Wie sees positives despite performance

Michelle Wie hit just one fairway in another embarrassingly poor performance in a men’s tournament in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

She was eight over par at the turn, before steadying the ship and negotiating the back nine even with the card en route to an 8-over 78 at Waialae Country Club.

The 17-year-old, who finished near last in her final three men’s appearances last year, always tries to pull something positive from even the most horrific of performances, and this was no different.

“I was really proud of myself in the end for making those birdies,” she said. “By the end, I actually feel like I’m playing golf. I feel I have a lot of game still left in me, a lot more than today.”

Wie’s drives had the gallery ducking for cover. She had a bad case of the pulls early, missing her first four drives to the left, and she paid the price, six over after six.

“It was very frustrating, because I knew if I got the ball in the fairway, I really could have shot really low today,” she said.

“My irons felt really great and my short game felt great and my putting felt great, which is usually the one (part of my game) that usually lets me down.

“The lowest point was the sixth hole, two doubles in a row. I just thought ’I’m not going to let this get away from me’. I left a lot of shots out there with my drive shot. It was one little careless mistake with my set-up that I corrected the last nine holes.”

Gavin Coles, who played with Wie, was impressed with her perseverance.

“She showed amazing composure after her start to score so well on the back nine,” he said. “She only hit one fairway and it’s hard to shoot a good score when you do that.”

This is Wie’s fourth consecutive appearance at her hometown PGA Tour event. She missed the cut by just one stroke in her debut in 2004, but it’s been downhill ever since.

Still, Wie sounded excited just to be playing on such a big stage.

“Whether I’m playing good or not, the opportunity I have, the fact I’m actually here and playing, is amazing, and I’m going to take this chance whether I play good or bad,” she said.