Michelle Wie: A Heroine Reigns In The Greens

Golf has just been redefined. Michelle Wie, an American of Korean descent, has surpassed the performance of male golfers twice her age and brought prestige and honor not only to Koreans and Americans, but also to all women golfers everywhere. While Michelle believes that men are competitive and aggressive players, she stands firm on the green and continue to beat them through the fairways in the open tournaments.

Michelle Wie is as strong golf player as her fellow contemporary golf prodigy Tiger Woods, but her feminine strength, vitality, longevity and resistance make her a worthy competitor amongst the giants of golf. Today she’s making a trailblazing mark in the history of women’s golf and the rest of golf’s history.

Born Michelle Sung Wie on October 11, 1989 in Honolulu, Hawaii, she is the only child of Byung-Wook (“B.J.”) and Hyun-Kyong (“Bo”), both of whom emigrated to the U.S. from South Korea. B.J., a transportation professor at the University of Hawaii, came to California in 1983. Bo, a successful realtor and former Korean amateur golf champion, met B.J. in Los Angeles in 1987, and they married soonafter. The couple moved to Honolulu in 1988 and welcomed Michelle into the world following year.

Michelle was four when her father first took her to the driving range. Her first swings, taken with a baseball grip, were so hard she nearly fell over. Practicing in the family’s backyard, Michelle eventually straightened out her shots. At age 7, she played her first 18-hole round and finished 14-over par. By the age of 10, she was shooting a 64.

Since then, Michelle played various levels in golf tournaments and achieved numerous golf titles consecutively in her early teenage years. Aside from joining the women’s tournament, she also found her place playing golf against male opponents.

Through the years, Michelle has been thoroughly polishing her golf skills. World titles are stocking up and earning her a reputation as the newest golf player to watch for not unlike a younger Tiger Woods. Michelle Wie is virtually a phenomenon who is now about to turn professional and compete in both the LPGA and the PGA against the likes of Anika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and ViJay Singh. Based on an interview, Michelle’s ultimate goal was to play in the Masters. “I think it’d be pretty neat walking down the Masters fairways”, she said.