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Seven other players to watch at LPGA Q-School•
Hurst, Wie take different paths to LPGA•
PGA Tour Q-School: The final stage is set
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Michelle Wie expects to be seen and not heard this week at LPGA Qualifying School. The 19-year-old plans to continue a tactic she started at sectional qualifying: No interviews until the last putt drops. At least that's what her father, BJ, said. (Other than that, he’s not talking either.)
The obvious intent is to keep Wie focused during a pressure-packed week. Her instructor, David Leadbetter, supports the silent treatment.
“You’ve really got to keep things low-key,” said Leadbetter, who worked with Wie last week at ChampionsGate. “She doesn’t want to be the big star here.”
Wie isn’t the first player to avoid the media at Q-School. At the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School last year, Frank Lickliter II opened with back-to-back 62s and refused to talk to the media until the tournament ended.
“No” was all Lickliter said to assembled scribes. No one argued with the man.
Wie headlines a field of 140 players at LPGA International. She played a quiet practice round Monday on the Champions Course with her parents and caddie, Tim Vickers. There weren’t any spectators following Wie on the front nine, but clearly the tour expects things to pick up.
To start, they added bleachers behind the 18th green at the Champions Course. The 90-hole tournament typically ends on the more challenging Legends Course, but this year officials made the move to the more gallery-friendly Champions track. The 18th at the Champions Course is also much closer to the scoreboard.
The switch prompted mixed feelings amongst the players, but most agree that if the wind doesn’t pick up, expect more final-round birdies.
Even the media experience is bigger and better this year. To accommodate a spike in scribes, the tour moved the media from a cramped trailer to a sizable room next to the snack shop. There’s even real-time scoring at lpga.com, a tremendous assist for fans and media alike.
The goal for Wie and every other hopeful this week is to finish in the top 20 to earn Priority Status in Category 11. There are several promising players to keep an eye on this week besides Wie, including Stacy Lewis, Anna Nordqvist and Korea’s Sun-Ju Ahn, who won the sectional stage in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
But, as Leadbetter said, let’s face it, in this economy the LPGA “needs a draw card.” And that’s Wie.
“There’s a lot riding on (Michelle) getting her card and getting to play in more than her customary eight events,” he said.
That being said, Leadbetter hasn’t seen his student particularly stressed. Wie spent Thanksgiving with the Leadbetter family and lost to her coach at ping pong. If she’s feeling loads of pressure this week, they aren’t talking about it.
“She seems actually more relaxed than I’ve seen her for a long time,” he said.
Leadbetter lists several positives to look for this week. She’s fit. She’s pain-free. She’s happy. She’s hitting it long again.
The biggest x-factor is competitive rust. Wie hasn’t played in a tournament since September. The final stage of Q-School isn’t the time to start slow.
Her key swing thought for the week is to hit driver like an iron. More specifically, get a better rhythm off the tee with a shorter, more compact swing. She’s hitting it long, but not consistently straight.
“We’ve really worked on getting the pace of the swing better and getting the club on a more direct line,” Leadbetter said.
Everyone knows there are no guarantees at Q-School. Even if nobody talks about the pressure, Wie surely feels it from sponsors, family and fans. Even the bleachers add the pressure of filling seats in a NASCAR neighborhood.
“There’s a certain amount of jealousy, there’s no question about it,” said Leadbetter. “And rightly so. She’s got to earn her way out there, and that’s what she’s doing.”
Quietly.
Posted: 12/1/2008
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