Golf: Eyes on Wie after Swiss disaster

Michelle Wie

FARMINGTON - Hawaiian teenager Michelle Wie will capture most of the attention at this week's Lumber Classic as she takes on the men for the 11th time in a professional tournament.

Although five members of the US Ryder Cup team are also competing at the ultra-long Mystic Rock Golf Course in Pennsylvania, fans will be eager to see if the 16-year-old prodigy can bounce back from her embarrassment at last week's European Masters.

Wie's first appearance on the men's European Tour ended in crushing disappointment at Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland, where she missed the halfway cut by 14 strokes after shooting 78 and 79.

However, the Honolulu resident believes she paid the price for going into a tournament preoccupied with schoolwork after a lengthy break from competitive golf.

"I think it was very difficult after some time off, go back home, start school again for a week and come back and play a tournament.

"I was very stressed at school and I had to bring all my work with me while I'm trying to get my game back in shape."

Wie is determined to continue playing in men's events, despite missing the cut in eight events before finally making her breakthrough at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea in May.

"My aim is to get better on the men's tours and I'll never be able to do that unless I play on men's tours. I am not just doing it for the support I get. I am doing it for myself and my own self-happiness. I love playing men's events and the challenge. I feel an adrenalin rush when I play these events and it is a lot of fun."

Although six of the game's top 10 are taking part in this week's World Match Play Championship at Wentworth in England, the Lumber Classic has attracted a decent field.

Former world No 1 and 2004 champion Vijay Singh will be bidding for his 30th PGA Tour title and former major winners John Daly, David Duval, Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Todd Hamilton and Justin Leonard are also in the mix.

World No 15 Chris DiMarco, winner in 2000, is also playing, along with four of his US teammates for next week's Ryder Cup at the K Club in Straffan, Ireland: David Toms, Chad Campbell, Scott Verplank and Brett Wetterich.

Beefy American Jason Gore defends the title he won last year just three months after struggling in golf's minor leagues. Gore earned promotion to the PGA Tour in late August after three consecutive wins on the lesser Nationwide Tour.

- REUTERS