KAPOLEI, Hawaii – David Leadbetter loves a good analogy. In the last year he’s compared Michelle Wie to a thoroughbred race horse, her style of play to Betty Boop and her agent jumping ship to the sinking Titanic. Today he used a heart rate monitor.
“There’s a blip on the screen now,” Leadbetter said, motioning up and down. “The line was going flat before.”
Wie broke 70 for the first time since the 2006 Evian Masters Feb. 21, shooting 3-under 69 in Round 1 of the Fields Open. On her back nine at Ko Olina, the Stanford freshman looked more relaxed than she’s been in over a year. There was a bounce in her step as she posted four birdies in five holes in front of a home crowd. How refreshing.
Anyone who has spent time watching the Big Wiesy play knows the way to measure her performance comes down to a very simple formula: Can you hear Bo Wie? No matter how big the crowd, no matter how big the tournament, the encouraging words of her mother are unmistakable.
There was much to cheer about today. Six birdies, a red number and her daughter’s name atop the leaderboard, if only for a fleeting moment.
“Today was obviously a confidence booster,” Wie said. “Like I said, my goal is just to slowly get back into it.”
Leadbetter is trying to keep things from getting too mechanical on the range. After Wednesday’s pro-am round he had his pupil play the golf course on the practice tee. Leadbetter used the same mental rehearsal technique with Nick Faldo when he won the 1996 Masters and wasn’t hitting it particularly well during practice.
Wie still tends to guide it around the course, hitting only six fairways and nine greens. But there are promising signs. To start, her driving distance was 293.5 yards. She finally let loose with the driver several times, leaving playing partners Erica Blasberg and Carolina Llano in the dust. Leadbetter said he used to stand on the tee and think “Oh my god, where is this going?” At least now Wie can find it and hit it again after a mishit.
Ko Olina is a forgiving track. The fairways are generous and the rough is minimal. Wie has spent many hours grooming her game here over the years and the fact that she knows the greens so well surely aided in her 23-putt performance.
But give Wie some credit: She’s moving in the right direction.
“I’m just going to keep staying in the present, not getting too far ahead and hike it up too much,” Wie said. “Just going to, you know, groove along.”
Wie gave props to the new man on her bag, Tim Vickers. The former Florida State player said he’s never been more nervous on the golf course than he was on the first tee. Given all that’s happened to Team Wie on this tour in the last year there’s no room for mistakes – even from a novice caddie.
Vickers, 25, has played on the Gateway Tour and European Challenge Tour since graduating from college and is currently studying to be an instructor at the Leadbetter Academy at ChampionsGate. In the winter, the Englishman and Wie played several rounds of casual golf together and he observed a few lessons. If all goes well this week, he will most likely carry the bag the rest of 2008.
Another new face in the Wie entourage is Matthew Shin, Wie’s new road manager. Shin graduated from Stanford last spring and played on the men’s golf team before recently joining the William Morris Agency. Shin and Wie share enough common ground that his presence should help her transition between college and life as a touring professional.
Wie confirmed earlier in the week that she’ll be taking off the spring quarter of classes to concentrate on golf. But it’s easy to see that she’s enjoying her new life in Palo Alto. When asked what she liked best about college life, Wie didn’t hesitate: Newfound freedom.
Are your parents allowed at the dorm?
“Oh, no. Oh, no ... I took my suitcases in by myself.”
Wie’s parents do meet up with her at the Stanford course for practice, but, like her game, it’s all about baby steps.
Camp Wie has a fairly good idea of what her schedule will look like this year but they’re not giving up an information so that each individual tournament can have its day in the sun. The Safeway International (March 27-30) offered her a sponsor exemption and don’t be surprised if that’s her next stop. But let’s not get too carried away with what 2008 might bring.
“It’s a good start,” Leadbetter said, “but that’s all it is – a start.”
At least there are signs of life.
Posted: 2/21/2008
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