- Title: USA: Golf prodigy Michelle Wie turns professional before her 16th birthday
- Date: 6th October 2005
- Summary: FORMBY, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JUNE 7, 2004) (REUTERS) MICHELLE WIE TEES OFF AS YOUNGEST PLAYER TO REPRESENT USA IN CURTIS CUP WIE'S FATHER 'B.J.' WATCHES THROUGH BINOCULARS WIE APPROACH SHOT WIE'S MOTHER, BO, WATCHES
- Embargoed: 21st October 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAD4BBJDNPK19Y6QH0SDGURRR8Q
- Story Text: American schoolgirl Michelle Wie, golf's most celebrated teenager since Tiger Woods, announced her long-awaited decision to turn professional on Wednesday (October 5). The 15-year-old, who has set her sights on becoming the first woman to play in a men's major, made the announcement at a news conference at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel near Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.
"I'm turning pro as of today," said a smiling Wie, who was due to attend her regular classes at Punahou High School within an hour of the news conference. "I'm very excited and I want to try to become the best golfer in the world. "I realise there will be high expectations but it is very exciting just thinking about being a pro. Everything will be at a higher stake, and so much more fun. I'm really looking forward to it. "I've been thinking about it for a long time but now it's the right time," added Wie about her decision to join the paid ranks before her 16th birthday. "It all came down the last couple of months. I felt really ready and very comfortable playing out there. Everything has worked out very well. "But my first priority is school and hopefully I'll be able to graduate from high school in the future." Wie plans to stay on at Punahou High School for two more years while combining a limited playing schedule in professional golf.
After her last two years at school, she intends to go on to college. Already one of the biggest attractions in the game, Wie is set to make her debut as a professional in the Samsung World Championship at Palm Desert, California on October 13, two days after her 16th birthday. According to several media sources, she has signed endorsement deals with Nike and Sony worth $10 million a year, making her golf's richest female and one of the highest paid athletes in women's sport. World number one Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, who has won nine career majors, earns around $6 million a year in endorsements.
The only female athletes believed to earn more than $10 million a year are tennis players Maria Sharapova of Russia (around $16.6 million) and American Serena Williams (roughly $11.5 million). At the news conference, Wie also announced a donation to the victims of the floods in the United States as an humanitarian gesture.
"You know, turning pro has a lot of benefits. Finally, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in a position to help people and you know over the last month, so many people have lost so many things and it has been really heart wrenching and as an American citizen I feel it is my duty to donate 500,000 (US) dollars to Hurricane Katrina and every single cent will go the people," she said.
A veteran of 23 LPGA events, Wie is yet to win a title at the highest level but has come desperately close this year with three runner-up finishes and a tie for third at the Women's British Open in July. Having made her women's tour debut aged 12, in January 2004 she became only the fourth female, and the youngest in history, to play on the men's U.S. PGA Tour when she missed the cut by one stroke at the Sony Open in her native Hawaii.
In her third crack at the men's circuit, at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic in July, she missed the cut by two shots after dropping three strokes in the last four holes.
She will become the second female to take on the men on Japan's JGTO Tour when she plays in the Casio World Open from November 24-27.
Wie has made no secret of her desire to go where no woman golfer has gone before. "I do not feel really any change turning from an amateur to a pro. I is a change in status, nothing is going to really change about me and I think it is going to looking forward to it," she said before the news conference ended in time for her to go to school.
Factbox on American teenager Michelle Wie, who turned professional on Wednesday six days before her 16th birthday.
1989: Born October 11, Honolulu, Hawaii.
1994: Starts playing golf at the age of four.
1996: Aged seven, completes her first 18-hole in 14 over par.
2000: Shoots 64 at the age of 10 and becomes the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. women's amateur public links championship.
2001: Wins the Hawaii state women's strokeplay championship aged 11.
2002: Reaches the semi-finals of the U.S. women's amateur public links championship, at 12 the youngest player to do so. Becomes the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA Tour event at the Takefuji Classic.
2003: Fires a 66 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, equalling the best score by an amateur at an LPGA major.
June: Aged 13, becomes the youngest winner of the U.S. women's amateur public links championship with a one-up victory over Virada Nirapathpongporn at Ocean Hammock.
August: Misses the cut at the Canadian Tour's Bay Mills Open Players Championship, her first attempt at a men's professional tournament.
2004: January 15: Becomes the youngest player, and fourth female, to play in a men's PGA Tour event at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Missed the 36-hole cut by just one stroke after rounds of 72 and 68.
March 28: Finishes fourth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, four strokes behind winner Grace Park of South Korea. Becomes the first amateur to earn a special exemption to the U.S. Women's Open, where she tied for 13th place. Is named in the eight-woman U.S. Curtis Cup team and becomes the youngest player to compete in the biennial amateur competition, where she helps the U.S. clinch a 10-8 victory over Britain and Ireland at Formby Golf Club in north-west England.
2005: June 12: Finishes second at the LPGA Championship, three strokes behind Annika Sorenstam, after closing with a 69.
June 15: Becomes the first female to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament when tying for first place in a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links.
July 8: In her third crack at the men's circuit, at the John Deere Classic, she misses the cut by two shots after dropping three strokes in the last four holes.
July 15: Reaches the quarter-finals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links before losing to the eventual winner, Clay Ogden.
July 31: Ties for third in the Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale, her fourth top-10 finish in eight major starts.
October 5: Announces her decision to turn professional at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Honolulu. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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