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srothfuss · 12-19-2006, 03:34 PM

I red this in my local news paper today:

Quote:

Originally Posted by www.detnews.com

Michelle Wie to attend Stanford
Doug Ferguson Associated Press

Michelle Wie celebrated her first victory of the year -- she got accepted to Stanford.

The 17-year-old senior at Punahou School in Honolulu said Tuesday she would enroll in the fall, dispelling any talk she would concentrate exclusively on her professional golf career once she finished high school.

"No one really believed me," Wie said from Orlando, Fla., where she is working with swing coach David Leadbetter. "Now that I got into Stanford ... it was one of my dreams, and I want to go through with it. I definitely want to go there and really try to graduate."

Wie has been mixing school and tour golf since she played three LPGA Tour events at age 12. She turned pro in October 2005 and earned close to $20 million this year from endorsements, earnings and appearance money overseas.

And while she still hasn't won on the LPGA Tour -- she had three close calls in the majors -- Wie said her nerves were never more jangled than waiting to see if she had been accepted. She got the news Friday.

Wie's grandfather, an aunt and an uncle went to Stanford, and that was her first choice all along.

Told that Tiger Woods lasted only two years at Stanford before turning pro, Wie said, "Hopefully, I'll last a little longer."

Her father, B.J. Wie, is a professor at the University of Hawaii.

Wie has been one of the top headliners in women's golf she since she became the youngest USGA champion at adult events by winning the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in 2003 at 13. The same year, she played in the final group at an LPGA major. But that USGA title was her last victory.

She dreams of competing on the PGA Tour, although that remains a work in progress. She has missed the cut in all six PGA Tour events she has played, and is 1-for-12 in making the cut in men's events overall. She tied for 35th this year in the SK Telecom Open on the Asian Tour, which was reduced to 54 holes because of rain.

Wie also had a chance to qualify for the men's U.S. Open this summer until she dropped back over the final nine holes. Her next start will be the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Honolulu on Jan. 11.

Golfbum · 12-19-2006, 04:45 PM

Too bad she can not play golf for the Stanford team. She might have had a shot at winning an event.
Maybe this will keep her out of the PGA events now. She'll have to concentrate on school instead of trying to make cuts at PGA tour events.

flomarilius · 12-19-2006, 06:36 PM

Yea its a shame her parents made her go pro, because she could have gained a bunch of experience at the college level, especially out in the west coast with the level of collegiate golf there.

Golfbum · 12-19-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flomarilius

Yea its a shame her parents made her go pro, because she could have gained a bunch of experience at the college level, especially out in the west coast with the level of collegiate golf there.

IMO it was like this for Daddy, Mommy and Miss Wie. The hype was in place, the stories about her 300+ yard drives, her fantastic game. Nike bought into it, so the Wie's figured they better jump at the cash.

Otherwise if she had gone to college as an Amateur and her career was a bust there would not be millions of dollars waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.

I feel NIKE is getting ripped off. They are paying a PROFESSIONAL FEMALE GOLFER and she is going to college. But Nike is not paying for that endorsement. The golfers who buy Nike equipment are! BTW, that does not include me!

srothfuss · 12-19-2006, 08:48 PM

It does include my wife though... Although, I think she likes Nike because of Tigre.

Maybe this is how she slips into non-exsistance? Or maybe this is plan B incase she never makes a cut?

**DennisM** · 02-01-2007, 12:56 AM

Can you imagine how envious the golf coaches at Stanford are that she can't play for the team? I really think the kid is missing out on a lot because of it. Of course, she would be missing tens of millions of dollars otherwise, but it's not like her family doesn't make a living.

srothfuss · 02-04-2007, 12:49 PM

I'm thinking along the same lines as you about her chance to gain some really good experience by playing at the collagete level. So instead of her biting off more than she can chew for her entire carrer, thus far, it would have been nice to take things a little slower...

But yeah, it's expensive to live in Hawaii so that 10Million or so for playing golf must come in handy.

CallawayKid4 · 02-04-2007, 08:29 PM

Its about time she goes to college!

**DennisM** · 02-05-2007, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CallawayKid4

Its about time she goes to college!

LOL, well, YEAH! That's what you hope to do after high school.

One thing about college though is that a schedule can be arranged in such a way that her tournament schedule will be easier to figure out. By the moment she registers for classes, (and I would bet Stanford gives her priority on what time she wants to have whichever class), she will know that she has to finish course work and exams in time for a tournament waaaaaay ahead of time.

Regardless that she can't play for Stanford, like any college, they know simply having her attend school there is a marketing point. They won't hand her a degree for nothing, but I think they will make it easy to attend school and play golf at the same time.