Solheim could set Wie alight

By Neville Leck Last updated: 25th August 2009

Michelle Wie's debut in the Solheim Cup might well be the key that opens the door to the elusive first professional victory she has been seeking for so long.

Still 19 and the youngest member of both the US and European teams who played in the Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois, her great talent, relaxed, smiling manner and infectious commitment has not only been one of the major attractions here this week, more importantly she has been one of her teams strongest competitors.

She was one of, perhaps even the star of, the US Team, having squared her debut match on Friday against Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth when she was teamed with former critic Morgan Pressel, won both her Saturday matches in tandem with Christina Kim and Cristie Kerr before going out early in Sunday's singles and defeating experienced Swede Helen Alfredsson.

Furthermore her great sense of humour, it is being said, has helped her to be well accepted by all of her team-mates, some of whom had disapproved of her spoilt child attitude in the past, and coupled with the success she has been having, this feeling of acceptance might well be the spark that finally sets her stuttering career alight.

Her height - she tops six feet - smooth, classic swing that earned her the title of the 'Big Weasy' and the precocious talent she displayed as early as13 when she won the 2003 US Women's Amateur Public Links title - made her the most acclaimed prospect since Tiger Woods.

But unlike the world's male number one, who went on to become one of the game's greatest winners of all time, Wie has never been able to full fill the great expectations of the golfing World and has never won anything of consequence since that Public Links Amateur.

There is a strong belief that her parents and her handlers were to blame, putting her under great pressure by pushing her too soon into a string of men's events that made her rich very quickly, but slowly, but surely destroyed her confidence.

There were also ankle injuries that held her back, but a two year spell at Stanford University, Tiger Woods' alma mater, seems to have settled her down and now, with what happened at Rich Harvest Farms, the name Wie could feature regularly on and around the top of LPGA leaderboards in the future.

US captain Beth Daniels is one of her strong supporters.

"I've always been proud of Michelle and I know how much talent she has," Daniel told reporters on Saturday after her team ended the second day's play tied at 8-8 with Europe.

"For anybody that's said Michelle Wie can't play under pressure, I think they were proven wrong today. She did everything and more that we've asked of her.

"She was like walking on air. I asked (her caddie) Patrick (Tarrant): 'Have you ever seen her this pumped up?' She was so pumped up I was worried about it...but it didn't seem to affect her."

Wie birdied five of the first 11 holes as she and fourballs partner Christina Kim crushed Swede Helen Alfredsson and Spaniard Tania Elosegui 5&4 with a high-energy display in the lead-out match of the morning.

Wie then joined experienced Cristie Kerr in the afternoon foursomes to hold off a fightback by Swedes Anna Nordqvist and Maria Hjorth and win one up.

"She and Cristie really hung in there and to pull that victory off there at the end was really, really big," Daniel said. "Michelle just hit great shot after great shot."

Wie, a wildcard pick by Daniel for the 11th Solheim Cup, said she loved the atmosphere of Solheim Cup play

"I feel so amped up," she says. "We had a lot of fun out there and I just love being in front of that crowd.

"After I was done on 18, I could play 18 more. I was so excited out there and had so much fun. I love match play."

In recent years one of Wie's biggest weaknesses has been her putting, but she appears to have rectified this after working with Dave Stockton, a two-time winner of the PGA Championship and a golfer renowned for his putting.

Kerr, herself widely regarded as one of the best putters in the women's game, had greatly encouraging words for Wie.

She said: "It seems like she's a lot more still with her body and she's just swinging the putter," Kerr said.

"Her rhythm with the putter is so much better, and the pace she's hitting her putts with are absolutely perfect."

So let's wait for it.

Maybe the real Wie is finally back again and ready to start fulfilling all that sensational early promise.

Neville Leck