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Michelle Wie is in Korea for the funeral of her grandfather, who died on Dec. 10. He was an emeritus professor of Seoul National University. She will return to the U.S. after Christmas.
Wie becomes a full-fledged member of the U.S. LPGA Tour next year after she passed Qualifying School with the seventh best score last week. It was a crucial moment in Wie's golfing career, with swing coach David Leadbetter telling ESPN that if she did not make the cut, people would have called her "Michelle Who."
Wie, who is still only 19, had special permission to play on the LPGA Tour through invitation by sponsors, but now she has earned a spot to compete on her own, and she said she wants to be a "completely different" player from the past.
This year, the average distance of Wie's driver shot was about 270 yards, a lot shorter than her previous records. She says the longest distance she shot in practice was 392 yards, and 343 yards in competition.
Wie says she has stopped growing at 184 cm and has found renewed self-confidence as her swing is now appropriate to her level of playing. She says the safe games she played during Qualifying School were "so boring that I wanted to put my head on the grass."
"When I slipped into a long slump last year after I injured my wrist, I shut my ears and mouth and focused on only practice and school work," she says. Entering Stanford University last year and living away from her parents have made her a more mature person.
"At college, there are so many famous students like actors and actresses and fencers on the U.S. national team, so I'm just one of many," she says.
Wie adds that she realized what she really wants after learning to do everything on her own, whether it be golf or studies. "I want to do my best academically, but the priority is still on golf."
Although becoming the world No.1 golfer and competing in the Masters are still part of her goals, Wie said, "The real goal is that later in life I hope I can confidently say I enjoyed playing golf and have no regrets."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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