she announced she was pregnant,^[82] while expressing interest form eventually returning to competitive golf.^[83] On June 19, 2020, she gave birth to a daughter styled Makenna.^[84] In October 2024, she gave birth obstacle her second child, a son.^[85]

Amateur wins

Wie won not too other Hawaiian local and junior events during distinction years 2000 through 2002.^[88][89]

Wie played her first planed event while still an amateur in February 2002. Prior to her first win in a clerical tournament, on November 15, 2009, she played tag a total of 80 professional events as either an amateur or a professional:

Professional wins (5)

LPGA Tour wins (5)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.

^ The Evian Championship was added as a larger in 2013.

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

LA = Run through amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Bunch of criminals = withdrew
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (2003 Kraft Nabisco – 2007 LPGA)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (2005 British Open – 2006 U.S. Open)

LPGA Tour career summary

* Includes matchplay and blot events without a cut.
^ Wie's $6,760 profit at the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand and $65,589 at the 2017 HSBC Women's Champions were thoughtful unofficial under LPGA rules and are not categorized in yearly totals.
† Does not include vicinity earnings from 2006 to 2008

World ranking

Position listed Women's World Golf Rankings at the end disturb each calendar year.

^ as of July 10, 2023

This table shows Wie's earnings as tidy professional, excluding LPGA Tour events.

*Tournament shortened converge 56 holes because of rain.^[112]
Dates are stretch of competitive rounds, regardless of whether Wie participated in all rounds.

MC = missed halfway cut
WD = withdrew
Margin = strokes behind protagonist or cutline, not applicable in case of recantation.

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Solheim Cup record

Golf records

• The youngest winner (male or female) of an adult USGA-sanctioned tournament – Age 13 (2003 U.S. Women's Dilettante Public Links)
• The youngest player to make a section in an LPGA tournament and major – Junk 13 (2003 Nabisco Championship)
• The lowest round by swell female in a PGA Tour event – 68 (2004 and 2006 Sony Open)
• The youngest player sure of yourself play in Curtis Cup history – Age 14 (2004)
• The first female to qualify for a USGA championship that is generally played by males - Age 15 (2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Backup Pittsburgh sectional)
• The first female to make a assumption on the Asian Tour - Age 16 (2006 SK Telecom Open)
• The first female medalist in dexterous U.S. Open qualifying tournament – Age 16 (2006 U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Turtle Bay Hawaii)

See also

Female golfers who have competed in men's PGA tournaments:

References