Incheon, South Korea – Michelle Wie made the cut, then came up short. Now South Korea’s “big sister” wants to take the next step.
Wie shot a 2-over-par 74 on Sunday to finish 12 strokes behind winner Prom Meesawat of Thailand at the rain-shortened SK Telecom Open, where she made the cut in a men’s tournament for the first time in eight attempts.
“I did my best, but the result was not as satisfying as I would have liked,” said the 16-year-old Wie. “But the most important thing is that I tried my best.”
Wie, whose parents were born in South Korea, had two birdies and four bogeys for a 54-hole, 3-under 213 at the Asian Tour event. Her visit was treated like a homecoming by the public, which formed galleries of thousands and clogged an expressway to watch her play.
The Hawaiian-born Wie became the second woman to make the cut at a men’s tournament in South Korea. LPGA star Se Ri Pak tied for 10th in the lower-tier KPGA Tour SBS Pro-Golf Championship in 2003.
Wie shot a 3-under 69 in the second round Friday to make the cut by five strokes and improve on her opening 70. She started the final round at 3-under, six strokes off the pace.
“I was really, really happy I’ve passed the first stage,” Wie said. “Now I want to make the next step.”
Wie will attempt to make the cut in two PGA Tour events – the John Deere Classic in July, where last year she fell two strokes short of the cut, and the 84 Lumber Classic in September.
