Wie, Kuehne Earn Spots In Women's Open


June 9, 2008

By Andrew Blair

Rockville, Md. - Michelle Wie found her game at the Manor.

The 18-year-old Honolulu native shot 3-under-par 67 at Manor Country Club, completed sectional qualifying at 4-under 137 and earned a spot in the U.S. Women's Open in two weeks at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn.

Wie, who scored 1-under 70 in the morning round at Woodmont Country Club's South Course, will be making her sixth-straight Women's Open appearance. LPGA Tour veteran Kelli Kuehne, the owner of three USGA titles, took home medalist honors, firing 5-under 136 (67-69) on a day when temperatures topped 100 degrees in the area.

Much-heralded through her amateur career, Wie has been struggling since sustaining a broken left wrist last February. She got off to a strong start in the morning session at Woodmont, making back-to-back birdies at Nos. 2 and 3, but battled an inconsistent driver. She nearly saw her round go awry with the wayward tee shots.  

During a tough outward half stretch, Wie pushed her tee shots at Nos. 6 and 7, resulting in back-to-back bogeys; at No. 7, she hit her tee shot out of bounds off the tee and had to make a 50-footer to save bogey. More trouble awaited on the inward half, with bogeys at Nos. 10 and 13.

"In the middle of the round, I thought my round could've gone anywhere," said Wie. "Fortunately enough, I pulled it back together."

Indeed. She responded in the steamy morning round by birdieing three of the last four holes. After making birdie at No. 15, she continued to putt well, knocking in a 30-footer at No. 17 and got up and down from a front right greenside bunker at the par-5 18 ^th . It helped her complete the rally and post red numbers heading to the afternoon.    

Five-and-a-half miles down the road before a crowd of more than 100 that resembled an extended neighborhood block party in an upscale Washington, D.C., suburb, Wie settled in nicely.

Her putter caught fire on a sweltering day during afternoon action, as Wie registered four birdies against a bogey.

Starting her round on the outward half, Wie cleverly cut off a mid-iron at the par-3 11th, and holed the 9-foot birdie attempt. Showing no sign of nerves and swinging aggressively, she relied on a deft short game that kept her round going, making key par comebackers inside 4 feet at Nos. 12 and 13.

Wie missed her only green of the front nine at No. 16, but made her 5-footer to stay under par going to the back nine.

Her only miscue on the back came at the first hole, her 10th of the day, where she missed a 5-foot par try.

She converted one putts on six of the last eight holes. At the par-3 third, able to see only the top one-third of the flagstick, Wie drilled a 5-iron to 6 feet left of the hole to set up a birdie.

Wie missed only one green on the front nine and, thanks to short game acumen, her misses on the inward half didn't prove costly.

Despite some spotty early season play that included a tie for 72nd during an early-season stop at the Fields Open in Hawaii, Wie fired a final-round 67 to finish sixth at the Ladies German Open to begin June. The showing signaled the first time she completed a championship since the 2006 Evian Masters, a stretch of 13 events that included seven missed cuts.

For Wie, who was exempt into sectional qualifying because she played in last year's Women's Open, improved health has meant more confidence.

"It feels good to be playing well again. It feels good to start feeling confident over my shots. I think my distance is coming back," she said. "Overall, I'm pleased with my round and happy to be playing in the U.S. Open. I really just fought through today."

Wie, who said she has done little but practice and watch the NBA Finals over the past week, is admittedly trying top recapture the same ball-striking that saw her compete in all four majors in 2006 and 2007.

"I finally feel the same feeling and I think it might even be better," she said.

She isn't the only one. Caddie Kenny Harms, who normally loops for Hale Irwin, was on the bag and sees growth.

"She's coming along pretty strongly. It's getting better and better every day," Harms said.

Kuehne's 67 was the low round of the morning. After two early bogeys, she played the last 10 holes at Manor in five under, registering birdies at Nos. 10, 11, 15 and 18. The Dallas, Texas, native and former Curtis Cupper continued her torrid play at Woodmont, birdieing three of the first four holes, which meant that the '95 Women's Amateur champion was eight under in a 14-hole stretch.

Kuehne and Wie were among the 121 competitors, most of them LPGA Tour players, vying for 35 spots. Alison Walshe, a member of the victorious '08 Curtis Cup team and Angela Oh of Maple Shade, N.J., were the amateurs to earn places in the national championship.

Walshe (71-74), a recent University of Arizona graduate, made par on the fourth extra hole - at 9:06 p.m. EDT - and earned one of the last two spots in a sudden-death playoff that involved nine competitors at 4-over 145 vying for five spots.

AndrewBlairis a freelance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.usga.org.