June 23, 2014. It has taken a long time, much longer than many anticipated. Michelle Wie blazed her way around the tour as a precocious teenager, carrying the weight of expectations on her light shoulders. Eleven years after her first run at this event, and after many insufferable misses, Wie finally has a major title to her credit. The American produced a steady even par 70 to clinch the title at the 69th US Women’s Open at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club Course No. 2
It was intensely dramatic as Wie worked her way through the final few holes. Wie left herself 25 feet to the pin at the crucial 17th, where Stacy Lewis was keeping an eye to see if the slightest slip might push the final round into a playoff.
In a moment of reckoning, Wie sank the putt and brought out her fist. It was clear that the job was done. Only a few minutes earlier, Wie nearly kissed her chances goodbye when she made the double bogey at the 16th. No wonder then that some might consider that birdie at the 17th the putt of her life.
“That kind of emotion, that kind of pressure. I’ll think of that putt as one of the best putts I’ve ever hit in my life,” said the 24 year old Stanford graduate. Wie finished the business with a par on the 18th to earn the most coveted prize on the LPGA.
But the No. 1 player in women’s golf, Lewis made made Wie work hard for her much awaited triumph. Lewis, a good friend of Wie, made eight birdies in the final round That is the most in a final round of the US Open by man or woman to close with an emphatic 66.
Lewis was gracious in defeat, even extending a warm hug to Wie on the 18th, soon after her par putt. “I think that scene on 18, being on network TV, as many people as we had around there at Pinehurst No. 2 and Michelle Wie winning the golf tournament, I don’t think you can script it any better,” Lewis said.
“I think it’s great for the game of golf. I think it’s even better for women’s golf. I’m so happy for Michelle Wie. I mean, this has been such a long time coming for her.” You cannot sum it up better than that.
