Wie’s World

Prodigy Trying To Keep Focus On Golf

Southern Pines, N.C. – The questions came early.

"This is the … U.S. Open," said Michelle Wie in reference to her decision to pull out of the upcoming John Deere Classic (July 12-15) due to a wrist injury.

For this 17-year-old phenomenon, the U.S. Women’s Open not only presents a stringent test of golf but also an assessment of her character and the strength of her beleaguered right wrist.

Wie admitted that during her recent five-month hiatus from the game, she lost plenty of strength. At the McDonald’s LPGA Championship two weeks ago, Wie left her driver in the bag for most of the tournament. This week, she hopes to use it more often.

"I've been gripping everything I can find, gripping thin air, balls, gripping grippers, just trying to get my grip strength back," she said.

Michelle Wie won't abandon her hopes of playing in men's events in the future. (John Mummert/USGA)

Wie insists that she’s doing better every day, but there are still those who question her status and the motives behind the decisions she makes. "I think of it as a compliment, because people actually expect a lot of me," said Wie. "I've always made my own decisions in whatever I do, whether it's school, whether it's golf, whether it's my personal life. It's just that I have a really good team around me."

Wie tried to distant herself from a recent maelstrom that ended with Annika Sorenstam recently criticizing her conduct. Wie, eliciting controversy, withdrew from the Ginn Tribute Hosted By Annika in May, citing injured wrists, when she was 14 over through 16 holes, venturing perilously close to the LPGA Tour's "Rule 88." The rule states that non-tour members are banned for a year if they don’t break 88. A few days later Wie was hitting balls in preparation for the LPGA McDonald’s Championship. Sorenstam publicly questioned her motives and desires.

"I just voiced my opinion a couple weeks ago," said Sorenstam on Tuesday.

"All I can say is I said what I wanted to say and I stand for what I say and I still feel that way."

The two haven’t mended fences. In fact, neither camp has spoken to each other.

So will Wie’s injury and recent public woes affect her play this week? She steered clear of any lingering controversy.

"I'm even more dedicated and more motivated now; over the last five months I just was sitting around," said Wie, who has never missed a cut in four Women’s Opens.

"I just wanted to play even more because I wasn't able to. I just realized how precious this game is. It made me realize how grateful I was to actually be out here and to play."

As usual, there are still plenty of questions surrounding Wie, who will begin her freshman year at Stanford this fall. Will she join the LPGA when she’s 18? Will she continue to play in men’s events? Does she have any shot at a normal college life?

While she confirmed her intention to continue to play in men’s events, she is less sure about her future with the LPGA.

"I haven't made any concrete decisions yet," she said. "I'm still going back and forth and taking my time making a decision, because it's a big decision."

As for college life, Wie has sent in her housing forms and is awaiting news of who her roommate will be. She claimed that, despite a hectic golf schedule, she is committed to earning her degree.

She raved about certain college vagaries like dorm life and cafeteria food. But she wasn’t so certain about at least one looming experience.

"The one thing I'm not so excited about, when I went to Stanford, they only had two shower stalls per floor," said Wie.

And while Tiger Woods thought his freshman year at Stanford would cause his game to digress, Wie believes college life will be a boon to hers.

"Going to college will indirectly force me not to think about golf too much," she said, "but at the same time give me more flexibility."