Michelle Wie going back to school
Michelle Wie is sending a positive message to people all over the world.
Stay in school.
The 20-year-old Hawaii native and golfing phenomenon is entering her fourth year at Stanford, where she will be starting up her fall classes in the next few days. This means that fans of Wie are unlikely to see her tee it up competitively for at least the
next five weeks.
She is scheduled to play the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia event in Kuala Lumpur, and the LPGA Hana Bank Championship in South Korea. Both events take place in late October.
Wie has been playing well lately. In her last two starts, she has won at the CN Canadian Women’s Open and obtained a second-place finish at the P&G Northwest Arkansas Championship.
Wie played in 16 events this past year, making the cut in 14, including a win and four top-10 finishes.
But she, as well as her coach, believe in the importance of getting an education. “You don't have to quit school to be committed to your game,” Wie said. “I think that education is so important that it doesn't take away, it enhances your life.”
Once Wie is done school and begins devoting all her attention to winning trophies on the LPGA Tour, that’s when you’ll really see her shine, says her swing coach David Leadbetter.
“Really, she’s a part-time student and a part-time golfer,” he said. “When she’s done with school, I think she’ll have her special interests outside golf, but I believe when she focuses 100 percent on golf, that’s when we’ll really see what Michelle can
do.”
In a decision that was questioned by many, Wie participated in numerous PGA Tour events at the start of her career. From January 2006 to January 2007, she participated in four men’s tournaments, missing the cut in three and withdrawing from one. She played
the Sony Open, her first PGA Tour event, when she was only 15 years old. Many have criticized her decision to tee it up against the men, arguing that she should have focused on the LPGA Tour from the start.
Because of her golf obligations, Wie will require a fifth year to graduate from Stanford.
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