USA TODAY International Edition
Wie again commands spotlight
Amid good stretch, she’s one to watch at Women’s PGA
OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILL. Hope never dies with Michelle Wie. She’s the great curiosity of the LPGA tour, mostly because no one in the women’s game has experienced more extremes. Wie comes into the year’s second major riding a subtle hot streak, with four top- four finishes in her last five events.
David Leadbetter, Wie’s long- time swing instructor who is like a second father, made a daring statement in the shadows of Olympia Field’s palatial clubhouse: “There’s no doubt in my mind she’s going to win soon.”
There would be no better place for her to do it than the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where the top 100 players on the money list have gathered at a storied venue. There’s a new No. 1 in So Yeon Ryu, who in the eyes of many was the spoiler of the year’s first major. Since a four- stroke penalty fiasco in the ANA Inspiration, Lexi Thompson boasts a victory at the Kingsmill Championship and two runner- up showings in her last four starts.
This truly is the LPGA’s time to shine, with more than 25 hours of dedicated coverage on Golf Channel and NBC.
After a pro- am round with former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, 27- year- old Wie snapped a photo with two- time Olympic figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan, who was on hand as a featured guest of the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit.
Wie hasn’t won on the LPGA tour since the 2014 U. S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, but her play of late harkens back to that memorable two- win stretch.
Retired player Karen Stupples, a major winner, works as an analyst for Golf Channel. She likes the fact that Wie comes into each week with a solid plan that revolves around the fade. Late last year, Leadbetter helped Wie take the left side of the golf course out of the equation, which has buoyed her confidence.
“She needs something to occupy her mind when she wants to analyze and overcorrect and do other things,” Stupples said.
The one- way miss was the first part of the equation. Finding something that works on the putting surface was the second. Nothing about her hunched- over style looked natural.
Then she discovered the claw. Don’t bother asking Wie about the evolution of her putting style — it changes from putt to putt.
“We call it ‘ The Whatever Method,’ ” Leadbetter said.
In other words, she goes with whatever grip feels good to her in that moment — claw, cross- hand- ed or neutral. It changes with her mood, which by and large these days is happy. “I definitely play my best golf when I’m having fun out there,” Wie said.
Regardless of the grip, Leadbetter said, Wie’s posture looks good and there’s little movement with the hands. The putting stats prove it’s working. She’s 14th in putts per green in regulation at 1.75, only 0.01 off from where she stood in 2014. Last year, Wie finished the season ranked 120th in that category at 1.85.
“She’s in a good now,” Leadbetter said.
Quite possibly on the cusp of something great.