cool image: The Princess Of Golf, Michelle Wie

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CAMERAS clicked incessantly during yesterday’s opening media conference for this week’s HSBC Women’s Champions tournament, and they were all aiming at one golfer: 20-year-old Michelle Wie (above).

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The American, who shot to stardom as a teenager taking on male golfers, is making her first trip here, fresh from winning her first professional title last November.

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Flaunting a natural elegance with her 1.85m-tall frame, she and four other women golfers charmed the packed room, and even tried their hands gamely at batik painting.

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Sports Editor Chia Han Keong recounts this encounter with the “Princess of Golf”.

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by Chan Han Keong

Golf belle Michelle holds court

PHOTO: CHARMER - Michelle Wie commanded the entire conference’s attention whenever she spoke. The world No. 9 will play at HSBC Women’s Champions tournament. (PHOTO by JAMIE KOH)

SHE is the lowest-ranked of the five women golfers at yesterday's opening media conference of this week's HSBC Women's Champions tournament.

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But there was no doubt who had the most star power, as Michelle Wie charmed the packed audience with her elegant, occasionally girlish, demeanour.

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The 20-year-old American is making her first appearance in this top-tier competition at Tanah Merah Country Club, in which only the 20 top-ranked golfers and the winners of official Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournaments are entitled to be among the playing field.

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And all eyes were on her lithe, 1.85m-tall frame as she sauntered first into the conference room, ahead of her illustrious peers.

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So much of her life was played out publicly, her back story so well-known amid the golf fraternity that most of the audience immediately recognised the tall, stately golfer, even though she was making her debut.

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This is the young woman who shot to stardom with her prodigious skills when she was just 13 years old; who gamely took on male golfers in her teen years; who suffered serious injury and confidence setbacks in her initial professional career; and who finally earned proper respect and admiration with her first professional win last year.

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Yes, Wie's current world No.9 ranking pales in comparison to the rankings of the formidable line-up at the conference.

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The past two HSBC champions were present: world No.1 Lorena Ochoa, who won in 2008, and defending champion Shin Ji Yai, who is world No.2.

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Wie's compatriot Cristie Kerr is no slouch either, with 12 career LPGA wins, including a Major victory in the 2007 US Open.

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Then, there is pint-sized Ai Miyazato of Japan.

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Prior to last week, the 1.55m-tall golfer, like Wie, had only one LPGA career win.

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But, in last week's Thailand Open, she shot a superb final-round 63 to clinch her second career title. Her world ranking also shot up from No.8 to No.4 this week.

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Yet, Wie managed to command the entire conference's attention whenever she spoke, punctuating her answers with girlish giggles along the way.

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She expressed her eagerness to do well and try to win this highly-competitive tournament on her first try.

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"I know only the top two golfers in the world have won it, and I hope I'm not too far back at No.9 to have a chance to win," she said.

"The competition's fierce, the course is fantastic and, hopefully, the weather will be equally good. I can't wait to start."

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Indeed, one could sense that, after the massive initial hype that surrounded her since her amateur days, she sounded humbled by the series of setbacks and controversies that dogged her when she turned professional in 2005.

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Her frequent forays into men's tournaments, usually on sponsors' invites owing to her star appeal, earned frowns among her fellow professionals.

A bad wrist injury also curtailed her performances, as she went without wins in the first three years of her pro career.

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But last year was a breakthrough as she won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November, and she was a great team member during the United States' Solheim Cup win.

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She said: "It's really great just to spend more time with these players. They are really cool people. They are really great players and I feel like I've learnt a lot being around these players. You learn, you gain so much more experience."

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"Hopefully, I can do a lot better this year. I'm just trying to have fun out here and to just try my best, no added pressure. Hopefully, the results will follow."

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She smiled charmingly, rarely losing her trademark poise – except on one instance.

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When a reporter called her the "Tiger Woods of golf" and asked for her comments on the scandal that has engulfed the top male golfer in the world, she giggled and hid her face in mock embarrassment.

Then, she composed herself and gave a reply that her years under the media glare must have taught her.

"Unfortunately, I have no comment on this."

hankeong@sph.com.sg

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HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn
Sauntered: 漫步 - màn bù
Slouch: 懒散 - lǎn sǎn
Forays: 尝试 - cháng shì
Poise: 沉着 - chén zhuó

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MICHELLE WIE, THE TRAFFIC STOPPER

WHEREVER golf superstar Michelle Wie went yesterday at the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament, a large chunk of the 2,690-strong crowd at the Tanah Merah Country Club followed.

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The American undoubtedly attracted the most attention at the Garden Course. Everyone stopped and stared at the 20-year-old beauty, who was tipped to dominate women’s golf since she was 13.

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While she showed glimpses of her best golf, she also suffered from inconsistency, as a mish-mash of birdies and bogeys eventually gave her an even-par 72 for the day.

PHOTO: PRETTY IN PINK: Michelle Wie, 20, delivered an inconsistent performance yesterday at the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament, but she still drew the crowds all the same.
(PHOTO: JAMIE KOH)
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