Golfer Michelle Wie plans to have as much as fun as she can in her latest bid to make the cut in a PGA Tour men's event.
The 16-year-old Honolulu schoolgirl is the top attraction at the John Deere Classic starting in Silvis, Illinois, tomorrow (NZ time) but refuses to be distracted by lofty public expectation.
"I guess being from Hawaii, I'm very relaxed," said as she prepared for the opening round at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run.
"I have kind of a 'whatever' mentality. I just have fun with it.
"I'm very grateful and I feel very lucky that people like watching me play. I have a lot of fans and I think that's wonderful."
Vying with the men for the ninth time in a professional event, Wie is bidding to become the first woman to make a PGA Tour cut in 61 years.
Although Wie finally made the cut in a men's tournament at the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open in May, she has set her sights on qualifying for the weekend on the world's most competitive tour in the United States.
She feels very comfortable on the par-71 Deere Run layout, having missed the cut by just two strokes last year after rounds of 70 and 71.
"I made a couple bad decisions coming into the final holes, but I was only 15," Wie recalled.
"I can make mistakes when I'm 15. Hopefully, I learned from those mistakes that I made last year, and I won't do them this year.
"I feel more comfortable with my game and am more confident with my game. I'm just going to try my hardest and see what happens."
Wie is hoping to emulate fellow American Babe Zaharias, the last woman to make the cut in a PGA Tour event at the 1945 Tucson Open.
Defending John Deere champion Sean O'Hair and Ryder Cup hopeful Zach Johnson both fancied Wie's chances after playing a practise round with her yesterday.
"I think it would be better for her if she won a tournament out on the LPGA Tour and I think once she does that, a lot of guys are probably going to accept it a lot better," American O'Hair said.
"But I think it's just a matter of time. To be quite frank, I think she'll make the cut this week."
Johnson, who met Wie for the first time at a pro-am tournament in 2003, added: "She hits it solid, she hits it straight, she can chip, she can putt.
"I think it's just a matter of her just making the best of her opportunities and she's going to have a bunch of opportunities. She's just a phenomenal talent.
"She's wise beyond her years, mature and her talent is way beyond her years."
- REUTERS
Golf: Wie still chasing first PGA cut
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.