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"Wowwwww... never thought this would feel THIS great!!!!"
That's what a cerveza-soaked Michelle Wie Twittered moments after her first professional win at the LPGA's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, in November.
"Wowwwww" is right. For Wie, 20, the victory was six years in the making, her first since winning the Women's Amateur Public Links at the bubblegum-popping age of 13. Since then, Wie has seen sublime highs (shooting a 68 on the PGA Tour) and desperate lows (injuries, DQ's, leaving a tournament on a stretcher). On a fall afternoon in the clubhouse at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif., the Big Wiesy — in a baggy gray Stanford University sweatshirt, a kitschy turtle-shaped ring on her hand — was still beaming from her Big Win.
Under the guidance of father B.J. and mother Bo, Wie has given few in-depth interviews. That's too bad. She's smart, silly, sarcastic, and speaks from the heart — when her memory allows. Wie says she has repressed the darkest moments: "I had it easy early on. Then it all came crashing down."
Congratulations on your first pro
win. You said it was everything
you thought it would be. How was
it different than you thought?
I'd always planned this extravagant,
Tiger-like reaction — fist pumps,
jumping around. But I froze [laughs].
I just put my hand over my mouth
and was, like, "Umm, this would be
the time to do something crazy." I
was too overwhelmed. Tears were
coming down.
Describe the feeling of winning.
Relief. And puuuuure happiness. I
did it. All the hard work paid off. I
realize I want to do it — win — over
and over. The feeling is awesome. It
made me even more motivated.
Mexico's drinking age is 18.
How many Coronas did you
have Sunday night?
[Laughs.] None. But I did get a beer
shower on the green [from fellow pro
Morgan Pressel].
Were you fighting your nerves
Sunday morning?
I wasn't thinking about winning. I
was thinking, Get through this day. I
was really sick. I had a fever. I had
thrown up that morning. I broke
out in hives. My ankle bothered me. And I had a research paper to do that
morning. I was paired with Cristie
[Kerr]. We're close. I got nervous,
excited, all these emotions. She gave
me a pat [while on the 18th fairway]and said, "You can do this."
You led Paula Creamer by a stroke
on the last hole, but your second
shot on the par-5 18th found a
greenside bunker. You're one good
shot away from your first pro win.
What went through your mind
over the ball?
I was thinking, It would be really
embarrassing if I hit someone in the
crowd in the head. I could see myself on a sports bloopers show. I had a
choice: hit a safe 60-degree [wedge]to the middle of the green, or a
trickier running shot [with less spin]with my 56-degree. When I don't
pull off the 56-degree shot, I chunk
it or skull it. I went with the 56 — the
ballsier move. I'm proud of that. I
hit it to four inches. But that putt
[for the win] was pressure. It felt a
lot longer than four inches. Over
the ball, I was shaking, thinking,
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
That was your first win in six
years. Your parents were just
off the green, right?
The three of us were absolutely ecstatic.
Then I called David [Leadbetter, Wie's
longtime swing coach]. He said, "Well,
it took you long enough." Hey, thanks
a lot, Lead.
Earlier in the year, you were
the star of the Solheim Cup,
going 3-0-1 for Team USA.
Would you have won in Mexico
without that experience?
Mexico was a walk in the park compared
to the Solheim Cup. It prepared me for
high pressure. You represent yourself,
your team, your country. Every putt
and shot means so much. I loved it. The
intensity! You have your face paint on, your tattoos. It's so quiet standing over
a shot. You can hear crickets. Then you
make a shot, and there's an explosion.
The crowds go crazy. I can't imagine
my life without that experience. Golf
is lonely. You're out there by yourself,
playing for you. It's different with
teammates. We'd go putt after dinner
and blast music on the greens. Golf
should be a team sport.
Can you explain the booty-slapping
that you and Christina Kim were doing?
[With a straight face] Oh, I've been
doing that since I was 13. No, it was the
electricity of the moment. Christina
and I had this funny handshake where
you fist bump [extends her right fist
and gives a bump], and then you make
it rain [flutters her fingers]. It's corny!
We're just big dorks.
When was the Solheim Cup
pressure the most intense?
The final day, the final match [in singles].
From the first tee, it was just pressure,
pressure, pressure. You're on your own,
and you're, like, [looks left and right]"Umm, where is everybody? Where are
my teammates?" Helen [Alfredsson]played so well! I knew I couldn't
make any mistakes. On the second
hole, she stuck it to four feet for eagle. I thought, Oh, so this is how it's gonna be. I
said to myself, "Be aggressive. Make the
crowd go crazy." I put it to three feet. I
was excited to show my game, to show
what I've got — to try to be cool.
Given all you've been through
in recent years — wrist injuries,
Rules infractions, being DQ'd
from events — did 2009
taste even sweeter?
I appreciate the ups more now. I
was fortunate early on in my career.
I had it easy. It was a dreamland.
Everything turned out fine. Then it
all came crashing down. The work
to get back was not easy. It definitely makes me appreciate things more.
Because I went through so much,
it's hard to get me down. I'm a lot
stronger. Mexico and the Solheim
Cup were delicious.
Why do you think it all came
crashing down?
I think my wrist injury was the worst
thing that could have happened. I
was running [in January 2007] when
I fell and broke three bones in my left
wrist. It was a freak accident. Maybe
I shouldn't have played, but I was
stubborn. Now I know that playing
through an injury is not smart. The
turning point was becoming healthy.
It took about two years. Around May
[of 2009] my wrist finally started
feeling 100 percent. There are a lot
of bones in there.
Wasn't another turning point
the 2008 State Farm Classic?
You were DQ'd for signing
an incorrect scorecard. That
cost you a big check.
That was a blessing in disguise because
[with that prize money] I might have
gotten an [LPGA Tour] exemption
through the money list. Instead, I had
to go to Q School. I didn't want to, but I
had to. It built a lot of character getting
my LPGA card the hardest way. That
way was cool and satisfying.
You're 20. When you were 14, you
told Sports Illustrated, "Everyone
is saying that your teenage
years are really hard, but they're
actually really easy." Would you
like to amend that comment?
Wow. I was really naive. Life was easy
back then. I had good friends, was
healthy, liked what I was doing. Then
I went through a really tough period
and grew from it. I made mistakes.
But I've learned from them. I've
become more grown up.
