2017 Michelle Wie ~ Newsmaker

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2017 Michelle Wie ~ Newsmaker

Goodbye, table-top. Hello, claw.

Michelle Wie has abandoned her unorthodox table-top putting stance - where she bends low over her putts, perpendicular to the ground - and is preparing to use a new claw putting grip when she tees it up at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open this week, according her coach, David Leadbetter.

Wie’s now playing a Great Big Bertha Epic driver and 3-wood, a pair of Big Bertha Alpha hybrids, Apex Pro 16 irons and a custom Odyssey 2-Ball Fang putter.

www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/wie-abandons-table-top-putting-claw-grip/

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Wie (66) takes lead for first time in nearly 3 years
By
Randall Mell
March 2, 2017, 10:23 am
Golf Central Blog

"Michelle Wie’s long, hard climb has her back atop a leaderboard again.

With a 6-under-par 66 Thursday, Wie took the first-round lead at the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. It’s the first time she has led an LPGA event in almost three years, since she led after the second round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

Read more at the link:


www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/wie-66-takes-lead-first-time-nearly-3-years/?cid=rr_editorial_p3

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ROLEX RANKINGS MOVE OF THE WEEK: MICHELLE WIE

"Michelle Wie made the Rolex Rankings Move of the Week, climbing 61 spot to No. 118 with her T4 finish at the HSBC Women’s Champions. Wie, a sponsor invite to the event, marked the first time since 2014 that she has finished inside the top five during an LPGA event.
“Overall, I can’t complain, but right now it stings a little bit,” Wie said. “I played hard. Just a couple of putts didn’t drop in and I just missed a couple. Just that one hole I missed two short ones. But I played well today. I think I was just a little amped up today and my irons were going a little bit further, so I just wasn’t hitting them as close as I was all week.”

www.lpga.com/news/2017-rolex-rankings-move-michelle-wie-singapore#

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Wie slowly regaining confidence in driver, putter

By
Randall Mell
March 29, 2017

"RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie drilled a driver 280 yards down the middle of the narrow 15th hole on the Dinah Shore Course in Wednesday’s ANA Inspiration pro-am.

David Leadbetter, aside the tee, beamed.

Her swing coach loves the way she’s attacking with her driver.

“She has so much confidence in her driver again,” Leadbetter said. “She is hitting the ball a mile. She just wants to hit driver on every hole. The last few years, there’s no way she wanted to do that. She’s showing a lot of good signs the last few weeks"


www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/wie-slowly-regaining-confidence-driver-putter

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Wow Wie! What a difference a year makes for @themichellewie!

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"Michelle Wie continues trend of hot first rounds in 2017"

"Michelle Wie’s game is in a good place right now. She’s finished in the top-10 twice in 2017, and Thursday at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, she had her fourth first-round score in the 60s this season."

read more at the link:

www.golfdigest.com/story/with-opening-67-in-texas-michelle-wie-continues-trend-of-hot-first-rounds-in-2017

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PLAYERS BENEFIT FROM RESHUFFLE, WIE MAKES SOLHEIM SURGE

2017 Solheim Cup

"Not much has changed in the top eight of the Solheim Cup Points Standing were last updated in April, Cristie Kerr moved to third after her runner-up finish in Texas, but for those hoping to make the roster or attract captain Juli Inkster’s attention they need continue to perform on the course.
Four-time Solheim Cup veteran, Michelle Wie hopes to make it onto her fifth U.S. roster this August. Wie finished T13 this past weekend in Texas and moved into the 12th position in the Solheim Cup Points Standings; moving her closer to representing the United States in Des Moines, Iowa."


www.lpga.com/news/2017-lpga-reshuffle-and-notable-moves

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Wie, A. Jutanugarn reach Ochoa semifinals
By
Associated Press
May 6, 2017, 7:28 pm

MEXICO CITY - Michelle Wie rallied to beat Angel Yin on Saturday in the Lorena Ochoa Match Play to join Ariya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim and Mi Jung Hur in the semifinals.

Four down after 11 holes at Club de Golf Mexico, Wie twice rallied to tie the long-hitting Yin and won with a birdie on the par-5 20th hole.

Wie set up a match against Kim, a 5-and-4 winner over Karine Icher in the event that switched from stroke to match play and moved from November.

Wie is winless since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. She won the then-Lorena Ochoa Invitational in stroke play in 2009 in Guadalajara for her first tour title.

The third-ranked Jutanugarn lost a 3-up lead to Cristie Kerr before finishing off the 39-year-old American with a par on the 19th hole. Kerr won three weeks ago in Hawaii and lost to Haru Nomura last week on the sixth hole of a playoff in Texas.


www.golfchannel.com/news/associated-press/wie-jutanugarn-reach-ochoa-semifinals

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Closing 65 vaults Wie into Solheim top 10
By
Randall Mell
June 4, 2017, 9:04 pm

Michelle Wie made the strongest Solheim Cup move Sunday among Americans outside the qualifying standard at the ShopRite Classic.

While Paula Creamer stumbled with a chance to win, she showed signs getting into contention that she may be poised to begin a summer charge to make the team.

Wie closed with a 6-under-par 65 at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, leaping 33 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for third place. Wie earned 28.5 Solheim Cup points, pushing her to 10th on the American points list. The top eight at the conclusion of the Ricoh Women’s British Open (Aug. 6) automatically qualify for the team. It was Wie’s fourth top 10 of the year.

“I'm stalking the list for sure,” Wie said. “I'm trying to get as many points as I can and trying to get up there and make the team.”

It was a nice bounce back after Wie missed the cut at last week’s Volvik Championship.

Creamer started the final round tied for the lead with I.K. Kim but closed with a 74. She ended up five shots behind Kim, who went on to win. Still, Creamer’s T-7 finish was her first top 10 of the year. The 22.5 Solheim Cup points she earned moved her from 21st to 18th on the U.S. points list.

“I fought hard,” Creamer said. “I kept grinding away out there. Just really didn't execute any good shots in the middle of my round, which kind of hurt me.”

There are nine events left before the U.S. Solheim Cup team is finalized, with three of those events major championships, featuring double points.


www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/closing-65-vaults-wie-solheim-top-10

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"WIE ROCKETS UP RANKINGS"

Written By:
Jennifer Meyer
@jenn7771
Jennifer Meyer is digital content manager for LPGA and Symetra Tour. 

"Michelle Wie, who finished T-2 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, made the Rolex Rankings Move of the Week with her outstanding play in Grand Rapids. Wie climbed 15 spots in the rankings from No. 33 to No. 15 with her best finish since her victory at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Wie. “It was tough out there. I mean the wind just started blowing and it was just interesting. Some spots are really wet, some spots are dry, but overall I felt like I played good this week and
last week, the Tour veteran posted her fifth top 10 of the season and 54th of her LPGA career. She started the year ranked No. 174 in the world."

"Other Notable Moves"

Solheim Cup
"Players continue to jockey for one of the automatic spots on Teams USA and Europe.
For four-time Solheim Cup veteran Michelle Wie, her T-2 finish in the Meijer LPGA Classic puts her in a prime position to play her way onto the 2017 roster this August. Wie’s solid finish moved her into the eighth spot in the Solheim Cup standings passing fellow 2015 teammate and six-time Solheim Cup veteran Angela Stanford for the final automatic spot on Team USA.
Danielle Kang, Kim Kaufman, Jacqui Concolino, and Cydney Clanton made jumps in the Solheim Cup points standings with their outstanding performances this past week in Michigan, hoping to catch the eye of Captain Juli Inkster."

Link to article:
www.lpga.com/news/2017-rolex-rankings-top-move-after-meijer

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"WIE MAKING BIG SOLHEIM CUP PUSH"

Golf Central Blog
Wie making big Solheim Cup push
By
Randall Mell
June 20, 2017


"If U.S. Solheim Cup qualifying ended today, Michelle Wie would be on the team."

"That’s a testament to her strong turnaround this year."

At year’s start, Wie wasn’t among the top 20 in the American Solheim Cup standings. She also wasn’t among the top 170 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings.

Wie’s tie for second at the Meijer Classic on Sunday earned her 30 U.S. Solheim Cup points, moving her to No. 8. That’s notable because the top eight at the conclusion of the Ricoh Women’s British Open (Aug. 6) qualify for the American team.

It’s also notable that Wie climbed to No. 33 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings this week, moving up 15 spots. She started the year ranked No. 174 in the world.

This rankings climb matters in the U.S. Solheim Cup competition, because at No. 33 in the world, Wie is also in position to qualify for the team via a second pathway.

If Wie wasn’t among the top eight Americans in points this week, she would rank first on the U.S. Solheim Cup World Rankings list. The top two Americans in the world rankings who aren’t already qualified for the U.S. team on the final points list will qualify off the rankings list.

Wie has finished fourth or better in three of her last four starts, which includes her semifinal finish at the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play. She has finished sixth or better in five events this year. Statistically, Wie has made large turnarounds in her ball striking and putting. She’s 18th in greens in regulation, up from 124th at last year’s end. She’s 22nd in putting with her new upright stance, up from 120th last year. She’s 22nd in scoring average, up from 116th last year.

Link to article:
www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/wie-making-big-solheim-cup-push

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"So, is Michelle Wie ready to win another major?"

Women's Golf ~ Golf Digest - June 28, 2017

"This week the second LPGA major of the year, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, will be played at Olympia Fields Country Club outside of Chicago. From Michelle Wie, to rules controversies, to the Solheim Cup, there are a lot of storylines to note before the event gets underway on Thursday. Here are five stories to keep an eye on as play begins in Illinois."

"What’s next for Michelle Wie?
When thinking about who could win this event, we couldn’t help but wonder about Wie. Sure, she hasn’t won any event since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, but Wie has five top-five finishes in 13 starts so far in 2017. Compared to the last two seasons, she appears to be a completely different player. Through 2015 and 2016, she had only one top-10. Last season alone she missed 12 cuts, while this year she’s missed just two. What’s behind the turnaround? Well, she’s changed her putting grip, and her a new caddie, and her equipment, and her swing, as she’s been working on hitting a consistent fade.

“She’s really on an upward turn right now,” said her coach David Leadbetter. “She’s driving the ball much better and hitting more greens. Combine that with better putting, and the scoring is coming around. It’s been a bit of an evolution. She’s confident. She’s playing with a smile.”

"Leadbetter pointed out that Wie’s season in 2014 leading into the U.S. Women’s Open looked a lot like her season so far this year. Wie had eight top-10s before winning at Pinehurst. In her last five starts, she has had four top-five finishes."

“She’s in a good place right now,” Leadbetter said. “She’s coming in with a lot of form and confidence—and it’s a course that could really suit her. She’s definitely in with a chance of winning this week.”


Link to the article...
golfdigestme.com/michelle-wie-ready-win-another-major/

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Love of the game: Wie a factor once again
By
Randall Mell
June 28, 2017, 11:00 am

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Michelle Wie still loves the game.

"She may be one of golf’s great mysteries, but that’s what cuts through the fog when you sort through all the riddles in all the twists and turns in a career that makes the 27-year-old seem like she has been around forever."

"Wie is the broken player who is putting herself back together yet again.
How is she managing to do it once more? She loves the game. It’s the only explanation."
Wie arrives for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club this week as a threat to win.

"That’s a head scratcher when you think back to a year ago and the awful slump she was mired in when she arrived at this championship. She shot 78 and 80 to miss the cut at Sahalee and left the Great Northwest looking totally lost. She left looking as if she might finally be broken for good."

Wie missed the cut or withdrew in 10 of 12 events last summer.
Just look at her now.
You can’t knock this woman out.
Up off the mat, Wie’s radiating with renewed confidence.

With her final-round 64 Sunday at the Walmart NW Arkansas championship, Wie tied for fourth. The week before that, she tied for second at the Meijer Classic. The week before that, she tied for third at the ShopRite Classic.
That’s four finishes of T-4 or better now in her last five starts.

“I came into this year really motivated, but feeling like I had nothing to lose,” Wie told GolfChannel.com after hitting balls on the range Tuesday at Olympia Fields.
This is starting to feel like that roll Wie got on before she won twice in 2014, before she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst.

“She’s seeing results, and she’s really getting some confidence,” Leadbetter said. “I don’t think she’s far away from winning. I really don’t. She’s got her game to where she could really do some damage the second half of this season.”

Wie arrives for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club this week as a threat to win.


Link to the article...

www.golfchannel.com/news/randall-mell/love-game-wie-factor-once-again/

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Wie's unorthodox approach paying dividends
By
Randall Mell
June 29, 2017, 6:00 pm

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Michelle Wie is the rebel with a cause now.

“She has never been orthodox,” says David Leadbetter, her swing coach. “She doesn’t like to conform. She’s always liked to buck the system in some way.”

With a new putting style that borders on multiple personality disorder, with her quirky pre-shot routines and now her unusually configured golf bag, Wie may be the LPGA’s most unorthodox player.

Here’s the thing, though: It’s working.

Somehow, some wacky way, it’s turning her around.

“It’s not pretty,” said Stacy Lewis, who played alongside Wie. “But it is working.”

Wie’s 3-under-par 68 Thursday put her into early contention at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, just two shots behind Chella Choi, the early leader.

Wie is finding her game with a hodge-podge of inventive technique and strategies. In some ways, Leadbetter said, she’s actually finding herself in this unconventional approach.

“Michelle has always had a unique way of going about things,” Leadbetter said.

Think Lonzo Ball’s quirky shooting form, Hideo Nomo’s eccentric pitching delivery, Rick Barry’s unconventional granny-style free throws and Dick Fosbury’s flop. They are all Wie’s kind of athletes.

“I’m just like, `This feels right, and I go with it,’” Wie said.

Wie’s tabletop putting stance was the oddest in golf last year. While her new stance looks so much more fundamentally sound now, her use of multiple grips is weird science.

Or, given Wie’s love of painting, maybe weird art.

Wie used at least three different putting grips Thursday in her round of five birdies and two bogeys on a windswept Olympia Fields Country Club course playing difficult.

She putted with the claw, she putted left-hand low and she putted conventional.

There might have been a couple more she improvised.

“I don’t know,” Wie said. “Don’t try to figure it out. It will be really hard.”

Wie’s bag was also unusually configured for a big hitter. She also stuck an 11-wood in it before the round.

“I told her she has more head covers in her bag now than Mi Hyun Kim ever did,” Leadbetter cracked."




Link to the article...
www.golfchannel.com/news/randall-mell/wies-unorthodox-approach-paying-dividends

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