MONDAY WRAP: Wie grabs maiden major

A decade on from being hailed as golf's next big thing, Michelle Wie has captured her first major – the US Women's Open.

BY STEVE KEIPERT

For more than a decade Michelle Wie has promised so much but delivered relatively little when raw ability is evaluated. At Pinehurst No.2 as the twin US Opens concluded, Wie finally converted her immense talent into a comprehensive major victory.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a mostly stress-free run to her major breakthrough at the US Women’s Open. While not in the manner of Martin Kaymer’s cruisey stroll around Pinehurst a week earlier, Wie eagled the par-5 10th hole on Sunday to open a four-stroke lead that allowed her the luxury of requiring only pars to fend off the challengers.

Michelle Wie proudly holds the trophy after her victory at the 69th U.S. Women's Open. PHOTO: Getty Images

Wie began the last day tied at two-under-par with Amy Yang, the gifted Korean schooled on the Gold Coast who won the Australian Ladies Masters as an amateur in 2006. They sat four clear of the remainder of the field, so when Yang dropped four strokes in the first four holes and never recovered it gifted Wie an instant edge. Wie bogeyed the 1st hole before embarking on a run of pars punctuated by that telling eagle putt.

World No.1 Stacy Lewis provided the most resistance among the challengers with birdies at the last two holes to finish at even-par. Her eight-birdie 66 matched the best round of the championship and gave the leader a target over the closing six holes. And for a moment that 280 aggregate loomed ominously when Wie struck her only hurdle at the tough par-4 16th, where an errant second shot led to a penalty drop and a double-bogey that trimmed her advantage to one. Yet Wie remained calm. She rifled a pure 8-iron onto the par-3 17th green and rolled in the 20-footer with her distinct tabletop-style putting technique to rebuild a two-shot edge that became the final cushion.

Michelle Wie celebrates holing a crucial birdie putt at the par-3 17th hole during the final round. PHOTO: Getty Images

“I smiled after I made my double-bogey putt – I just like to make it hard for myself,” Wie said of her finish. “But 17, I played well there the last couple of days and that putt just nicely went right, right at the end. It was awesome.”

So the Hawaiian who first captured our attention as a primary-schooler drew on the experience banked during all those seasons playing at every level. Yes, there’s a hint of irony that a woman who repeatedly attempted to take on male golfers would win the one US Open where the men played the same course. What’s been noticeable to onlookers this season, however, is the way Wie has demonstrated a distinct elevation in her maturity levels both as a golfer and as a young adult.

“I’ve definitely made a lot of mistakes along the road but I’ve done a lot of great things as well too, and I’ve just learned from a lot of it,” she said. “That’s what life is. There’s ups and there’s downs and obviously being under the microscope it magnifies everything, but if weren’t for that I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m just really grateful for everything and because of all the downs it made me more grateful for these opportunities that I have today.”

Sadly for Australia’s Minjee Lee – women’s golf’s No.1 amateur and the 79th best player in the world – a bad final found cost her leading amateur honours. The 18-year-old from Perth was a fixture on the leaderboard all week and played in the third-last pairing on Sunday with only two players ahead of her on the leaderboard. She fell away with a closing 76 to be passed by 16-year-old Canadian amateur Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, who closed with a stellar 69. Lee still finished as the best of the four Australians to make the cut.

West Australian Minjee Lee had a less than memorable final round after occupying a high spot on the leaderboard for the first three days. PHOTO: Getty Images

With the USGA’s Pinehurst experiment now complete, the governing body for the game in the USA and Mexico can feel justified in combining its two premier championships into one festive fortnight. The No.2 layout coped commendably with the traffic and allowed the USGA to achieve its stated goal of setting up the course in similar fashion for the men and the women. Granted, Kaymer’s cakewalk that removed any chance of a Monday play-off relieved the organisation of one of the potential logistical headaches, but the world’s best female golfers arriving and spectating during the final round of the men’s US Open provided a cool sight and rare interaction.

It begged the question: should the boys and girls play together more often? Maybe. They most definitely can; the venue simply needs to be able to cope with the golfer traffic, the gallery movement and the associated infrastructure needs. And regal Pinehurst is just the place.

LEADERBOARD

1. Michelle Wie (US) 68-68-72-70—278

2. Stacy Lewis (US) 67-73-74-66—280

3. Stephanie Meadow (NIR) 71-72-69-69—281

4. Amy Yang (Kor) 71-69-68-74—282

T5. Meena Lee (Kor) 72-73-70-68—283

T5. So Yeon Ryu (Kor) 69-74-70-70—283

ALSO:

T15. Lydia Ko (NZ) 76-71-71-69—287

T22. Minjee Lee (WA, a) 69-71-72-76—288

T30. Karrie Webb (Qld) 70-73-70-77—290

T46. Nikki Campbell (ACT) 74-75-76-69—294